Chasing Spirits: The Building of the "Ghost Adventures" Crew (26 page)

Some religions don’t strictly adhere to the heaven-or-hell theory after we die. To some, there’s an in-between. In Catholicism, it’s called purgatory. Purgatory is a place of purification for souls who are destined for heaven but haven’t quite lived up to the purification required to go through the gates. Some feel that ghosts exist in this state of purgatory, still in the process of earning their way into heaven. Others believe that our existence
itself may be purgatory, that we’re in between heaven and hell and this is the limbo we’re stuck with.

As for me, ever since I had the experience at Linda Vista, I’ve wondered if maybe this isn’t my own purgatory, my chance at spiritual growth and enlightenment. That one moment—two seconds—woke me up. It made me want to live life in a big way, and that includes connecting with more people in every way.

My paranormal experiences have made me less combative with skeptics, believe it or not. Whenever I do radio interviews or convention appearances, someone inevitably will ask me, “What do you say to skeptics?” The answer is I don’t say anything, really. It’s not my job to make them believe, just as they shouldn’t feel it’s their job to make me
not
believe. Everyone has their own views; everybody has to live their own life, have their own experiences, and go through their own journey or destiny that will take them to what’s next. This is my life and these are my experiences, and all I can do is talk about them and let people know. If it opens up someone’s mind a little more so that they can perhaps have their own experience, that’s a bonus.

The word “skeptic” is often misused, because so many skeptics—especially those who make their living off it—aren’t skeptical about the existence of the paranormal. They’re outright nonbelievers, and nothing is going to change their mind. They’re out there telling people things that science hasn’t even been able to prove or disprove yet—just as we are—but for some reason they’re sure that they’re right and I’m wrong. It can’t work that way, guys. Too many so-called skeptics are starting to sound like those religious zealots who say that their way is the only way, and anybody who says otherwise is speaking the words of the devil.

Some cry out for empirical proof, data that can be repeated
again and again in a laboratory setting. Here’s the problem with that: it’s not the labs that are haunted. For reasons we can’t quite figure out yet, these energies are only able to manifest in certain locations. Once we do, maybe then we can re-create them in the lab. For now, we have to bring the lab to them, which is what we’re trying to do with repeated paranormal investigation of these locations. And even then, we can lay out all the geophysical information, atmospheric readings, and EMF fluctuations in the world, but that still won’t explain why I saw a solid figure of a woman appear right before my very eyes, where a split second before there was nothing but darkness. There’s no meter or detector that’s been created that can measure that… yet. So instead, these skeptics go with the old standby that it’s “just in your mind.”

The mind is an interesting thing. It’s said that we use only 10 or 15 percent of it. The skeptics believe it’s that 10 or 15 percent that is mistaken about what I saw, but what if instead it’s the unknown 85 to 90 percent that might actually perceive it?

That’s why the paranormal is such an interesting frontier, and maybe one of the last left to explore. Nobody can speak hard and fast about it, because nothing is certain or proven. It’s all theory. I’ve been doing this for a while now, and I’ve been to all kinds of haunted locations all over the world. I’ve had tons of experiences in those places, and I’d like to think I can determine when my eyes are playing tricks on me and when I’m seeing something that is real. I have no problem admitting that, sometimes, that just might be the case—hey, it’s dark, and I’m using just a little LCD screen as my light source. It’s easy to mistake shadows out of the corner of your eye for something else.

But I also know that when I turn around and see a freaking
person standing there, and it scares the ever living crap out of me and changes my life forever, it’s not my mind playing tricks on me! I would have known the difference even then. And it’s insulting that “skeptics” would think otherwise.

I’m not sure exactly what happens when we die, but I like to think that I’m not going to stick around. I’d like to go to a different place, to a different challenge. Whatever is next, I’m ready for it.

Thinking about myself as a ghost also makes me question how I’d feel if I were one of the spirits that we’re investigating for
Ghost Adventures
. I mean, were I to die and Zak showed up trying to make contact with my spirit, I’d haunt the shit out of him and everyone involved! Zak thinks three scratches down his back at Bobby Mackey’s is something? I’d make his head go all the way around! (Think of the ratings, Zak!)

I look at it like this: if I were wandering through some sort of limbo and unable to communicate with anyone, and then some people showed up and attempted to make contact with me, I
don’t think I’d be upset. I don’t know exactly what I would feel, but I don’t think it would be anger.

The paranormal is always at my core, but I’m still a storyteller and sometimes other stories are going to call out to me. In 2011, I got serious about pitching other television series ideas—some paranormal, some not. Because
Ghost Adventures
has been successful and I’m an executive producer on that show, it’s easy for me to get an audience with television production companies and networks now.

Vegas Stripped
is one of my recent projects, and it was picked up by the Travel Channel in November of 2011. Living in Las Vegas for so many years, I got the chance to know some of the casinos and their owners. I have a neighbor who is a real old-school Vegas guy—he used to work in Bugsy Siegel’s hotel when he was young. This neighbor introduced me to the owners of the South Point Casino, one of the newer and very popular casino hotels in town. After speaking with the owners and some of their management, I knew there was a great concept for a show there. The idea was to follow a day in the life of casino security.

The South Point Casino was willing to open up its security cameras to a television series so we could witness the everyday employee work atmosphere, events, and human drama that unfold on a daily basis in a major Vegas casino. How cool is that?

