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New Hire Report and Photos by Michael Wada |
| Every year there are always hundreds of people wanting to work at Knott’s Scary Farm. This year is no different. As I was walking into the back lot through the south security entrance, I saw at least 300 people standing in lines with their yellow appointment cards in hand, waiting to get in. |
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There was a lot of energy in the air. Some people were standing off to the side, trying to figure out how they were going to act in their audition. Some were exhausted, and trying to rest from waiting in line since 4:00 A.M. As the 9:00 A.M. hour came, the applicants were escorted 30 or 40 at a time to the Training Center. I heard Haunt designer Brooke Walters yell to her staff, “Get ready! Here they come!” At this point, the new blood was placed into one of two groups. If you wanted to try out for a street position, you were pulled aside; the rest stayed in line. If you applied for a maze position, you were called in one at a time and brought into the interview room. The applicants were asked a list of questions like, “Have you ever worked Haunt before?" or, "Have you ever been to Haunt?" And then the golden question: "Where would you like to work?” Once they answered the interview
questions, the new folks were offered a couple of choices as to which
maze they wanted to work. After the paperwork was competed, they headed
to Wardrobe to get fitted for their costumes. |
| If you were one of the people who wanted to audition for a street position, you waited next to a large steel door. You could hear screaming and yelling coming from the room beyond the door. People gathered around to see if they could get an idea of what they might have to go through. When I looked at the faces of the people who were waiting to go in, I saw some that were scared, and others sat by themselves, nervous. I even saw three or four people jumping around, trying to work off some nervous energy. |
| As they were called into
the audition room they were met by Haunt legend Craig Harreld, Area
Manager of Park Shows, and Ian Barnett, Supervisor of Entertainment
Production. Craig and Ian asked a few general questions, and then came
the audition. Ian would say something like, “You are a beautiful model,
and the air has turned to cyanide gas. GO!" That particular audition was hilarious, and the person did a pretty good job! Unfortunately, he didn’t do well enough to be placed where he wanted, but, he did get streets in another area, so great job! Whether folks made it to streets or went to a maze, they had to go through the same process as everyone else. So, off to finish their paperwork and then get fitted into a costume... they finally made it into the Knott’s Halloween Haunt 2011 family! Congratulations to all of the new hires from the entire Theme Park Adventure team! We'll see you all soon! |
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All images on this page are the copyrighted material of Theme Park Adventure and Knott's Berry Farm. Unauthorized use for personal or professional gain without the written consent of Rick West is strictly prohibited. Images may not be linked to from other sites online. Photos courtesy of Michael Wada. |
