On Thursday, October 12, 2023, Travel Channel takes viewers on another spine-tingling adventure with “The Ghost Town Terror” in its Season 2 Episode 3, titled “I Am the Darkness.”
In this episode, paranormal investigators Tim and Sapphire are joined by Scott Di Lalla as they dive into the eerie mysteries of the Broussard family’s past. Using hypnosis, they attempt to unearth long-buried secrets, but their efforts are hindered by a sinister spirit attachment, adding a layer of tension to their exploration.
Frustrated by the challenges they face, the team decides to confront the darkness head-on by venturing into two abandoned hospitals. As they navigate these desolate and haunted locations, they hope to uncover more clues and encounters that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Join them at 9:00 Pm on Travel Channel for an episode filled with suspense, as they delve deeper into the enigmatic world of the supernatural in “The Ghost Town Terror.
In this episode, paranormal investigators Tim and Sapphire are joined by Scott Di Lalla as they dive into the eerie mysteries of the Broussard family’s past. Using hypnosis, they attempt to unearth long-buried secrets, but their efforts are hindered by a sinister spirit attachment, adding a layer of tension to their exploration.
Frustrated by the challenges they face, the team decides to confront the darkness head-on by venturing into two abandoned hospitals. As they navigate these desolate and haunted locations, they hope to uncover more clues and encounters that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Join them at 9:00 Pm on Travel Channel for an episode filled with suspense, as they delve deeper into the enigmatic world of the supernatural in “The Ghost Town Terror.
- 10/5/2023
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
Travel Channel’s The Ghost Town Terror returns for season two on September 28, 2023 with episodes that find the Broussard family under attack by supernatural entities. New episodes of the six-episode season will air on Thursdays at 9pm Et/Pt.
Travel Channel released the following description of the upcoming season:
“On the outskirts of Anaconda, Montana sits Gunslinger Gulch – a sprawling ghost town and guest ranch. When the Broussard family answered the beckoning call of a new life in Big Sky Country, they soon discovered the ranch offered anything but the serene Montana lifestyle. Instead of peace, menacing supernatural activity plagued the family.
This season, a home chimney fire becomes a catalyst for new, threatening, dark activity, and the paranormal team is called back into action. Paranormal investigator Tim Wood and paranormal researcher Sapphire Sandalo return to Gunslinger Gulch to embark upon a two-fronted war: simultaneously battling sinister energies threatening both...
Travel Channel released the following description of the upcoming season:
“On the outskirts of Anaconda, Montana sits Gunslinger Gulch – a sprawling ghost town and guest ranch. When the Broussard family answered the beckoning call of a new life in Big Sky Country, they soon discovered the ranch offered anything but the serene Montana lifestyle. Instead of peace, menacing supernatural activity plagued the family.
This season, a home chimney fire becomes a catalyst for new, threatening, dark activity, and the paranormal team is called back into action. Paranormal investigator Tim Wood and paranormal researcher Sapphire Sandalo return to Gunslinger Gulch to embark upon a two-fronted war: simultaneously battling sinister energies threatening both...
- 9/19/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Rlj Entertainment is set to release Scott Di Lalla's I Am Zozo today (Nov. 19th, 2013). This indie supernatural feature is now available on DVD and VOD. Di Lalla is know for his documentaries and he has brought a documentary shooting style to this feature. I Am Zozo stars Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy and Demetrius Sager. The film involves the use of a Ouija board and the spirits which are summoned. A fun night is turned into a sinister one, when a malevolent entity starts to play tricks on the summoners. Some of these tricks are fatal. Fans of indie thrillers can view the film's official trailer below. The reel builds menace by relating events through a disturbed young woman. And now, fans can purchase the film at their favourite retailers. Release Date: November 19th, 2013 (DVD, VOD). Director: Scott Di Lalla. Cast: Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista,...
