THE PARANORMAL U INVESTIGATION
AT THE GRAND MIDWAY HOTEL
PILOT EPISODE
(for the Arts and Entertainment Channel)

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The plan was for the team to explore the hotel basement
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(Typewriter Girl Crystal Hoffman after being
interviewed for their show.)

Blair writes:

A new ghost show is on the rise... I was called two months back and asked if I would be willing to allow the Grand Midway Hotel to be used in a serious academic paranormal investigation by a team from Penn State to be broadcast. They actually asked how I felt about allowing the hotel to be used as the pilot episode! I said I loved the idea and to bring it on.

The producers and ghost team head came for an initial visit and introduction.

The investigation and shoot was scheduled for here at the hotel last weekend. A few people that have lived here or visited here and had strange encounters were set up for interviews last Friday. Even the mayor of Windber was on board willing to give them a fun quote for their show. But last minute the producers called with some changes. They are still planning to film here but just not as the pilot episode. The basic reason of change came in that their pilot episode -which is very important- needs to establish a pattern for the show that features places that are in need of help from a paranormal investigative team and the team then comes in and heals the situation or solves it by the end of each show. As everyone that comes here knows I'm not trying to chase anything away here and as I came from the gothic sub-culture and horror movie industry and was even raised as a child in the funerary world there's nothing urgent or scary to me about my situation here. On the contrary I and visiting guests actually love that this place has proven to be such a rich garden. So we both agreed the hotel investigation wouldn't create that pattern for their pilot.

The producers are still interested in the filming an investigation here, but they are just going to reschedule the shoot for a date later in the Spring to be just a regular episode. I completely understand. So far their show sounds really fun and I've enjoyed all the talks with them. They've been here to the hotel and walked around the building in the daylight. Now they want to come back with equipment and stay for a few nights. It sounds like a blast when it finally happens. So I will be posting updates here as this particular investigation approaches. For those of you interested in following their show as it evolves, one of the members of the paranormal investigation team just posted this blog:

"Upcoming TV Show UPDATES! After keeping the secret for soo long without being able to tell anyone what is going on, except that we are doing a TV show with a major network...we have finally been given the OK to spill the beans. Our group has been in the works with the A&E network to produce our up and coming tv show...most likely titled "Out There". We are still unsure of when the show will air since we are still in the piloting stages. A&E released a press release.

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Source: Variety Magazine
Tuesday, March 14th, 2006

A&E has greenlit a trio of reality pilots, including one about the sweet life of Spelling scion Randy Spelling, while pulling the plug on Rollergirls.

In development: "Out There" centers on members of an officially sanctioned Paranormal Research Society at Penn State. As part of the curriculum, students are required to investigate poltergeists, hauntings and other forms of paranormal activity. Show is from Go Go Luckey Prods. (MTV's "Laguna Beach") and Four Seasons Prods.

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A&E still interested. One of the ghost hunters from the new Arts & Entertainment show just wrote:

Got your newsletter! We'll definitely have to try and include your hotel in something in the future. Maybe in October you'd be open to having a haunted premiere screening of the first ep? Then afterwards, ghost hunts away! Hope you're doing well!

-Ryan

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The show just announced: "Its Finally Happening!!"

PRS AND A&E NETWORK PROUDLY ANNOUNCE THE PRODUCTION OF A NEW TV SERIES

University Park, Pa. – The A&E Network and Paranormal Research Society announced the production of its new documentary series today. The network ordered 13 episodes for the first season and the show is scheduled to air sometime in February/March of 2007.

"I feel just how the Nittany Lions felt last year when they finally won the Orange Bowl after three overtimes," said PRS founder/Director Ryan Buell. "We've been inching slowly and slowly towards getting this show off the ground for years."

"It's an exciting time to be in PRS right now," said PRS LLC. manager Sergey Poberezhny. "We're extremely pumped to do this show."

PRS, which turned five-years-old on Saturday, will begin filming the series within a few weeks. The show is being produced by Go Go Luckey Productions and Betsy Schechter Productions. The show is listed as a "docu-drama" and most of the shooting will take place in Happy Valley.

The series will center around Buell and his colleagues within PRS as they juggle college life and responsibilities while trying to solve the unexplained during their spare time. A lot of their cases will involve families and hauntings. Buell said that he had many talks with the producers before accepting the series to make sure that they don't treat the families and their stories lightly.

The show, however, doesn't focus on just ghosts. Aliens, creatures, curses and urban legends are all fair game for this crew. Buell said that the show will be somewhat like an "CSI/X-Files College Years," but stresses that the series won't all be gloom.

