Hey everyone,
I don't post too often but this is a serious matter and I feel the haunt community should know about it in order to prevent other companies being taken advantage of. This past season my company and I worked with Willie May of Scream Team Productions. Willie promised lots and didn't return.
Originally we decided to work with him to help with our marketing efforts, starting with our website. We paid close to $3,000 for the site and it turned our good along with graphics. However it took quite a while for the finished products. The problem started towards the end of the season. Willie promised set pieces, costumes, effects and more including a whole attraction from Evermore Park in Utah. Didn't end up working out of course.
Willie and his team of four people slept in the trailer office at the haunt for a week and then ended up sleeping in one of our owners RV's the rest of the month. It seemed clear they did not have the funds to afford their own hotel. Willie's small team was great to work with and I know if Willie wasn't involved there would have been a great partnership. They were very creative and knew how to scare well. The season unfortunately progressed through the first week without a third attraction which Willie promised there would be.
Willie's problem solving and customer service skills were unprofessional. Our volunteer cast became upset with him after the first weekend by treating actors disrespectfully. He verbally/physically threatened myself twice during certain disputes. We were supposed to meet to go over financials and the outcome of the event and he never showed for the meeting. Nor him or his partner Roger returned phone calls or social media dm's. He left town and hasn't communicated with us since.
Willie recommended a ticketing merchant in order to cut down on costs and get POS systems however he apparently made those checks out to his companies name. We found out about it late in the season and then he promised to payout afterwards. We were obviously not okay with this at all upon finding out. He then proceeded to lie about when the checks from the ticket merchant would be sent. He said they would be send after the event however he had been receiving them a few days after each event night.
Willie also setup up Daily Deals for the attraction in his companies name when we were under the impression the checks would be in our name. Luckily we were able to catch the majority of those.
One of our owners found a missing fog machine in the RV they were staying in but wasn't able to confront them before they hit the road. While his crew was loading up we found many of our costumes in their bags (over 15 or so costumes.) and they said that it was an accident. Not true!
I'm now recently finding out he's falsely claiming to be and "Executive Producer" of the TV Show "Hellevator". I contacted GSN and he's apparently in no way a producer. He only worked on the pilot. He's also falsely claiming people are apart of his company who are not. Two have confirmed they are not affiliated with the company when his documentation says they are.
We decided to work with him because of his prior experience and what seemed to be a good reputation however we absolutely regret the decision to ever meet with him at a haunt convention. Overall a terrible, unreliable and untrustworthy person to work with. Now he's holding our new website/domain hostage too.
If there is anyone else who has had bad experiences with Scream Team Productions I'd love to hear from you. Thank you.
*UPDATE* After speaking with Christopher from Rouges Hollow Productions, it appears the site Scream Team Productions produced for us is full of stolen copyrighted art as well.
*ADDITIONAL UPDATE 12/2016* Apparently, his crew members of Vandal Image Productions who were extremely creative and helpful, were screwed over by Willie as well after wrapping the 2015 season. Vandal Image is apparently no longer affiliated with Willie or Scream Team Productions. Willie still has not been in contact with either party.
I don't post too often but this is a serious matter and I feel the haunt community should know about it in order to prevent other companies being taken advantage of. This past season my company and I worked with Willie May of Scream Team Productions. Willie promised lots and didn't return.
Originally we decided to work with him to help with our marketing efforts, starting with our website. We paid close to $3,000 for the site and it turned our good along with graphics. However it took quite a while for the finished products. The problem started towards the end of the season. Willie promised set pieces, costumes, effects and more including a whole attraction from Evermore Park in Utah. Didn't end up working out of course.
Willie and his team of four people slept in the trailer office at the haunt for a week and then ended up sleeping in one of our owners RV's the rest of the month. It seemed clear they did not have the funds to afford their own hotel. Willie's small team was great to work with and I know if Willie wasn't involved there would have been a great partnership. They were very creative and knew how to scare well. The season unfortunately progressed through the first week without a third attraction which Willie promised there would be.
Willie's problem solving and customer service skills were unprofessional. Our volunteer cast became upset with him after the first weekend by treating actors disrespectfully. He verbally/physically threatened myself twice during certain disputes. We were supposed to meet to go over financials and the outcome of the event and he never showed for the meeting. Nor him or his partner Roger returned phone calls or social media dm's. He left town and hasn't communicated with us since.
Willie recommended a ticketing merchant in order to cut down on costs and get POS systems however he apparently made those checks out to his companies name. We found out about it late in the season and then he promised to payout afterwards. We were obviously not okay with this at all upon finding out. He then proceeded to lie about when the checks from the ticket merchant would be sent. He said they would be send after the event however he had been receiving them a few days after each event night.
Willie also setup up Daily Deals for the attraction in his companies name when we were under the impression the checks would be in our name. Luckily we were able to catch the majority of those.
One of our owners found a missing fog machine in the RV they were staying in but wasn't able to confront them before they hit the road. While his crew was loading up we found many of our costumes in their bags (over 15 or so costumes.) and they said that it was an accident. Not true!
I'm now recently finding out he's falsely claiming to be and "Executive Producer" of the TV Show "Hellevator". I contacted GSN and he's apparently in no way a producer. He only worked on the pilot. He's also falsely claiming people are apart of his company who are not. Two have confirmed they are not affiliated with the company when his documentation says they are.
We decided to work with him because of his prior experience and what seemed to be a good reputation however we absolutely regret the decision to ever meet with him at a haunt convention. Overall a terrible, unreliable and untrustworthy person to work with. Now he's holding our new website/domain hostage too.
If there is anyone else who has had bad experiences with Scream Team Productions I'd love to hear from you. Thank you.
*UPDATE* After speaking with Christopher from Rouges Hollow Productions, it appears the site Scream Team Productions produced for us is full of stolen copyrighted art as well.
*ADDITIONAL UPDATE 12/2016* Apparently, his crew members of Vandal Image Productions who were extremely creative and helpful, were screwed over by Willie as well after wrapping the 2015 season. Vandal Image is apparently no longer affiliated with Willie or Scream Team Productions. Willie still has not been in contact with either party.
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