- 11/19/2013
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Zozo is an often recognized and written about evil entity that has been documented since the early 1800s. The reports of encounters with Zozo took a marked uptick once people began using Ouija boards and this alleged demon is said to attach itself to certain unlucky individuals who happen across its path. The Internet is wrought with claims by people from all over that the entity Zozo has come into their lives and effectively ruined everything. Documentary filmmaker Scott Di Lalla has clearly heard stories of Zozo as well and the film I Am Zozo is the result of his putting the legend to film reportedly based on a true story.
- 11/11/2013
- Best-Horror-Movies.com
Last year, Image Entertainment acquired I Am ZoZo, a movie that involves five young friends who summon a demon when using a Ouija board. We now have Us release details and a look at the trailer.
“On Halloween night, five teens decide to liven up their party with some innocent fun: by summoning the spirits. At first, it’s all nervous laughter and scoffing. Then, the night takes a sinister turn: the board reveals truths, exposes secrets it cannot possibly know, and triggers inexplicable events within the darkened house. As the session continues, an entity reveals itself: Zozo. And as the terrified teens are about to discover, once you make contact with this ancient, demonic force, you’re no longer playing a game… the game is playing you. A pulse-pounding, edge-of-your-seat supernatural thriller based on multiple reports of spirit board encounters with this savagely malicious spirit. ”
Directed by Scott Di Lalla,...
“On Halloween night, five teens decide to liven up their party with some innocent fun: by summoning the spirits. At first, it’s all nervous laughter and scoffing. Then, the night takes a sinister turn: the board reveals truths, exposes secrets it cannot possibly know, and triggers inexplicable events within the darkened house. As the session continues, an entity reveals itself: Zozo. And as the terrified teens are about to discover, once you make contact with this ancient, demonic force, you’re no longer playing a game… the game is playing you. A pulse-pounding, edge-of-your-seat supernatural thriller based on multiple reports of spirit board encounters with this savagely malicious spirit. ”
Directed by Scott Di Lalla,...
- 10/16/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Image Entertainment reps revealed I Am Zozo is getting a DVD release on November 19th.
The film - shot entirely on Super 8mm - was written and directed by documentarian Scott Di Lalla (Choppertown: The Sinners) and stars Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista, and Caleb Courtney.
On Halloween night, five teens decide to liven up their party with some innocent fun: by summoning the spirits. At first, it’s all nervous laughter and scoffing. Then, the night takes a sinister turn: the board reveals truths, exposes secrets it cannot possibly know, and triggers inexplicable events within the darkened house. As the session continues, an entity reveals itself: Zozo. And as the terrified teens are about to discover, once you make contact with this ancient, demonic force, you’re no longer playing a game… the game is playing you. A pulse-pounding, edge-of-your-seat supernatural thriller based on multiple reports...
The film - shot entirely on Super 8mm - was written and directed by documentarian Scott Di Lalla (Choppertown: The Sinners) and stars Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista, and Caleb Courtney.
On Halloween night, five teens decide to liven up their party with some innocent fun: by summoning the spirits. At first, it’s all nervous laughter and scoffing. Then, the night takes a sinister turn: the board reveals truths, exposes secrets it cannot possibly know, and triggers inexplicable events within the darkened house. As the session continues, an entity reveals itself: Zozo. And as the terrified teens are about to discover, once you make contact with this ancient, demonic force, you’re no longer playing a game… the game is playing you. A pulse-pounding, edge-of-your-seat supernatural thriller based on multiple reports...
- 10/16/2013
- shocktillyoudrop.com
If you like movies that include Ouija boards and demons you might want to check out I Am Zozo. Interesting fact did you know one of the first mentions of the automatic writing method used in the Ouija board is found in China around 1100 Ad in historical documents of the Song Dynasty. Rlj Image Entertainment will be releasing I Am Zozo for VOD and DVD November 19 2013. The film is directed by Scott Di Lalla Kelly McLaren Courtney Foxworthy Demetrius Sager Caleb DeBattista Caleb Courtney and Darren Wayne Evans star.
