Building An After Dark Family: Casting, Training and Retaining Haunt Actors

Over the past 25 years, Scott Swenson has cast, trained, and managed more than 10,000 haunt actors. His experience spans 15 years with "Howl-O-Scream" at Busch Gardens Tampa, 9 years with "Creatures of the Night" at ZooTampa, 3 years with "ZooBoo" at the Indianapolis Zoo, and several independent haunted attractions, including "The Vault of Souls," "Undead in the Water," and the award-winning "Terror Roulette."

In this interactive session, participants will learn how to identify top-tier haunt actors, where to find them, how to recruit the best candidates, and how to audition performers so they can be placed in roles where they will be most successful. The session will also focus on the importance of consistent actor training and strategies for maintaining high-quality performances throughout the season. Finally, the session will explore proven retention tools and methods for encouraging actors to return year after year. Actors are one of the most critical elements of any haunted attraction, and this session shares practical, real-world ways to support, develop, and retain this invaluable asset.