Cyrilmag: What exactly does it mean to be a hauntrepreneur?

LP: I formed my first Haunted House company in 1987 and invented the name Hauntrepreneurs (R) (which is now Trademarked by me) for the company. The name is a play on the word Entrepreneur, which is someone who risks his own money to start a business. To be a Hauntrepreneur is to work for my company, which is to scare people for a living. As a trademark owner, it is my duty to stop people from using the name in any form for anything other than when speaking about my company. People get angry at me for explaining to them that they cannot use the name, but if I do not do everything in my power to stop its use for other things, the trademark can be taken away from me.

Cyrilmag: How did the magazine, "Haunted Attractions" begin? Did it begin as a hard copy publication or as an on-line magazine?

LP: Haunted Attraction started out as a hard copy newsletter, which attempted to open up communication between Haunters, and to fill the desire for information that the industry has. When I started Haunting, no one was willing to share their ideas of information. Everything was top secret. I knew that alone, each of us could only go so far, but together, we could build on the triumphs and tradities of others reaching new heights. My first step was to offer a set of room design idea books for sale. With that in place, I built a data base of Haunters around the country that now numbers 6-7 thousand names strong. The newsletter was a logical step to bringing these people together. Oliver Holler, a dear friend of mine, had just purchased a computer and was willing to put in the bulk of the effort to get the publication off the ground, and the rest is history!