"We have a wild sense of humor, and let's face it, there's something interesting about watching a group of paranormal investigators come-of-age," said Buell. "We can deal with ghosts and even violent hauntings, but some of us are still learning how to balance check books or meet professional deadlines."

PRS investigator Eilfie Music, the resident witch and occult expert, said she hopes the show will connect with those who feel drawn towards the paranormal and teach them something useful.

Buell, who also serves as a creative producer for the series, agrees but sees other opportunities as well.

"Most of our investigations will still be off-camera, so I don't see this show as our core contribution to dealing with the unexplained, but rather, just a chance to use the public microphone to share our adventures and stories," said Buell. "I'm really excited about the fact that we're bringing Penn State its own TV series. I have a lot of Penn State pride, so I hope the young adults watching will somehow be inspired to come to Penn State, on top of learning how to deal with the unexplained."

Buell, who is working on his second Bachelor's degree before moving on to graduate school, said that the TV series is just one of many new projects for PRS and himself. Buell said that he finished his first book and is working on two books about PRS cases. He hopes to form his own production company before he turns 25, which is next July.

The series will be presented in widescreen and high-definition format.

Story by Vernon Cox.
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Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 3:38 am
Post subject: Variety mention of the show, now called "Dead Time"
Cable vision: Psychics will draw more auds
Otherworldly powers influence nonfiction, scripted shows

By JOHN DEMPSEY

There's no indication that they predicted the trend, but psychics are all over the tube these days.

The most visible are the mediums who help the police solve crimes on Court TV's "Psychic Detectives" and Biography Channel's "Psychic Investigators."

Those are nonfiction shows. Glenn Gordon Caron derives his scripted "Medium" on NBC from the real-life experiences of the psychic Allison Dubois, who works for the D.A.'s office in Phoenix while juggling her duties as wife and mother of three kids.

WE: Women's Entertainment has reincarnated John Edward, a Sci Fi Channel latenight mainstay five years ago, sending him on the road to communicate with the dead relatives of grief-stricken people.

One sign that the trend is for real: USA is poised to make fun of the genre with "Psych," a scripted series focusing on a private detective who pretends to be a psychic but really solves crimes through old-fashioned deduction.Syracuse U.'s Bob Thompson says you don't have to be a fervent believer in otherworldly powers to enjoy these shows.

"Because it's spooky and mysterious, anything dealing with the afterlife and paranormal events has appeal," says Nancy Dubuc, senior VP of nonfiction programs for A&E, which has commissioned a pilot called "Dead Time," about a department of paranormal studies at Penn State U.

Fordham U.'s Paul Levinson has a different take."I see psychics as the equivalent of a wave of the magic wand to make your problems go away," he says. "In a post-9/11 age of anxiety, with the Iraq war and rising gas prices, psychics can have the healing powers of the shamans and witch doctors of primitive tribes.

"From the pop-culture angle, Steve Frank, creator and producer of USA's "Psych," says he thinks people will soon start getting tired of the brooding forensic investigators on dead-serious shows like "CSI," who probe grisly crimes in nauseating detail.

"I loved 'Columbo' because the show brought a fun element to the whole detective genre," says Frank.Caron says he jumped at the chance to write and exec produce "Medium" not because he has a thing for psychics but because the real-life medium is married to an aerospace engineer, "setting up a classic religion vs. science conflict.

"Kim Martin, exec VP and general manager of WE, says the "John Edward Cross Country" format has caught on with women, resulting in a second-cycle renewal.

Each week Edward visits the home of someone who's in mourning. His chats with the deceased "help bring closure to the family's grief," Martin says.

Physicians stopped making house calls decades ago; thanks to Edward, psychics may be ready to fill the gap.

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Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 5:44 pm
Post subject: A new name...

A&E's PARANORMAL STATE (Formerly Paranormal U)"

PENN STATE UNIVERSITY PARANORMAL RESEARCH SOCIETY IS SEARCHING FOR LOCAL CASES IN CENTRE COUNTY RENOWNED COLLEGE-AGED GROUP LOOKING TO INVESTIGATE THE SUPERNATURAL FOR NEW A&E TELEVISION SERIES

Is there something strange in your neighborhood? Are you being tormented and haunted by spirits in the night? Do you have reason to believe ghosts are in your town? If so, Penn State University's Paranormal Research Society (PRS) is here to help. A student club registered by the University, this organization has gained nationwide recognition by working with local police authorities and families across the country who have encountered inexplicable paranormal phenomenon. Now, the PRS is looking for local cases in Centre County, as well as cases throughout Pennsylvania, for a new real-life series for the A&E Television Network. This series follows the dramatic life of Penn State University college student Ryan Buell and the other student members of one of the first university registered PRS’s in the country as they seek to find the truth behind terrifying real life mysteries. Although the members of PRS are your basic college kids - they are definitely looking into "other" worlds as well, working on cases that include poltergeists, hauntings and the darkest areas of the unknown. Each week they are contacted for help by outside parties - ranging from The Roman Catholic Church to ordinary families - who are terrified by unusual events in their homes. Now, Ryan Buell and the PRS are looking for local cases. Not only can the team help solve area supernatural concerns, but all cases will have a chance of getting broadcast on national TV.

