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  • Scream Team Productions Dispute

    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.
    Last edited by HalloweenHaunter; 01-07-2017, 04:34 PM. Reason: Additional Information
    Brandon Treadway
    Owner & Creative Director | Treadway Events
    www.TreadwayEvents.com
    Portland, Oregon

  • #2
    Lemme tell you, Willie May is the BIGGEST joke in the haunt community. He tried to work with us this past season, gave us sneaky paperwork that would make him in full control.. But of course our lawyer said to stay away from this guy and his "company"... and we did just that. I hate to be one to talk bad about others in the industry but Willie is nothing but a big talking scam artist.

    I am truly sorry you guys were taken for this ride, hopefully now others will know to stay away from Scream Team Productions and Willie May.

    Comment


    • #3
      He contacted me

      Spent a few hours in conversation with him via phone and facebook. Just spent almost an hour on phone with Willie. Willie seems like a straight shooter to me. Got a huge amount of info.

      Wicked Farmer
      Last edited by wickedfarmer; 12-16-2015, 11:15 PM.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by wickedfarmer View Post
        Spent a few hours in conversation with him via phone and Facebook. Just spent almost an hour on phone with Willie. Willie seems like a straight shooter to me. Got a huge amount of info.

        Wicked Farmer
        We thought he was as well. We spent hours and hours Skyping, FB Chatting and talking on the phone with him with no problems whatsoever leading up to our event last October. He's a great talker but when it comes down to it he's a total scam.
        Brandon Treadway
        Owner & Creative Director | Treadway Events
        www.TreadwayEvents.com
        Portland, Oregon

        Comment


        • #5
          I was asked to remove this thread. Has your dispute been settled? If this is no longer accurate we'd be happy to remove this thread.

          Thanks Larry
          Larry Kirchner
          President
          www.HalloweenProductions.com
          www.BlacklightAttractions.com
          www.HauntedHouseSupplies.com
          www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by drfrightner View Post
            I was asked to remove this thread. Has your dispute been settled? If this is no longer accurate we'd be happy to remove this thread.

            Thanks Larry
            Even if the original poster's issue was resolved, this thread should still exist. If the company mentioned would like a "clean slate" they should post here and explain the situation rather than sweeping things like this under the rug.
            Zach Wiechmann
            www.frontyardfright.com

            Comment


            • #7
              We haven't deleted it because I wanted to find out what the deal was first! Thanks for the update. Larry
              Larry Kirchner
              President
              www.HalloweenProductions.com
              www.BlacklightAttractions.com
              www.HauntedHouseSupplies.com
              www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by drfrightner View Post
                We haven't deleted it because I wanted to find out what the deal was first! Thanks for the update. Larry
                Larry, Willie hasn't spoken to us and I know he doesn't plan to so this is still unresolved. I found out he ended up screwing over his team members as well, not too long ago. I feel like this should stay up in order to make sure people are aware of what he's done and how he works. If he is the one requesting it to be removed, he can post here and explain why he feels that way and resolve this.

                Thank you!
                Brandon Treadway
                Owner & Creative Director | Treadway Events
                www.TreadwayEvents.com
                Portland, Oregon

                Comment


                • #9
                  Though we've seen this thread earlier (much earlier) we appreciate it still being up because it reminded us about the situation. We were just about to try to place an order with their site and glad we didn't. Everyone's allowed leeway, you know some room to wiggle because hey, life happens and lots of these places are small operations with just a few people. However, NEVER trying to settle up something that was obviously a bad deal, is a terrible way to be.

                  So chalk this post up as a +1 in support for still having it around.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Hacksaw View Post
                    Though we've seen this thread earlier (much earlier) we appreciate it still being up because it reminded us about the situation. We were just about to try to place an order with their site and glad we didn't. Everyone's allowed leeway, you know some room to wiggle because hey, life happens and lots of these places are small operations with just a few people. However, NEVER trying to settle up something that was obviously a bad deal, is a terrible way to be.

                    So chalk this post up as a +1 in support for still having it around.
                    Just out of curiosity, what kind of products were you looking for? Willie mainly offered consulting services, not products. I don't want to get "Scream Team Productions" (the company referenced in my post) confused with the reputable company, "The Scream Team" (the foam latex mask maker).
                    Brandon Treadway
                    Owner & Creative Director | Treadway Events
                    www.TreadwayEvents.com
                    Portland, Oregon

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      ... I'll be sure to let THE SCREAM TEAM know that you prevented a loss of order.


                      Boy, it would really help if I would not be on here when I'm so tired, lol. I would probably catch things like that. Thank you very much for pointing that out!

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