Busting makes me feel........

Regional Franchises
1

The NJGB have had a fantastic Halloween season with 27 total events.

Something we are starting to notice more and more though is that certain events are feeling a lot less like fun, and a lot more like work. It seems we are becoming a victim of our own success.

A few examples:

-At recent large events, we tend to end up posing for photos for 4-6 hours without a break.

If we take a lunch break, try to do an interview with local news, or just talk with someone, people will interrupt us non stop. There just seems to be a sense of entitlement that leads to manors going out the window. Trying to enjoy the events we attend is nearly impossible due to all the photo requests.

-Crazy photographers, they’re everywhere. We were actually told by the NYPD on halloween night to stop being so awesome, as we were causing foot traffic issues. There were people running out into moving traffic for photos, even out infront of the ecto as we were driving down the street.

-Crazy adults: everyone knows storm troopers, spider man, and trekkies are from a movie, but for some reason at least 40% of the people we meet think we are real ghostbusters and they must tell us about the ghost in their attic. Many of them become upset or even angry when we tell them that ghostbusters is only a movie.

-Unapprecciatve event organizers: Some are great, we show up, have some fun, take a few pictures, and then they treat us to the event, maybe a free lunch etc. However more and more we have been running into event organizers who treat us as employees, working a queue line for 6 hours with no break, food, or pay.

Maybe we are just burnt out from the holiday season, but it just seems that busting is becoming 80% hard work and 20% fun.

I will note though that driving in the ecto is still 100% enjoyable though as we tend to keep the doors locked and windows halfway up so we have a barrier.

Is anyone else going through this? Have any advice?

2

Welcome to the business.

3

We also were getting a little burned out, and Trick r Treat almost did us in. Tea,hair almost fell over on her pack because she couldn’t get up properly. (We had been kneelinbg downb for kids for a few hours at the safe downtown trick r treat event they had for several hours.)

We always seemed to have a huge line either for candy, or (in a lot of cases) pics.

Best advice, is just do what you want to do.. not everything. Too much of anything is bad, and sucks the fun out of it.

Next year, we’ll still do a few corn maze appearances, and trick r treat, but we’ll probably skip halloween cub contests afterwards.. maybe we’ll just do a smaller surprise appearance somewhere fun.

We over extended ourselves a small amount this year, but enough so that were just totally outta juice on Halloween night itself.

4

quit. Leave it to the professionals

5

im sorry that you did alot of events and were annoyed by people because you were in a ghostbusters costume. if that bothers you, maybe you shouldnt do it.

no one likes a whiner.

6

I think this hits the nail on the head. 2010 really marks the first time we’ve had to turn down events.

Enthusiasm - work = fun

The key is for work not to exceed enthusiasm.

A couple other ideas we’ve been toying with:

-Stanchion off the ecto and busters and request a donation to the charity for photos

-Bring a couple busters to each event, and have the rest of the team act as non costumed support staff (in franchise logo polos)

-Rotate into and out of gear at longer events.

Anyone have any success with those strategies?

7

There is a difference between a whiner and someone who sees people being taken advantage of and wants to do something about it.

We’ve been at this since 2008, at the moment our website is taking over 5,000 hits a day and we’ve been requested for over 60 appearences this year. This is quckly switching from hobby to part time job, and I’m sure we are not the only franchise seeing this sort of popularity.

As franchises grow like this, as a whole we need to all be careful to not let success be our undoing, and I’m hoping to generate a few ideas here which everyone can use, and bring to light a few pitfalls that new franchises can avoid.

8

ftfy. you’ll get no sympathy out of me.

9

Proton Charger, how many charities have you supported this year?

10

ftfy.

look. you chose to do 27 events. knowing FULL WELL that people are ■■■■■■■■.

watch:

“at a large event we end up posing for photos for 4-5 hours with out a break. usually we’re there the whole time and we’re having our photo taken because we are in a ghostbuster costume. if we try to eat, get interviewed by the news or talk with someone, we’re interrupted for another picture.”

boo ■■■■■■■ hoo. you’re in a ghostbusters COSTUME doing AN EVENT where your COSTUME is needed. if you’re there collecting money, you’re not there to “enjoy” you’re there to “Work”. bottom. line. and part of that “work” is posing for pictures so those people that interrupt you while you’re trying to get on tv, so you can collect more money. because you are “working”. you’re whining. get over yourself. if anything, the only time where i would say you are allowed to take issue, is when you are sitting down with food in your hand and someone wants a pic. other wise suck it up you cry baby.

“people wanting to take our photos doing whatever they can to take pics. they were causing traffic problems. they were running into traffic and causing all kinds of ruckuss to take our pictures.”

its not YOUR fault people are stupid and dont pay attention. this isnt even an issue worth mentioning. you were doing what you were supposed to do, following sidewalks, obeying traffic laws. if they want to run into traffic to get a picture of a crybaby, then more power to them. take the cop’s remark and shut your mouth.

“crazy people. everyone knows about other costumes from movies, but 40 % of people are telling us their house is haunted. i dont live in a reality where people are patronizing me.”

people run their mouth. people are stupid. you roll with it, or you dont belong in that uniform. grow a sense of humor because you’re wearing a costume from a comedy movie. if you are not an approachably funny human being, you need to find the nearest star trek uniform and join with those dick holes.

“wah. the event organizer didnt give me any freebies! im so angry that i didnt get anything for working for donations for charity. i dont care that the money being spent was for the event to get people in the door and not the people working it.”

27 events. you didnt get your recognition. you are complaining. boo. hoo. get over yourself. no sympathy from me. in your case “busting makes you look like a whiner.”

11

This is sort of why we’ve taken so long to get into the charity scene. There are times doing what we do feels like work -immediately prior to a road trip, setting up a booth at a car show or event- and we HATE that. We don’t even like to consider ourselves a franchise, as we’re just in it for the fun. No “uniform” inspections, no dues, no regulations. Our only rules are that you don’t act like a dick or dork, and the only reason we’ve kicked people out of our group was because their behavior took away from the fun of the other members.

Sounds like you spread yourself too thin trying to make a big debut. Next year, only do things that you want to do anyway.

12

ORLY?

:wink:

13

Kevin’s mastery of photoshop is startling.

14

ermmm

15

The only time that I get bothered by photo requests is when I’m sitting down trying to eat. I LOVE FOOD :wink: but even then I still oblige. It’s part of the gig.

16

YA RLY

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19

Bingo. As virtuous as we like to be, noone truly creates a ghostbuster group just for charity. Why spend several thousand dollars on a car, packs, gear, uniforms, and gas to go raise a few hundred $ for a charity event? One could easily make an online donation with zero expense, and do a lot more for the charity.

We became ghostbusters for fun, and like to help out charities while we have fun.

We do for free what clowns and magicians do for $200-300 per hour. Am I looking for $, no, but at the same time, I hate asking my team members to leave their paying dayjob to come work even harder for free, unless we are at least going to enjoy ourselves.

Maybe we’re just doing it wrong.

20

Will you get a picture of you devouring a Cannoli, in gear for me? :blush:

21

and that is why you complain.

its stupid to do that amount of events anyway, especially since it appears you’re only doing it for recognition, free food and to get on tv. you’ve only succeeded in dickwaving, and it isnt anything to look at because you’re complaining about it.

ideally, you want to do one event a day, if you must do many. or 2-3 big events for charity during the halloween season. which really, is common sense anyway, and complaints from that amount of events ALSO would gain no sympathy from me.