But putting something like this together is tricky. The casino doesn’t want to make itself look bad, and of course we need to show the juicy stuff if people are going to watch. That’s one thing I respected South Point for in a big way. These guys were willing to bare it all. They figured that by showing how well they handled security situations, in the end they’d look even better.
I loved the whole process. And the Travel Channel loved it too. The show started airing in February 2012.

Even though I already had a hit show to my name, I still had to do a lot of work to get
Vegas Stripped
sold. First of all, I’d had to work that connection with my neighbor to make my pitch to the casino. Then I had to develop the idea, invest my own money to get the sizzle reel produced, and shop it around. If the show didn’t sell, I’d be out all that money and time. But I believed in this idea. I knew it would be fun to watch and fun to make. I had to see it through.

I’m so fortunate to be in a position to turn my creative ideas into reality. And I’m working on other projects too. I’m drawn to human interest stories where people overcome obstacles. I love cheering for folks in rough situations.

Since working on
Ghost Adventures
, I also grew into my own sense of style. After I’d made my documentary, I’d realized how dorky I looked in the clothes I wore and made some changes to my wardrobe. So when a clothing designer called Modus Collections approached me about creating my own clothing line, I jumped at the chance.

In the past, Zak and I had sold Ghost Adventures Crew T-shirts and sweatshirts. The problem was, it was difficult to manage the inventory—I had to fulfill the orders and get them to the post office. We did all that ourselves. With traveling and everything else, we couldn’t keep up with it, so we stopped. I was blown away by how supportive our fans were—they even wanted to wear our clothing.

I’ve come to realize that the three of us—Zak, Aaron, and myself—represent a lifestyle and a mood. We’re the guys on television who aren’t afraid to go into the darkest haunts on the planet.
Maybe by emulating us just a bit, people get to break out of their daily lives and feel more a part of the Ghost Adventures Crew.

Working with Modus Collections allowed me to reconnect with JoAnne DeOleo, an old friend from high school who helped me put together my Phantom Collection line of clothes. One area that’s been tough for me since the success of
Ghost Adventures
is trusting people. Working with old friends makes that easier.

My wife knows me better than anyone, and she took the lead on the designs and worked with JoAnne to create exactly what I wanted. Veronique has been there for everything, so she was able to take my ideas and my life and turn them into a look. One of my favorite designs she came up with is a dark hoodie with the song lyrics from my song “Black Death” in the shape of a G. Another design features a ghostly doctor. Another favorite is called “1862.” The artwork was inspired by some of the architecture from Virginia City, and 1862 was the year some of my favorite buildings in town were constructed. I feel such a connection to that town it inspires almost every part of my life.

I wear my Phantom Collection clothes on a regular basis. The line launched on Halloween 2011 and has been well received so far. I plan to introduce more designs and clothes as time goes on.

From attending
Ghost Adventures
events and meeting fans all over the place, I’m humbled and amazed by how much they want to be a part of what we do. We’re kind of like a subculture—a group of friends out to explore the unexplained, and if people want to join us for the ride, then they’re welcome to.

I know the clothes, the music, and even this book may look like I’m trying to cash in on something, but the reality is I don’t do something unless my heart is in it 100 percent. When you work in a creative field, you can’t fake it. If you make art that is
half-assed, people will see through it. People aren’t stupid. They recognize when something is genuine. Real art is about telling the truth to your audience.

That honesty is something I try to convey in every episode of
Ghost Adventures
, and in everything I put out to the public.

I want to be a positive force for change. I’m in a position where I can do that. And so is everyone else. I truly believe any obstacle can be overcome. I’m just getting started.

I
t’s taken a long time for my mind and spirit to accept that there’s something else out there after we die. I feel that this is something I’ve always known, but I needed to prove it to myself to be 100 percent certain. Looking for ghosts and, in particular, that experience at Linda Vista Hospital accomplished that.

I think of my life now as a continual transformation. I’m evolving because of my experiences. Sometimes that evolution takes leaps—like when I locked eyes with a spirit—but most of the time that change occurs in tiny steps that are too small to notice. But over time they add up.

I’ve learned a lot along the way about the filmmaking craft and about paranormal investigating. But above all, I’ve learned about myself. I know enough to know there’s plenty more to learn—I take a lot of comfort in that.

I was asked recently by my old UNLV professor Francisco Menendez to come back and speak to the film department. So I started thinking about what I would say to the students. What would I say to a younger version of me if I could?

I knew I’d ask the students: “How many of you want to be filmmakers?” I imagined I’d see just about every hand in the auditorium go up—that’s how it was when I was in school. My follow-up question would be: “What are you going to do about it?”

Sure, they’re in school to learn about the process and the business. That’s a good start. And I imagined they would have been attending my lecture to get the answer to my second question. But here’s the thing: I don’t know what
they
should do about it. I just know what
I
did about it.

Going to school doesn’t move you any closer to actually
being
a filmmaker. A filmmaker captures stories and finds a unique and captivating way to tell them. You can learn about cameras, editing, pitching ideas, and all that other stuff in school. But you must have the heart of a filmmaker. And you must do things for yourself. A filmmaker is a doer, a problem solver. You don’t have the money? Find it. You don’t have the cameras? Borrow one, buy one, or rent one. You don’t have an actor? What about that guy who made your sandwich at the deli yesterday? He was a real character and would be perfect. Ask him! Start filming and start editing. That’s the only way to get better. That’s how I got to where I am today, and that’s how every filmmaker I know got to where he or she is today. If you need your hand held every step of the way, filmmaking isn’t for you.