- 9/11/2013
- Best-Horror-Movies.com
Image Entertainment, an Rlj Entertainment (Nasdaq: Rlje) brand, has acquired U.S. rights to Scott Di Lalla’s Ouija board thriller I Am ZoZo from Outsider Pictures and One World Studios Ltd. The film was written and directed by documentarian Scott Di Lalla (Choppertown: The Sinners) and stars Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista, and Caleb Courtney. The film was produced by Zack Coffman and executive produced by Martin Perlberger. I Am ZoZo … Continue reading →...
- 5/18/2013
- by HorrorNews.net
- Horror News
Image Entertainment has gotten the U.S. rights to Scott Di Lalla’s I Am Zozo, a horror movie concerning a Ouija board. For more information, read the press release below.
Cannes, France, May 17, 2013 – Image Entertainment, an Rlj Entertainment (Nasdaq: Rlje) brand, has acquired U.S. rights to Scott Di Lalla’s Ouija board thriller I Am ZoZo from Outsider Pictures and One World Studios Ltd. The film was written and directed by documentarian Scott Di Lalla (Choppertown: The Sinners) and stars Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista, and Caleb Courtney. The film was produced by Zack Coffman and executive produced by Martin Perlberger. I Am ZoZo was filmed entirely on Super 8mm and recently received Best Feature and Audience Choice Awards at the 2012 Us Super 8 Film Festival. Bill Bromiley, Chief Acquisitions Officer for Image Entertainment made today’s announcement.
“Di Lalla’s background as a documentary filmmaker...
Cannes, France, May 17, 2013 – Image Entertainment, an Rlj Entertainment (Nasdaq: Rlje) brand, has acquired U.S. rights to Scott Di Lalla’s Ouija board thriller I Am ZoZo from Outsider Pictures and One World Studios Ltd. The film was written and directed by documentarian Scott Di Lalla (Choppertown: The Sinners) and stars Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista, and Caleb Courtney. The film was produced by Zack Coffman and executive produced by Martin Perlberger. I Am ZoZo was filmed entirely on Super 8mm and recently received Best Feature and Audience Choice Awards at the 2012 Us Super 8 Film Festival. Bill Bromiley, Chief Acquisitions Officer for Image Entertainment made today’s announcement.
“Di Lalla’s background as a documentary filmmaker...
- 5/17/2013
- by Andy Greene
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
The Ouija board-based spooker I Am ZoZo has had some luck at Cannes as the mighty oracle of demonic activity has spelled out Image Entertainment! Yep, the flick is officially being released here Stateside. Read on for details.
From the Press Release
Image Entertainment, an Rlj Entertainment brand, has acquired U.S. rights to Scott Di Lalla’s Ouija board thriller I Am ZoZo from Outsider Pictures and One World Studios Ltd. The film was written and directed by documentarian Scott Di Lalla (Choppertown: The Sinners) and stars Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista, and Caleb Courtney. The film was produced by Zack Coffman and executive produced by Martin Perlberger. I Am ZoZo was filmed entirely on Super 8mm and recently received Best Feature and Audience Choice Awards at the 2012 Us Super 8 Film Festival. Bill Bromiley, Chief Acquisitions Officer for Image Entertainment ,made today’s announcement.
"Di Lalla's...
From the Press Release
Image Entertainment, an Rlj Entertainment brand, has acquired U.S. rights to Scott Di Lalla’s Ouija board thriller I Am ZoZo from Outsider Pictures and One World Studios Ltd. The film was written and directed by documentarian Scott Di Lalla (Choppertown: The Sinners) and stars Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista, and Caleb Courtney. The film was produced by Zack Coffman and executive produced by Martin Perlberger. I Am ZoZo was filmed entirely on Super 8mm and recently received Best Feature and Audience Choice Awards at the 2012 Us Super 8 Film Festival. Bill Bromiley, Chief Acquisitions Officer for Image Entertainment ,made today’s announcement.
"Di Lalla's...
