The Murder Mystery Company recently suffered a terrible loss. On Friday night, Sarah Hale, our Texas Director, was involved in a motorcycle accident that took her life. We here at The Murder Mystery Company would like to send out our deepest sympathies to her friends, her family, and all that were touched by her amazing spirit.
Sarah was many wonderful things to the different people here at The Murder Mystery Co. Many of you in Texas probably worked with her; and if you were lucky enough, saw her perform.
I met Sarah a little over a year ago. It was the fastest I had ever hired somebody to be a director, I just had a feeling about her. I knew she was capable of running Dallas.
The day I hired her she was wearing a yellow Kiowa shirt she had picked up at a thrift store. The next time I flew out to Texas, she happened to be wearing the same yellow shirt. I commented on how impressed I was that she had decided to wear the same thing every day in cartoon character fashion. After that comment, every single time I flew down to Texas to work with her, she made sure to wear that shirt. Sarah was that committed to the running gag. That’s the Sarah I will always remember.
Sarah was talented, funny, and beyond passionate about this company and the shows she put out. She was kind, but never let anybody push her around. Sarah Hale was a blessing, to us here at The Murder Mystery Co, to her family, and her cast.
We are less without her and so is the world.
Rest In Peace Sarah Hale.
With the deepest regret,
Scott Cramton and the entire Murder Mystery Co family
Hello Everyone,
Today The Murder Mystery Company will teach you how to properly put on a fake mustache using Latex.
Enjoy this training video. The Murder Mystery Company has their resident fake mustache expert on the case!
Hello Detectives,
Within my personal Journal I (with The Murder Mystery Company) will be posting a few helpful things. After all the Blog is titled How to Plan a Murder!
The Video Below will teach you at home how to load and opporate a fake gun.
Thanks again for watching this Video on How to Use a Blank Firing Gun.
Detective Scott
CEO of The Murder Mystery Company
Hello once again Fearless Readers,
CLICK HERE FOR PART 1
I was so determined to go to Los Angeles. After speaking to that comedian I knew that was where I belonged!
At this point in my life I didn't have a lot going to me. I had spent years at The Haunt, creating and growing that and POOF it was gone. (that's another story though.) I wasn't seeing anybody seriously and I had unsuccessful side projects, like making my own comic books and this improv/murder mystery group I was working on.
So why not drop it all and go? So there I was. Standing strong, I made up my mind... almost and decided to go...kinda.
WHAT HAPPENED?
I think my first fail was putting "when this" on the life changing move. For instance I Facebooked some of my friends in LA and decided "when they" got back to me I'd go.
The next fail might have been me not wanting to give up my sideprojects. I'm a terrible quitter.. even when quitting is the right move.
I kept thinking how well my massive assortment of side projects was going. GRimprov was getting bigger. Heck we had 8 shows the last year! I had just won at Heroclix! The comic book I wrote and self published would do really well... I just have to wait to promote it at comic con. "When this" happens or hits... then I'll move.
It's here I made the kind of logic leap you make when you don't make an real decisions.
I looked at my life of wanting to be an actor, a writer, a director and said... COMIC BOOKS! This will probably save me. I'll meet people at San Diego Con, they'll read my book and "When that" happens I'll be gone with Grand Rapids, burning in the back ground. Like Iron Man walking away from an exploding tank.
Then... I went to San Diego...
More on that next time.
Sincerely,
Scott
Founder of The Murder Mystery Company
Hello Dear Readers,
BELOW YOU WILL SEE PROOF THAT YELP IS A SCAM.
At the office we have one thing we never speak of. We all know not to talk about it, because it's the game we can't win. That game is the Yelp game.
Here is how it's played.
OBJECTIVE: Keep a 4 Star Rating
RULES: You can't post reviews yourself. Yelp filters all reviews 4 stars and above unless it's done by a Yelp Eliter.
