Watch the Full Episode of "The Tenants" for FREE by clicking HERE!!!!
Working with Raw TV and Syfy for Paranormal Witness
When we were contacted by RAW TV, I, initially, wasn't excited about the process and was hesitant to agree. Although they offer no compensation, this was not the issue for Marsha and I, as we live a very full and happy life--we can not ask for more. However, it did require one thing we absolutely can/will not do due to our health and age, and that is travel. Not only that, but we really were not convinced that our story needed to be told in that fashion, and I was mainly concerned about how our story would be portrayed. However, when I spoke with one of the producers, Mark Lewis, I felt an instant rapport. Mark gave us the confidence and even agreed to arrange the production in St Louis, just a few hours from us. With my suspicious nature, we actually didn't sign any contracts until meeting them in St Louis. Just one day before taping, no one was actually sure if they had the episode or not! The time we spent in St Louis was wonderful, and the time we got to spend talking with Dan and reliving our past is something we will never forget. We are very pleased and blessed for the opportunity that Mark and his team provided for us.
In St Louis...
Working with the RAW TV team was nothing short of a pleasure. Coming all the way from England, Ali and Mark were kind, accepting, and attentive to Marsha's and my needs. They also provided a platform for a lost friendship with Dan White, who drove from Illinois with his wife (not the wife from the book,) Carol, as Dan was also giving his interview for the show. Carole Simpson was invited for the taping, and declined, as she was busy with her own tour for her award winning book, News Lady, though she wrote us a very nice letter. We arrived in St Louis on a Sunday, and we spent that day meeting with Mark and Ali and settling into our hotel. Monday I was to do my filming, and Tuesday was to be Marsha's filming. Wednesday was for Dan. Somehow, we My daughter, who drove and assisted us, is a bit of a shutterbug
had to fit in two sessions of interviewing for myself, as and caught Mark's reaction when I finally agreed to sign the
there was so much story to go over. paperwork and proceed with the taping!
It was an emotional experience, as Mark (who was acting as the interviewer,) knew my book better than I did! And he has a way of taking you back to live in that very moment. As one might imagine, it was partly a very somber and emotional experience, but also a freeing one. Perhaps we should have sent Mark with a check for the therapy they provided?
The time we spent in St Louis was wonderful, and the time we got to spend talking with Dan and reliving our past is something we will never forget. We are very pleased and blessed for the opportunity that Mark and his team provided for us.
had to fit in two sessions of interviewing for myself, as and caught Mark's reaction when I finally agreed to sign the
there was so much story to go over. paperwork and proceed with the taping!
It was an emotional experience, as Mark (who was acting as the interviewer,) knew my book better than I did! And he has a way of taking you back to live in that very moment. As one might imagine, it was partly a very somber and emotional experience, but also a freeing one. Perhaps we should have sent Mark with a check for the therapy they provided?
The time we spent in St Louis was wonderful, and the time we got to spend talking with Dan and reliving our past is something we will never forget. We are very pleased and blessed for the opportunity that Mark and his team provided for us.
Marsha and I with the team outside of the recording studio, St Louis.
We were sure that Mark and Ali's praises about being the best interviewee's were a source of flattery, because they are in the business of doing such, but it wasn't until they called us to let us know that we would be the Season Finale that we knew we must have a special story. With less than two weeks before the episode was to air, Mark was confused as to how to piece the episode together, as a lot of information was going to have to be left out. Our interviews were strong, but the reenactment team, who included people who shot the X-files, were adamant over keeping much of their filming, as they felt they had the best scenes of the season as well. We were told that Syfy was allowing them a special 90 minute time slot, though the reruns would have to be a shortened 60-minute episode.
Our family had a party on October 24th and our family and close friends were with us to watch the episode as it aired for the very first time. We laughed, we held our breaths, and we smiled. My wife and I relived the experience, once more, through watching it play out on our screen. Our children and grandchildren saw the scenes played out for the first time, of memories of stories told to them all their lives. While some creative liberties were used, and so much of the book was left out, (how can you cram what happened over the course of 2 years into 64 minutes of film time?) we were very happy with the entire experience and the outcome.
View a recap of the episode by clicking here!
What we were not prepared for was the viewer response! Hundreds of emails came pouring in. Over ten-thousand visitors came to my website in a 12-hour time span, and the book sales launched up. The original footage of the NBC interview on youtube is over 100,000 (combined) hits. We were both astonished and ecstatic.
There will always be skeptics, but the general response has been positive and enlightening. Not being celebrities or accustomed to such attention, Marsha and I are working on turning a blind eye to those who are rude and close-minded. Marsha and/or I have personally responded (and will continue to) every email, social media message, and form response. Although I stay strict on my rule of not giving out the exact address (if the house is clean, there is no reason. If it is not clean, the owners have enough problems already. They don't need paranormal fanatics coming around their home--and in the part of Chicago it is in, it's also keeping the fans safe, as well!),I am more than willing to respond to nearly all questions--and boy, does the public have a lot of them!
There will always be skeptics, but the general response has been positive and enlightening. Not being celebrities or accustomed to such attention, Marsha and I are working on turning a blind eye to those who are rude and close-minded. Marsha and/or I have personally responded (and will continue to) every email, social media message, and form response. Although I stay strict on my rule of not giving out the exact address (if the house is clean, there is no reason. If it is not clean, the owners have enough problems already. They don't need paranormal fanatics coming around their home--and in the part of Chicago it is in, it's also keeping the fans safe, as well!),I am more than willing to respond to nearly all questions--and boy, does the public have a lot of them!