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Post subject: The Daily Collegian
from Friday, Nov. 10, 2006

A&E begins filming paranormal show
By Elaine Hughes, Collegian Staff Writer

Cameras focused on members of the Penn State Paranormal Research Society (PRS) yesterday as they taped the first scenes of their reality television show.

The show, currently called Paranormal U, will follow PRS members as they conduct interviews and use video cameras and thermometers to generate evidence of ghosts and demons.

Each year, the organization receives about 100 phone calls and e-mails containing claims of UFO sightings, hauntings and apparitions from families and churches along the east coast.

Sometime next year, the show's 13 half-hour episodes will air on the A & E Network and could reach about 90 million television sets across the country, said Barry Rosenberg, an A & E spokesman.

Yesterday, camera crews filmed a PRS club meeting. This weekend, camera crews plan on following the organization on an investigation that will take place a couple hours from State College, said Betsy Schechter, the show's executive producer.

"We're just getting started on the show," she said. "We just finished getting our production crew, and everything's going well and according to schedule."

PRS Director Ryan Buell said he felt a sense of accomplishment after filming the meeting in his townhouse.

"They parked a U-haul filled with equipment right outside my building," he said. "It feels weird and still hasn't sunk in that this has started."

After Thanksgiving, students will see more cameras around campus as crews tape the training of the organization's new investigators and the members' personal lives, including attending classes and campus events, Schechter said.

Recently, the camera crew, two producers and other members of the production team moved to the State College area. On a regular basis, other producers, including Schechter, commute from New York City.

"Everyone loves being here," Schechter said. "I'm so excited about being here. There's so much energy on campus with all the students, and it's a great atmosphere."

Last year, Laguna Beach director Gary Auerbach and Schechter approached Buell with the idea for the show and filmed a 40-minute pilot.

In September, the network's executive vice president approved the show, and the producers began selecting a production team and following PRS' recruitment of new members.

Before the pilot taping, Penn State administrators worked with the team during the show's planning and insured no students would be taped "while engaging in any illegal activities," said Bill Mahon, a university spokesman.

"It looks like a high-quality show," he said. "It'll be great exposure for the university. There's no way we could afford to buy that much air time on a major network."

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Post subject: Paranormal U broadcast
The show was broadcast and advertised

The Paranormal U team letter that came today:

Hello friends, family and lovers.

I'd just like to let you all know that tonight is the night I've been waiting for the last 2 1/2 years. As you all may know I have been working extremely hard on a project called Paranormal State. The project was created during a coffee shop conversation in a local Cosi on the east side. From that day we have gone on to producing, shooting and editing a 20 episode order from the A&E network. This show has been an insane and incredible journey for me and everyone working so hard on it. I am proud and excited to bring to you all a real unique, creepy, and emotional documentary style show.

Thank you all for bearing with me when I dissapeared for months at a time into the deep woods/asylums of Pennsylvania. (Although it is still nice to know there are areas where cell service doesn't work.)

The show airs tonight at 10pm on A&E and will hopefully live up to all the hype and expectations. Regardless I just wanted to say thank you all and lots of love.

Cheers -David

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Grand Midway Hotel's Adam Blai wrote:

My Appearance on the TV show "Paranormal State"

I've been asked a number of questions about my appearance on the TV show "Paranormal State" on the A&E network. Since some information is reasonable to provide to the public and people plan to make investigative websites about the show, including information from me, I'm answering these questions here.

Q: How/Why did you appear on the first episode of "Paranormal State"?

A: I first became interested in the question of whether paranormal experiences were real while working at Penn State. I had completed my masters in the Adult Clinical Psychology program and was working on my dissertation.

While reading up on this topic I came across the Penn State Paranormal Research Society(PRS) at Penn State. This seemed like a convenient and easy way to potentially explore this question or at least learn what a university group was doing to explore it. Since I was staff at the University I agreed to function as the groups advisor for the University. I went on investigations with the group and met a number of people with complaints of what they felt were paranormal problems.

