Last week I finally got the heads up that’s it okay to go ahead and start promoting my latest venture. I’m super excited to announce Haunt Jaunts the blog is now heading to cable network TV in the form of a new show on the Travel Channel called, “The Paranormal Tourist.”
It all happened quite by accident. Last Fall I caught up with a lady on one of the tennis teams we play against. She’s a television show producer who’s done a couple of things you might have heard of, such as So You Think You’re Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? and Spelling Bee.
After our match I asked for her email. I explained how I wanted to pick her brain for suggestions for helping some pet photographer friends of mine pitch their show idea. She said it sounded good and told me to write her.
Trouble is, when I did she noticed my signature line and wrote back, “I’m more intrigued by what you do. Let’s talk.”
So we “had lunch.” (Sounds so Hollywood doesn’t it?) Before I knew it she’d sent some of my YouTube creations to people she knew. They liked what they saw, and her vision for what kind of show to build, and WHAM! Just like that, I was in negotiations for The Paranormal Tourist, which is now set to premier this fall on Travel Channel.
Here’s part of one of the press releases that’s being sent out about it:
Banking on the success of its other hit paranormal-themed shows like Ghost Adventures, Mysteries at the Museum, and The Dead Files, Travel Channel is adding another to its line-up: The Paranormal Tourist.
The show’s host, Courtney Mroch, is a newcomer to TV but not to haunted travel. She’s the Director of Paranormal Tourism for Haunt Jaunts, a travel blog for restless spirits. She launched the blog in 2009 as she was undergoing treatments for lymphoma. As she describes it, it was part of her “get off the couch” recovery project.
For the past three years, she’s used Haunt Jaunts to chronicle her travels to haunted places.
“I like to see the biggies when I can,” Mroch says. “Like the Lemp Mansion in St. Louis or Marie Leveau’s grave in New Orleans. But I really enjoy finding lesser known gems and experiencing them.”
By “experiencing” she means being prepared for whatever may happen. That can mean anything from losing cameras in a swamp full of gators on a quest in the Okefenokee for the Swamp Ape, or fleeing from chainsaw wielding ghouls at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights.
“The Paranormal Tourist isn’t going to be like Ghost Adventures where the focus is on investigations,” the show’s producer, Phil O. Malarkey, says. “One thing we saw right away in Courtney was her sense of humor and fun. Even though she mostly means well, she seems to have a knack for getting in trouble. We quickly saw the show was going to have the charm of Samantha Brown and the wit of An Idiot Abroad with travels revolving around haunted legends and lore.”
But Malarkey warns viewers not to let the lighthearted sounding nature of the show fool them.
“The goal is to really bring the soul of the place to life for those watching along at home. Courtney is passionate about education and raising awareness for the importance of preservation for historic sites. Using traveling to haunted places and in search of mysterious creatures as its guise, she accomplishes this in an entertaining manner. We really think people will find themselves smiling, if not full on laughing, along with the Paranormal Tourist as she jaunts to new haunts each week.”
Isn’t that so cool?
By the way, Happy April Fool’s Day! (Did I getcha?)
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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This is amazing, lil sis! Oh jeez! Karma is a happy deed! I was just talking to someone the other day about how we need a paranormal tourist type of show because so many people ask me where to go and stay to encounter things. I had a second idea too, “Lovers spots around the world” where a couple goes to find the most romantic getaways possible. haha. I’m so happy for you, dear. Life pays back those who are strong and hopeful, honest and open. You know I’ll promote the crap out of it!
Yup you got me! April fools right back at you.
But, you know, I would like to see you on TV some day wink
Keep believing in it, one day you’ll make it.The joke is done so convincingly.Or is it a joke? Let’s see what you have to say tomorrow!!! ‘Wink,wink’.
I am so proud of you!!! You go girl…I will totally be tuning in!!!
You got me big time! Sounds like a great idea though. Hmmm…. let’s work on that. Can I help? 🙂 Happy April Fool’s Day to you!
Super excited for you Courtney! Cheering so loudly here that all the ghosts have retreated to the shadows.
I’ll be watching!
This is SO AWESOME! Congratulations doesn’t seem adequate! Can’t wait to check it out 😉
You totally got me! However, that is a terrific idea for a show on Travel Channel. I would totally tune in!!
Courtney,
Congratulations. These are amazing news!! Hard work really pays off. Thanks for inspiring all us to keep working on our passions,
Hahahaha! I was preparing my congratulatory speech – then I got to the last line! BUT … don’t you find it weird that so many peopls actually believed you??? That means they think you could REALLY DO THIS!! Go girlfriend, GO!
Holy smokes! So I see I still fooled a bunch of people even though I tried to let everyone in on the joke. I really appreciate all the support and confidence in me, even though I literally whipped this idea up the morning of April Fool’s!!!! I had a whole other idea I was going to do, which will now wait until next year. Mwuahahahah {evilly wrings hands together} Seriously, I dig all the comments and confidence in me. The part about knowing the TV producer is true. She did also say she was intrigued by what I do but we never had lunch. Maybe I should let her read my fake press release and use it as a pitch and see if she can work her magic??? Now THAT would be hilarious….an April Fool’s Day joke that landed me a show!
Such an inspiring story, even if it was a joke 🙂 You really should try to make it happen for real. You could always create an online series yourself!
Congratulations, it’s so encouraging to see people succeed in something they are so passionate about.
I WAS SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS! Lol! You really got me!
I was ready to share the news with everyone that I know. Well, put it into the Universe and it’ll happen. Good luck!
That really would be funny if I put this out there and something came of it. Stranger things have been known to happen I guess…