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Hello,
I have a couple of questions for some veterans out there. I have recently been asked to design and help run a professional haunt by a couple who is very interested in getting started in the industry. They bought a bunch of land near me with two vacant barns. The set up is perfect and the location couldn't be better. I personally have been doing research on starting my own haunt for about three years now. The situation seems perfect for me. I'm a professional filmmaker and musician for a living, so organizing big crews and productions is not unfamiliar territory for me. My questions are about the industry itself, as we will be getting started immediately upon agreeable terms.
1 - I need to find out if the property is even zoned for a professional haunt. Would this be commercial zoning? Any advice on the subject?
2 - The couple wants to know my expected pay as well as expected percentage of profits before we move forward. This is where I'm not sure how exactly to quote. They expect me to take complete creative control and turn their empty land into a living nightmare. To them, its not much more than an investment. They simply have money, love Halloween, and are big fans of my work, which is obviously the perfect situation for me. Any suggestions on how to calculate what I'd charge during designing and building? Percentage of profits?
3- Finally, what types of permits should I get to cover all bases, if any. In film production location permits vary from place to place. Is this the same story with Haunts?
I know it's getting down to the wire here, but the cash is literally ready to go right now. I'm aware these aren't the only things I need to worry about, they're just the big things I am most unfamiliar with.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated regarding these questions, or anything else that may be pertinent.
I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out. I've bothered many of you with questions over the last few years and I've always been very pleased with the responses, so thanks again!
-Josh Hasty
I have a couple of questions for some veterans out there. I have recently been asked to design and help run a professional haunt by a couple who is very interested in getting started in the industry. They bought a bunch of land near me with two vacant barns. The set up is perfect and the location couldn't be better. I personally have been doing research on starting my own haunt for about three years now. The situation seems perfect for me. I'm a professional filmmaker and musician for a living, so organizing big crews and productions is not unfamiliar territory for me. My questions are about the industry itself, as we will be getting started immediately upon agreeable terms.
1 - I need to find out if the property is even zoned for a professional haunt. Would this be commercial zoning? Any advice on the subject?
2 - The couple wants to know my expected pay as well as expected percentage of profits before we move forward. This is where I'm not sure how exactly to quote. They expect me to take complete creative control and turn their empty land into a living nightmare. To them, its not much more than an investment. They simply have money, love Halloween, and are big fans of my work, which is obviously the perfect situation for me. Any suggestions on how to calculate what I'd charge during designing and building? Percentage of profits?
3- Finally, what types of permits should I get to cover all bases, if any. In film production location permits vary from place to place. Is this the same story with Haunts?
I know it's getting down to the wire here, but the cash is literally ready to go right now. I'm aware these aren't the only things I need to worry about, they're just the big things I am most unfamiliar with.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated regarding these questions, or anything else that may be pertinent.
I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out. I've bothered many of you with questions over the last few years and I've always been very pleased with the responses, so thanks again!
-Josh Hasty