- 5/17/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Image Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to Scott Di Lalla’s Ouija board thriller I Am ZoZo from Outsider Pictures and One World Studios Ltd. The film was written and directed by documentarian Scott Di Lalla (Choppertown: The Sinners) and stars Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista, and Caleb Courtney.
The film was produced by Zack Coffman and executive produced by Martin Perlberger. I Am ZoZo was filmed entirely on Super 8mm and recently received Best Feature and Audience Choice Awards at the 2012 Us Super 8 Film Festival. Bill Bromiley, Chief Acquisitions Officer for Image Entertainment made today’s announcement.
Read more...
The film was produced by Zack Coffman and executive produced by Martin Perlberger. I Am ZoZo was filmed entirely on Super 8mm and recently received Best Feature and Audience Choice Awards at the 2012 Us Super 8 Film Festival. Bill Bromiley, Chief Acquisitions Officer for Image Entertainment made today’s announcement.
Read more...
- 5/17/2013
- shocktillyoudrop.com
We have more horror acquisition news from Cannes. Image Entertainment just announced that they acquired I Am ZoZo, a movie that involves five young friends who summon a demon when using a Ouija board:
“Cannes, France, May 17, 2013 – Image Entertainment, an Rlj Entertainment (Nasdaq: Rlje) brand, has acquired U.S. rights to Scott Di Lalla’s Ouija board thriller I Am ZoZo from Outsider Pictures and One World Studios Ltd. The film was written and directed by documentarian Scott Di Lalla (Choppertown: The Sinners) and stars Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista, and Caleb Courtney. The film was produced by Zack Coffman and executive produced by Martin Perlberger. I Am ZoZo was filmed entirely on Super 8mm and recently received Best Feature and Audience Choice Awards at the 2012 Us Super 8 Film Festival. Bill Bromiley, Chief Acquisitions Officer for Image Entertainment made today’s announcement.
“Di Lalla’s background as...
“Cannes, France, May 17, 2013 – Image Entertainment, an Rlj Entertainment (Nasdaq: Rlje) brand, has acquired U.S. rights to Scott Di Lalla’s Ouija board thriller I Am ZoZo from Outsider Pictures and One World Studios Ltd. The film was written and directed by documentarian Scott Di Lalla (Choppertown: The Sinners) and stars Kelly McLaren, Courtney Foxworthy, Demetrius Sager, Caleb DeBattista, and Caleb Courtney. The film was produced by Zack Coffman and executive produced by Martin Perlberger. I Am ZoZo was filmed entirely on Super 8mm and recently received Best Feature and Audience Choice Awards at the 2012 Us Super 8 Film Festival. Bill Bromiley, Chief Acquisitions Officer for Image Entertainment made today’s announcement.
“Di Lalla’s background as...
- 5/17/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Battle Of The Damned
Anchor Bay has snapped up United States, Australian and New Zealand rights to Christopher Hatton's futuristic tale "Battle Of The Damned" from Compound B. Dolph Lundgren stars in the story of survivors of a test facility meltdown who are hunted by infected hordes and malfunctioning robots.
Big Bad Wolves
Magnet Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado's Israeli thriller "Big Bad Wolves" from Xyz Films. The story centers on a series of brutal murders that puts the lives of three men on a collision course — the father of the latest victim, a vigilante police detective and the main suspect in the killings.
Breath of the Gods
Alive Mind Cinema has picked up North American rights to Jan Schmidt-Garre’s documentary "Breath Of The Gods" which charts the origins of yoga.
A Case of You
IFC Films has acquired...
Anchor Bay has snapped up United States, Australian and New Zealand rights to Christopher Hatton's futuristic tale "Battle Of The Damned" from Compound B. Dolph Lundgren stars in the story of survivors of a test facility meltdown who are hunted by infected hordes and malfunctioning robots.
Big Bad Wolves
Magnet Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado's Israeli thriller "Big Bad Wolves" from Xyz Films. The story centers on a series of brutal murders that puts the lives of three men on a collision course — the father of the latest victim, a vigilante police detective and the main suspect in the killings.