HOW THE GAME WAS PLAYED: We run 100,000 customers and hope that all of them have a 5 star evening and all enjoy the same meal. If anybody doesn't and they post a negative review regardless of their rank or if they've ever posted before it sticks forever. If anybody posts a positive review they filter it (their verision of removing it).
HOW YOU WIN: You don't. EXAMPLE: Chicago 38 reviews that are 5 stars, 1 reviews that is 4 stars, 2 reviews for 3 stars, 1 reviews that is 2 stars, 3 reviews that are 1 star. Our average is.... drum roll 2 STARS! How? Well, 38 reviews that are 5 stars are FILTERED!
WHY IS THIS GAME PLAYED? After a lot of research it's because Yelp filters positive reviews for the people that don't choose to advertise with their website. We have been called declined their advertising and as if by magic ALL of our positive reviews are filtered! Am I being paranoid? CHECK THIS WEBSITE OUT IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME!
If you support us or want to help me in this fight. Search The Murder Mystery Company in Yelp! at the location you're closest to.
Thank you and sincerly SCREW YOU YELP!
Scott
PS: Yelp! deleted my account today, because I wrote a bad review of Yelp on Yelp!
Hello Faithful Reader,
This blog is about what it is like to run The Murder Mystery Company. Here is a brief snap shot of my head right now.
As I sit here in my Dallas hotel room nearing 2 AM I wonder, if I've written my best script?
Do you ever wonder if you've done your best already?
I don't think anything I've written is brillant or horrible. I always feel like with a few more hours it'd be amazing. Then I have a few more hours and I watch Boardwalk Empire instead. I wonder if it's too scary to give one thing everything I've got?
As Seth Godin says, "Successful writing is mainly about shipping out a product." He's correct, I'm successful because I always ship, even if I could have done better with it.
I imagine this time in my life. This week with all my friends and I'll bang out this truly magical script. It won't feel rushed and it will be the best I have to offer. However, in 31 years, I've never found that week, but I've found a week for a lot of silly things that shouldn't matter or don't matter at all past the minute I'm done with it.
Tonight I sit here and wonder.
When will we all do our best?
I do that instead of revising a script.
Thanks for listening,
Scott
CEO The Murder Mystery Company
Hello Fearless Reader,
I've started this blog as a way of keeping a journal of sorts. A way to recollect the past and think outloud about the future. The only thing I can promise about this is honesty. If you're the kind of of person that would read this, then I might as well be giving you what's really happening behind the closed doors of the world of fake murderers and laughable detectives.
This is a true tale of a kid born with a clef pallet, who somehow founded one of the largest theater companies in America: The Murder Mystery Company.
Journal #1: Great Advice, I ignored.
"If you're a mountain climber go to a place with Mountains."
I used to sit endlessly in a parking ramp, collecting peoples tickets, watching DVD's on my laptop, playing with heroclix and trying not to pee my pants. Each day was like a gray painting on a grey wall. Although one part was framed, it didn't really matter where it begun or ended.
I was stuck, rotting in a place to legally put a prisoner of war.
Like any man trapped looking at people that escaped, I'd ask how. On one of the days I met a professional stand-up comedian who had just done with his set at the BOB (Grand Rapids, MI). I asked him what I should do, told him I wanted to be an actor. He told me this; "Most people drive to work for 20 minutes and work 8 hours, I drive to work 8 hours and preform for 20 minutes. It's miserable. I should have gone to LA and that's what you should do. Son, if you're going to be a mountain climber you have two options. You either travel to where mountains are and climb them or you have to build a mountain where you are and try to climb that. Which one seems easier?"
He was a nice guy and he talked to me for another couple minutes, which is a long time to talk to a guy in a parking booth.
As I left my booth of confinement that night my heart lifted. I was filled with that sense of anticipation you get when anything is possible. Yes, I had it in my head, I was moving to L.A. and nothing was going to stop me.
That was until I stopped myself.
To be Continued...
Sincerly,
Detective Scott Cramton
CEO The Murder Mystery Company