There are many things that can make a haunt successful. Especially year after year. I need to talk about dedication. Not only from you as the person who is putting it on year after year, but from anyone else who is helping you.
When this first started, I was putting in long hours trying to create something amazing. Christian Merchant, a close friend, was there when the idea first came to fruition. He saw the small room I did year after year and when I told him I wanted to expand he thought it was a fantastic idea. It was taking that idea and making it a reality that really threw both of us off. It was a very big project to take on especially for one person at the time. Then Christian realized how serious I was. I had the walls built and I started working on the first brain and creating some programs with my raspberry pi. I showed Christian and he was sold. He helped me completely finish and build that first year.
There were a lot of friends that showed interest initially but just like every thing else in life. ideas are fantastic on paper but no one will ever believe you until it is all in place. So I would have to say maybe half the people that were initially interested didn’t get fully on board until they saw some real progress from my side. I don’t blame them, people usually don’t follow through on stuff of this magnitude.
Let me make this clear: I wouldn’t have half of what I have without the help I receive. I am truly grateful to have such amazing friends that are willing to help push the project forward. Like many of you I have a day job. This is what I do after hours, or on the weekends. Its really the only time I can fully devote to it.
Now that you are aware that this isn’t the only thing I do, and I don’t have all the time in the world to devote to it you might be able to understand where I am coming from when I explain that there are certain projects I will always deem as necessary, and others I deem as secondary.
Directing a play/show/concert will always come with critical decision making. You have to decide when and were to put the effort in especially when working with deadlines. Every year I have 100 projects I would like to work on, or ideas I would like to have completed. You need to choose what is most important and assign logical realistic time tables to each project.
This past year I had more help then ever before. Starting from the 2016 year halfway through when everyone realized how serious I was, they started to get serious too. My friend Rob was fully on board (He is Aeternum Vale’s other author), but his brother Josh wanted nothing more than to help out but was working out of town. So in 2017 Josh ended up being my right hand guy helping coordinate a ton of efforts. He would ask which projects needed to get done or what we needed to work on.
One of the most memorable moments came when josh was asking me about some projects and I let him know we simply just didn’t have time for these things to get done we may have been weeks away at this point and we had some more important things to take care of. Well I wake up on a Sunday morning at 9 am and I hear someone outside in the garage. I head out there and see Josh.. working. Must have been for hours. EVERY project I told him we didn’t have time for was done. I was absolutely speechless, kudos to you josh I know your reading this, that shit was amazing.
The growth that I have seen every year and the amount of excitement is absolutely amazing. I would love for this to continue over the next few years as we continue to grow and expand. Always remember, surround yourself with like minded people and you can and will have success. This goes out to the whole Aeternum Vale Attractions Team. You are all amazing, and thank you all for everything that you do.
As always stay scared my friends.
Author: Kevin Butler
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Aeternum Vale Attractions 