Breath of the Gods
Alive Mind Cinema has picked up North American rights to Jan Schmidt-Garre’s documentary "Breath Of The Gods" which charts the origins of yoga.
A Case of You
IFC Films has acquired...
- 5/17/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
This is a very compelling case study on using current (and free!) internet tools readily available for audience building, demographic collection, contacting the people who may be your 'base group' and who may eventually (or now?) compensate you for your content. I think that connecting with your intended (and / or desirable) audience is almost Job Number One to any of us who create (film, art or here as an internet and or TV show) and who instinctively 'know' who we are speaking to. This compelling piece by our friend Zack Coffman really has some very interesting ideas which we should all absorb (and ??? follow?...)
Billed as "Big Brother meets Ghostbusters" online reality show LiveSciFi scored a hit this weekend as the relaunch of their cult streaming ghost hunting show got over 5 million views, going into their final nights on location at the haunted "Sallie House" of Atchison, Ks. Originally to last 72 hours, the response to the show has been so great the team decided to extend it to 96 hours to give the viewers just a bit more paranormal investigation to ponder until the next live show scheduled for late May. Evidenciary clips will be posted over the next few days to the LiveSciFi.tv paranormal blog.
Known for taking tamer cable TV ghost hunting fare to the extreme, the LiveSciFi team (Tim Wood, Scott Di Lalla, and Patrick Langdon) take turns doing various experiments in the most haunted locations such as Ouija board, Ganzfeld sensory deprivation, BeezleBox(tm) and Ghost Radar®. Calling itself "As real as it gets," the show allows viewers to watch unedited continuous feeds from various rooms in the house while the ghost hunters deal with whatever supernatural energies may exist in the house and attempt to bring them to the visual and aural realm for all to see.
Created by Wood in late 2007, LiveSciFi was the first live streaming paranormal show ever attempted on the internet and it achieved a cultlike status among loyal followers even though the technology wasn't up to today's standards. "I just got sick of various fake paranormal shows that were edited down without showing the audience what was really happening and letting them decide for themselves," says Wood, "I never imagined it would go this crazy." The show came to the attention of award-winning One World Studios Ltd. toppers Scott Di Lalla and Zack Coffman who acquired it just three weeks prior to this weekend's streaming, keeping Wood on as host and creative director. The One World duo had just finished up their own paranormal Ouija movie, a feature film called I Am ZoZo shot entirely on Super 8mm and based on true accounts of the demon ZoZo attacking people through Ouija boards, when Di Lalla's friend and fellow paranormal hobbyist Langdon mentioned that the intense online reality show he had appeared on needed another camera operator. Di Lalla accompanied LiveSciFi for a weekend and when he returned he told Coffman, "We gotta get in on this." Two weeks later One World had acquired the show and began seeking sponsors and a platform to stream it to the widest possible audience. "We approached all the usual suspects, but honestly, this is sort of unexplored territory so it wasn't easy with such a short window before the next show. Justin.tv told us that they could offer a front page placement and we had the deal done in a matter of hours. Muses Coffman, "The guys at Justin told us to expect 750k to 1 million viewers over the weekend and those were amazing numbers to us. We never expected the response to be five times that!
