Living in the San Francisco Bay Area was expensive so in 2006, I started a consulting side gig. My first big job was for a restaurant a friend of mine had opened in Oregon. He complained of some issues he was struggling with that were contributing to the customer experience. One of my specialties was organization and work flow. I'm also great at menu design.
A few years ago, a friend of mine who works for a national haunted house chain called Thirteenth Floor started restoring props. Some of the corporate officers took notice, and he was asked to spend some time at their haunt in Nashville. This young kid had talent but lacked a vision for how to develop it and make a living doing what he loved.
The owner of the Nashville haunt was overseer of the Houston haunt. Hayden's struggle to find a future and his connection to Brad led to a consulting gig where I was able to help both the haunt chain and my pal Hayden.
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| Hayden clowning around with spare zombies back of house |
I realized he was restoring animatronics that had cost upwards of $5,000 when new. "What would they do with these if you hadn't restored them?" I asked. "Throw them away," he replied. I explained that he had just given Nashville a new animatronic. Rather than throwing away old ones because they had worn out, he was saving the company thousands of dollars.
He now has a secure a position with the corporation traveling to various haunts throughout the year to restore props that need TLC. Previously, he'd been working seasonally and working occasionally at the Houston haunt. Now he's traveling to San Antonio, Austin, Phoenix, California, and Nashville, working full time and happier than ever.
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| There are lots of photo ops in the haunt complex |
Through Hayden I got to know the Nashville haunt and its owner, Brad, fairly well, although I'd never actually visited the place. It was my first long-distance consulting project. When I learned that Hayden would be spending the entire Halloween season in Nashville, I looked at the three weeks of vacation sitting on my calendar with only a few plans in place and suggested a visit.
And what a visit it was!
Nashville is an amazing city that I've been to numerous times over the years, both during my airline career and my days managing a Harley-Davidson dealership. But this was the first time to be treated like royalty. I had chauffeured rides to and from the airport, as well as to and from my hotel. Breakfast was provided daily, and on my first night, I was treated to a very nice dinner at a trendy chicken restaurant called Party Fowl. What a great name!
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| Inside the house with lights on |
Hayden gave me a thorough red carpet daytime tour of the six haunts at Brad's complex. He asked if I wanted to go through with all the lights off and the animatronics jumping, groaning, growling, lurching, and scaring the bejesus out of people. "No," I told him. "I want to wait until tonight and be surprised."
And impressed I was! There were so many mannequins that I asked if
anyone had counted them. (No.) There were also plenty of moving
animatronics and even a few real skeletons. But you have to know
where they are or you'd never know they were there.
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| The marionettes |
Backstage, near the cemetery, was a nice area where Hayden worked on props. I was particularly impressed with the cat minions he had crafted, which dominated an entire section of the haunt across numerous rooms. The story line was that a crazy woman trapped children and turned them into cats, creating an army of minions to carry out her evil deeds. Hayden crafted one cat head dozens of times, dressing each one differently and changing its colors to create an army of wicked gatos.
He also crafted a series of marionettes that stood silently in a row on a stage in a room full of mannequins. Here's the catch: one of the people is a real person. You have to figure out which one as you make your way past rows of seats facing the stage and those eerie little creatures Hayden made, staring at you as if you're their next meal.
Hayden has also created a few clown murals throughout the haunt that looked amazing. In another section of the complex, he showed me his studio and the sculpture he was working on. He's so freaking talented! For my next trick, I told him, "You need to become VP of Prop Restoration, with a home office, a company car, and stock options!" It made him smile.
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| Another of Hayden's murals in the clown themed haunt |
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| Hayden in his studio |
Brad's office was more like a museum or a horror-themed toy store. Shelves and tables were filled with horror collectibles, including LEGO sets and monster cutouts. I could have spent another hour looking at everything, but with him not there, I felt as though I were invading his inner sanctuary.
The actors were scary and stayed in character. I wasn't sure whether they thought I was some bigwig corporate guy, given that I had a private escort who took me to the front of every line and accompanied me through each haunt. Not only does everyone know Hayden, but he's clearly cherished by the people who work with him.
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| This is Allen's work space in the actor's area back stage |
Brad's daughter, Katy, and her boyfriend Josh, who is also a technical wizard, were terrific. Solomon and I had a lot in common- he ran the most amazing and elaborate escape room I've ever seen. I could have spent an entire day swapping stories about working at Renaissance festivals. Then there was Allen, the senior makeup artist, whose workstation was plastered with images of legendary monsters from the heyday of horror movies, serving as inspiration for his work.
During the day, I made sure not to interfere with Hayden's work schedule. While he managed haunt projects for Brad, I went through the houses doing what I do best: fixing up rooms and moving props here and there to improve the nighttime experience for the patrons. It was rewarding to hear how much my suggestions were appreciated.
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| The actors getting ready for a night of terror |
I gifted that part of my consulting work for free. And while I may not have been there in my official capacity as a consultant, that didn't stop me from passing along a few ideas from my days running Doctor Evil's House of Horrors and consulting for a haunt in Portland years ago.
My friends know I'm easily persuaded, especially when fun is involved. Hayden successfully convinced me to stay an extra day. A third night of fun in Tennessee? Yes, please, and thank you! Having more time to watch Hayden work his magic and hang out with him over lunch and dinner was great. I also wanted to spend more time talking with some of his friends and coworkers. And, of course, I enjoyed a few more passes through each haunt.
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| Hayden and I in the gift shop |
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I'm not usually treated as well as I was in Nashville unless I'm on one of my cruise vacations. So, a special thank-you to the gang at Nashville Nightmare for the opportunity to visit and help out. And a particularly big thank-you to Brad for everything he's done for Hayden.
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| Hayden also airbrushes actors faces for the show |
If you're ever in the area while they're open, you really need to pay Nashville Nightmare a visit. It was certainly among the best haunts I've ever seen. And once more, I highly recommend giving Hayden a nice promotion to enhance the artistic side of things at 13th Floor Entertainment. Vice President of Prop Restoration? Monster-in-Chief? I'm not married to either title, so we can discuss. Thank you.
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