I had worked at an outpatient psychological clinic for three years and then at a state correctional institution as a psychological services specialist for two and a half years. I had done hundreds of psychological evaluations and seen most of the severe psychopathology that people can manifest.

Soon I grew to suspect that there was something to the complaints of paranormal activity as I had experienced some of it for myself. Doing my masters on brain organization changes with hypnosis I was fairly aware of the brains ability to trick us and generate false perceptions. Some of the cases went beyond subjective experience into objective data observed by multiple people and/or recorded.

On two cases that involved what I believe to involve demonic infestation and transient possession I experienced what I believe are demons. This changed my perspective on the endeavor to explore the paranormal. Over a few months and talk with new clergy friends I came to feel that at least part of the paranormal world is governed by religious theology and is very serious.

During this time PRS was working toward making a TV show about their organization. As the actual filming of a pilot for the show came near I became surer that this work was, for me, a spiritual task and not something I wanted to portray on television. I agreed to be part of the pilot since I had been a part of the group during their negotiations with the TV producers and it seemed like it would be unkind and disruptive to drop out at the last minute.

Very shortly after the pilot for the show was filmed I cut ties with the group, removed myself as their advisor under the University, and went into working only with clergy and as a consultant on serious cases for a number of well established research groups. Since then my feeling that paranormal research is potentially serious and dangerous has grown more firm and I don't advocate young people getting into this field. I certainly don't advocate people becoming involved in demonic cases.


Q: Are you a "Psychologist"?

A: I have a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology at Penn State, which allows me to practice as a psychologist under the supervision of a licensed psychologist in the state of Pennsylvania. The title "Psychologist" is generally reserved for licensed psychologists (which I am not), but there is an exception if you are working at an academic institution. This exception is probably in place because all psychologists go through training work as part of their degrees while in grad school. So to the best of my knowledge the term was not misused. I wasn't aware of the restriction on the use of this term at that time, looking back now I think the term "Therapist" would have been more appropriate but its water under the bridge now.

Q: Why can't we verify your employment or academic records with Penn State?

A: Because my records are bound as confidential at my request. This service is offered to all Penn State students. Once made confidential people can't simply use a computer to get your current phone number, address, class schedules, etc. I fully realize that motivated people can find out anything about anyone, but I want to keep this to a minimum for two reasons: I worked in a state prison and I'm on a national TV show. One person planning to verify everything about "Paranormal State" requested verification so I told the university to release partial information to him. I won't do this every time someone wants to verify information about me, but will limit it to legitimate reporters or others who seem to have reasonable need for verification.

Q: What about ______ regarding the child in the show?

A: I will never speak about people's private lives or their cases publically without their express permission. I can say the following that relates to most of the questions I get:

I was not functioning as a mental health professional during the investigation. I don't think you can objectively work as a mental health professional on cases involving the paranormal. The mental health field doesn't formally accept paranormal experiences as legitimate; therefore you would have to dismiss all claims of paranormal experiences as illness only. My purpose is to be an investigator and interviewer. Having done hundreds of psychological evaluations and interviews helps me in these non-clinical interviews.

My training is in Adult Clinical Psychology, not child psychology. I would never claim to formally evaluate a child, nor treat them. I can talk with children and had some training in child psychology, but it is not my expertise.

I would never entertain the paranormal hypothesis in a case unless a person was already under the appropriate mental and medical health treatment by licensed professionals, and they had ruled out mundane hypotheses. I will not discuss what evaluations the child in this case may or may not have had as that is confidential medical information.


Q: What about the breathing you said you heard?

A: I have not seen the episode but I'm told this is part of it. There was the sound of breathing coming from the kitchen during what the group calls "dead time". It sounded like a large animal, like a lion, breathing and became gradually louder over time. I went to see if I could find an explanation for it and it stopped. There was nobody there that could have been making breathing noises in the kitchen.


Q: Have you worked with Lorraine Warren or Tony Spera in the past?

A: No, I've never worked with, or even met, them.


Q: What about follow-up?

A: That is private information that is the property of the family.


Q: What do you think about ____ on the show? What do you think about ____ person?

A: I will not comment on anything about the show outside of the information provided here or make comments about people; it is not my place to judge.

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Grand Midway Hotel's Blair Murphy wrote:

Thu May 17, 2007
subject: Thank you, but no thank you

The Arts and Entertainment Channel was here. They filmed interviews. They had me gather up hotel guests and even the mayor. And they asked me to fake things for their show. They wanted me to act scared and alter the hotel stories a bit. They asked me to lie. They were totally out of integrity. I told them, fuck no. And I wouldn't sign their ten page ridiculous release agreement.

So, that's that.