Last Second Scrambling -- With the show scheduled to go live two days hence, on Friday the 13th, Coffman took the viewer estimates and tried to arrange some sponsorships. He contacted Dickies with whom One World had a long-standing relationship through One World's series of cult motorcycle movies (Choppertown). Recounts Coffman, "I wasn't sure what they'd say about an edgy ghost hunting show, but I think there was a level of trust we had built up over our previous projects and I basically just promised them it would be worth their while." Dickies PR Director Misty Otto made the call while on a business flight en route to Chicago, "Zack (Coffman) said he had an amazing last second opportunity and sent me a quick synopsis that we found compelling and fresh. That and our previous good experiences with One World made it easy to jump on board even on short notice. We always enjoy working with Scotty, Zack and the One World crew because they bring a very real, raw and interesting perspective to the projects they tackle." With a main sponsor on board and only hours before the show was scheduled to go live, Coffman approached one more sponsor, Spud Pickles, makers of the #1 ghost hunting app Ghost Radar®. "We love the app and it's far and away the most popular of all the ghost hunting apps out there with several million downloads so they (Spud Pickles) were definitely my first choice," says Coffman. Like Dickies, Spud Pickles topper, Jack Jones saw the opportunity immediately and bought a sponsorship right there on the phone. Then in a sign of good things to come, Spud Pickles released a global update to all their users featuring a graphical splash page and a link to LiveSciFi's homepage. Said Coffman, "We were so happy that Spud Pickles got on board, but they went far and above the sponsor relationship by helping to promote the show the way they did. We got thousands of hits that first day from the Ghost Radar® update alone."
As the team were setting up in Atchison, One World continued the last-second PR blitz. "We started calling all the local TV stations in Kansas City, telling them about the Friday the 13th ghost hunt. None of them showed up, but local ABC affiliate Kmbc published our release on their blog and it just took off. That posting caused several thousand hits, and then MSNBC.com reposted it just as the show was going live on Friday evening followed by About.com. "We must have gotten a good 10,000 hits from those posts alone." says Coffman.
With the show going live and the last touches and updates going on the site, the team focused on creating the best interactive viewer experience possible. Wood, Di Lalla and Langdon began investigating various parts of the house while receiving tweets from viewers that had already been watching the quad-cam splitscreen for hours. Wood and the team then tried to base their focus on the information coming in from the viewers live chats and tweets, continuing until 4am when the team set up their sleeping bags right in the center of the living room floor; the cams running on them as they slumbered fitfully with their viewers watching over them.
About One World Studios Ltd.:
One World’s first feature documentary Choppertown: the Sinners focused on a renowned group of California bikers known as the Sinners. Produced in 2004 with a stack of credit cards, this award-winning documentary heralded a return to the values of a simpler time and spawned a worldwide cult following culminating in a seventeen-country European theatrical tour sponsored by Dickies. After selling 20,000 Choppertown DVDs out of an apartment in West La, Coffman and Dilalla were able to quit their part-time jobs and make films full time since 2005. I Am ZoZo is their sixth feature and first narrative. LiveSciFi is their first Live reality show.
Billed as "Big Brother meets Ghostbusters" online reality show LiveSciFi scored a hit this weekend as the relaunch of their cult streaming ghost hunting show got over 5 million views, going into their final nights on location at the haunted "Sallie House" of Atchison, Ks. Originally to last 72 hours, the response to the show has been so great the team decided to extend it to 96 hours to give the viewers just a bit more paranormal investigation to ponder until the next live show scheduled for late May. Evidenciary clips will be posted over the next few days to the LiveSciFi.tv paranormal blog.
Known for taking tamer cable TV ghost hunting fare to the extreme, the LiveSciFi team (Tim Wood, Scott Di Lalla, and Patrick Langdon) take turns doing various experiments in the most haunted locations such as Ouija board, Ganzfeld sensory deprivation, BeezleBox(tm) and Ghost Radar®. Calling itself "As real as it gets," the show allows viewers to watch unedited continuous feeds from various rooms in the house while the ghost hunters deal with whatever supernatural energies may exist in the house and attempt to bring them to the visual and aural realm for all to see.
