NightScream Studios Receives HAA Vendor Excellence Award

Rodney: We didn't know everybody was going to have a pumpkin related item in their booth, I think it is the year of the pumpkin this year. Everybody has pumpkin something.

Philip: Coming up Nightscream Studios received one of this year's vendor excellence awards, right after selling out on the show floor.

From the Haunted Attraction Network, I'm Phillip, and this is our vendor showcase series in partnership with the Haunted Attraction Association.

Now in their 24th year at Transworld Nightscream Studios took home one of the Associations Vendor Excellence Awards this year. Nightscream specializes in scenic for your haunt, and by 3:00 PM on Friday, they already had a wait list. Scott Swenson, from a Scott in the Dark, conducted this interview and he caught Rodney on Saturday, right before the award ceremony. Here's Scott.

Scott: Here at Transworld, we have seen, you see all kinds of vendors. What makes you guys unique?

Rodney: What we bring to the show a lot is mostly scenic items that go into haunted houses, theme parks, escape rooms. Our vacuform panels, our creepy moths, our lanterns, things that can go in very fast and bring a haunt to life very quick.

Scott: So, this show seems to have been very popular for pretty much everybody I've talked to. What has been the most popular product? What's the product that everybody seems to be buying from you guys?

Rodney: Well, our most popular product this year, by far, is our eval pumpkin vacuform panels. We didn't know everybody was going to have a pumpkin related item in their booth, I think it is The year of the pumpkin this year. Everybody has pumpkin something. But the panels, it's one of the things we're excited when we made the panel, it come out pretty cool. We only had the chance to have a few panels set up in our shop. We didn't set up the whole facade. So, this is the first time we got to set up the entire facade. And it was really cool to see how it looked with the vines and the moss on it, and people have been overwhelmed, I was really amazed by it, took a lot of pictures of it.

I think I'm really dreading it now, because it's one of our most nightmare panels to paint. It's very time consuming. It does cost a little more than our other panels, and I'm like, "okay, you know, if we have to produce a hundred of these, I guess that'd be fine." Cause there's like nine panels of pumpkins on each panel, and I think there's over a thousand of these panels that we sold at the show. So, we're going to be painting these things in our sleep.

Scott: Well, you know, it's a terrible problem to have, if you think about it. I got to tell you, they look great. They're really cool products, and you're right, this does seem to be the year of the pumpkin. I remember several years ago was a year of Krampus, and then there's always that weird trend that goes on. So, do you guys have a product, or do you have a product that you think is really, really cool that guests don't seem to know about, our customers don't seem to know about? What's the hidden gem that they need to know about from your company?

Rodney: Unfortunately, most of our hidden gems are exposed. We try to bring our new products to the show. The pumpkin panel was a product we kept quiet until the show, and then I only showed a very few amount of people until we got here. We do have a few new panels in the works we're thinking about doing. You know, right now we have 261 different panels.

Scott: So, you have 261 hidden gems is what you're saying?

Rodney: Well, you know, as the years go by panels, get less popular. We try to really make it elaborate, decorated, so people can see and say, "wow, that looks cool. We can do that." You know, inspire some minds that see the booth, and that's our goal, you know, to have a nice product.

Scott: Well, you guys have been vending at Transworld for many years. What is the advantage? Why be here at this show?

Rodney: This is our 24th year. Once we got into vacuforming about 13 years ago, we started with eight panels and didn't realize, wow, what we can do with it, and it has come to a whole new level with the products and what we can do with them. We pride ourselves on fast shipping. We try to have all of our products out by June 15th, and customers like that. If we can't get it out by June 15th, we're not going to take the order. We get panels done fast and get orders out quick.

Scott: That's great. That's great. So, you're also a member of the Haunted Attraction Association.

Rodney: The Association benefits the whole industry. Maybe a lot of people, maybe they don't know about it, or understand, but it is there for everyone, and it does serve a purpose. We do try to donate products every year to the auction for them to raise money, so it keeps going and it survives. If you have a haunt smaller or large, it's not a big fee to be a member of it, and there's a lot you can learn. There are a lot of members, you know, you can learn a lot of stuff there. Even the courses, what they offer that's going on at the show, and everything, so much you can learn from them.

Scott: That's great. So, if anyone listening wants to find out more about your products, wants to order products from you, what is the best way for them to reach out to you? And are there any show discounts that you're going to carry out after the show? Or are you sold out and done?

Rodney: Yeah, this show is definitely... opening Thursday was like, typically what we see on a Saturday. Friday was like seeing two Saturdays of order writing. No, by Friday at three o'clock we almost couldn't take any more orders on vacuform. And the orders written after three o'clock on Friday or Saturday, they're on a waiting list, if we can fill the orders. We only take a payment if we can guarantee it, and so right now it's just, we were overwhelmed. I mean, three o'clock on Friday, we've just hit the point where we just couldn't take any more orders.

Scott: So, people want to see and are planning ahead, what's the best way they can get in touch with you, see your product, a website, whatever works best for you?

Rodney: Yeah, all of our products on our website NightscreamStudios.com, you can go to the website, you can scroll around, you can see all the different panels, what we do have, and it's the best way to contact NightsceamStudios.com.

Scott: Great. Thank you so much.