Created by Wood in late 2007, LiveSciFi was the first live streaming paranormal show ever attempted on the internet and it achieved a cultlike status among loyal followers even though the technology wasn't up to today's standards. "I just got sick of various fake paranormal shows that were edited down without showing the audience what was really happening and letting them decide for themselves," says Wood, "I never imagined it would go this crazy." The show came to the attention of award-winning One World Studios Ltd. toppers Scott Di Lalla and Zack Coffman who acquired it just three weeks prior to this weekend's streaming, keeping Wood on as host and creative director. The One World duo had just finished up their own paranormal Ouija movie, a feature film called I Am ZoZo shot entirely on Super 8mm and based on true accounts of the demon ZoZo attacking people through Ouija boards, when Di Lalla's friend and fellow paranormal hobbyist Langdon mentioned that the intense online reality show he had appeared on needed another camera operator. Di Lalla accompanied LiveSciFi for a weekend and when he returned he told Coffman, "We gotta get in on this." Two weeks later One World had acquired the show and began seeking sponsors and a platform to stream it to the widest possible audience. "We approached all the usual suspects, but honestly, this is sort of unexplored territory so it wasn't easy with such a short window before the next show. Justin.tv told us that they could offer a front page placement and we had the deal done in a matter of hours. Muses Coffman, "The guys at Justin told us to expect 750k to 1 million viewers over the weekend and those were amazing numbers to us. We never expected the response to be five times that!
Last Second Scrambling -- With the show scheduled to go live two days hence, on Friday the 13th, Coffman took the viewer estimates and tried to arrange some sponsorships. He contacted Dickies with whom One World had a long-standing relationship through One World's series of cult motorcycle movies (Choppertown). Recounts Coffman, "I wasn't sure what they'd say about an edgy ghost hunting show, but I think there was a level of trust we had built up over our previous projects and I basically just promised them it would be worth their while." Dickies PR Director Misty Otto made the call while on a business flight en route to Chicago, "Zack (Coffman) said he had an amazing last second opportunity and sent me a quick synopsis that we found compelling and fresh. That and our previous good experiences with One World made it easy to jump on board even on short notice. We always enjoy working with Scotty, Zack and the One World crew because they bring a very real, raw and interesting perspective to the projects they tackle." With a main sponsor on board and only hours before the show was scheduled to go live, Coffman approached one more sponsor, Spud Pickles, makers of the #1 ghost hunting app Ghost Radar®. "We love the app and it's far and away the most popular of all the ghost hunting apps out there with several million downloads so they (Spud Pickles) were definitely my first choice," says Coffman. Like Dickies, Spud Pickles topper, Jack Jones saw the opportunity immediately and bought a sponsorship right there on the phone. Then in a sign of good things to come, Spud Pickles released a global update to all their users featuring a graphical splash page and a link to LiveSciFi's homepage. Said Coffman, "We were so happy that Spud Pickles got on board, but they went far and above the sponsor relationship by helping to promote the show the way they did. We got thousands of hits that first day from the Ghost Radar® update alone."
As the team were setting up in Atchison, One World continued the last-second PR blitz. "We started calling all the local TV stations in Kansas City, telling them about the Friday the 13th ghost hunt. None of them showed up, but local ABC affiliate Kmbc published our release on their blog and it just took off. That posting caused several thousand hits, and then MSNBC.com reposted it just as the show was going live on Friday evening followed by About.com. "We must have gotten a good 10,000 hits from those posts alone." says Coffman.
With the show going live and the last touches and updates going on the site, the team focused on creating the best interactive viewer experience possible. Wood, Di Lalla and Langdon began investigating various parts of the house while receiving tweets from viewers that had already been watching the quad-cam splitscreen for hours. Wood and the team then tried to base their focus on the information coming in from the viewers live chats and tweets, continuing until 4am when the team set up their sleeping bags right in the center of the living room floor; the cams running on them as they slumbered fitfully with their viewers watching over them.
About One World Studios Ltd.:
One World’s first feature documentary Choppertown: the Sinners focused on a renowned group of California bikers known as the Sinners. Produced in 2004 with a stack of credit cards, this award-winning documentary heralded a return to the values of a simpler time and spawned a worldwide cult following culminating in a seventeen-country European theatrical tour sponsored by Dickies. After selling 20,000 Choppertown DVDs out of an apartment in West La, Coffman and Dilalla were able to quit their part-time jobs and make films full time since 2005. I Am ZoZo is their sixth feature and first narrative. LiveSciFi is their first Live reality show.
- 4/19/2012
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
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