Violent Hypnotist at Knots berry Farm

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chase on September 6, 2010 at 12:47pm

DeAnna's show is risky but it could be argued that Any hypnotic routine could initiate trauma.

Personally I didn't find it particularly entertaining.

However, I also think that claiming to be the World's Only anything is not good either. Besides being inaccurate. But there you go. ;-)

Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on September 6, 2010 at 2:38pm

I am confident that DeAnna will be fired, if she hasn't already been fired.

Far worse, is the possibilty that the blowback from this video, and complaints from participants and audience members will be the end any future hirings of hypnotists at Knots Berry Farm and other family venues and that sucks.

Permalink Reply by Justin James on September 6, 2010 at 3:08pm

OK Jonathan, sure any hypnotic routine could initiate trauma... But now you have me scratching my head... You teach.... I teach... I also Teach safety... WWW.Safeonstage.com.... Now if you walk outside you could get hit by a car... however if you through yourself in front of a bus... It is likely you will get run over......


Personally I HATE ants... Nope don't like them at all..... I am sure I am not the only one out there who feels that way...

As an entertainer especially with something so people centered as hypnosis we have a responsibility to not throw people under a bus.... For what a quick laugh?

Personally it is not worth it

Justin James....
www.safeonstage.com
www.justinjames.us
www.thehypnosiscompany.com



Jonathan Chase said:

DeAnna's show is risky but it could be argued that Any hypnotic routine could initiate trauma.

Personally I didn't find it particularly entertaining.

However, I also think that claiming to be the World's Only anything is not good either. Besides being inaccurate. But there you go. ;-)

Permalink Reply by De'Anna Nunez, The HypnoChick on September 7, 2010 at 11:05am

This show is at Halloween Haunt, the largest Halloween event in the world according to Amusement Magazine. The entire event (much like Universal Studios Halloween event) is geared towards adults. (Yet they recommend 13 years and older). The HypnoChick show is one of eight headlining shows for The Haunt. Their #1 big event is called, The HANGING, where the entire 30 minute choreographed show involves stunt men falling from buildings, dancers, etc. all being "killed off" one by one. They "Hang" the most annoying celebrating of that year. The opening to the show talks about death, and who will "die" in the show. It is Halloween entertainment. Much like watching a horror movie. As you know, there is a big audience for that type of entertainment.
The rest of the park is themed, hiring over 1,000 actors to scare people while they walk through the dark mazes, smoked out walkways, etc. At the entrance of our theater, they have a simulated hanging torso with an automated alligator that comes up from a well. As you can imagine, this is the theme they have going throughout the park. The people that come for this love it.
The HypnoChick show material is geared towards that audience. The client, which in this case, Knott's Berry Farm is very happy with our show material, and delivery. We are re-booked for the third time for October 2010- with 98 shows for them. The audience is well informed prior to volunteering with signage and a video clip of the risk.
I gear all of my show material towards the client that I am working for. I do not do R or X rated shows, all G, PG and PG13 type shows. I continue to book corporate dates, fairs, and public venues performing the family shows I have always done. At the end of every show, whether it be Haunt or anywhere else, I ALWAYS remove suggestions, and leave them with this last one....
"You now realize that you have the ability to entertain all these people using the talents that GOD gave you, if you can do this, imagine what you can do in your personal lives to succeed? From this moment forward you feel wonderfully positive about yourself, feeling more confident, and empowered to utilize the abilities that are inherently yours and strive towards success."
For thirteen years I have performed and given positive suggestions, helped others succeed, and helped to bring laughter to people's lives. At this very show, the volunteers high fived, hugged, and laughed after it was over. It is the audience who determines the type of material for this show, and therefore it is successful. It is Halloween Haunt.
If you were to visit my website, HypnoChick.com you would witness who I am, and what I do.
In this case, of the Halloween Haunt shows I am simply delivering to audience demand. This year we do have brand new material that is tightened up, and fast paced, and Yes there may still be a skit or two that are considered "dark"- all because that is what Haunt delivers. I have taken the safety classes and tests that have been implemented into insurance policies, and will abide by those guidelines.
The video that you are choosing to circulate with edited text, is slanderous. The unedited version itself has been posted for four years on the web, you are more than welcome to view it. I would appreciate from one professional to another that you do not promote this video as it contains text that is legally unfounded, and harmful. Create your opinions as you wish regarding the content, but do not promote another persons negativity and slander.
I am a working professional Hypnotist, and women business owner. I strive to create positive and successful experiences for all.
To your success,
De'Anna Nunez
www.HypnoChick.com

Permalink Reply by Kelley Woods on September 7, 2010 at 11:48am

Well, here you witness the power of selective You-Tubing. While I was not impressed (like previous commentors) with some of De'Anna's antics in the posted video, I did wonder what the real story was. I mean, one does not gain access to a large venue like Knott's Berry Farm without some credibility.

After reading De'Anna's post here, I viewed her website and got to see the other side of the story. I suggest you all check it out.

My only suggestion to De'Anna might be to get a bit more creative with that whole Halloween theme. It's not necessary to have such a preponderance of negative experiences. Lots of us love to be shocked and surprised in ways that will end up actually being beneficial!

Best wishes,

Kelley

Permalink Reply by Justin James on September 7, 2010 at 12:36pm

While I do not agree with the commentary that someone placed on your video DeAnna I do understand that this was a Halloween fright-fest show. I have been to Knotts Berry Farm myself for Halloween and love the setup they have... As my birthday is on Halloween and I have a particular love of haunted houses there are many that I have attended...

That said what you did on stage goes 100% against everything we are teaching in Stage Safety, frankly you could have had a scary fun show that had great reactions without hurting people...

As far as slander goes... I do not know who posted that video in fact it was posted on a different discussion forum before I was even made aware of it..... However it does serve as a great video of what not to do....

You know the big problem in our business is we don't have people to bounce our skits off of nor can we practice them in private in most cases to see what our outcome is going to be... Still you could have been gross and frightening without harming people..


So lets look at some of the areas that could have been great gags but came off as dangerous...

OK Start.... You set everyone up to lean left and right..... Then you push the guy at the end till they almost fall on the floor.... (Yes I saw your assistant but only at the start)
Also the way you word things sets up people for falling on the floor...

Instead have the people at the end lean into the others.. then they can anchor your chain and it is less likely that they will fall on the floor....

Suggesting to 13 year olds that they should meet the people they will be sleeping with??? That is kind of an obvious reword.

Your Re induction with the arm pull... You do not need to pull with that much force to re-induce them.

Allowing all the guys to pile on each other and then telling them to stay there???? Come on... What if that was you with an arm pushed out of its socket or claustrophobic... Go down the list.... You should have stopped right then.. Woken them reseated them and given suggestions that they would stay seated.. Not difficult..

The quicksand skit..... Put everyone on the floor and keep them off the chairs....
You had people falling over chairs that do not fold with legs sticking up in the air... Someone could have gotten a broken rib, punctured lung, or impaled.. All very easy to fix and it could have been a cool skit.

You have to pee your pants...??? Ha Ha... Not... Come on you did not even fully release the suggestion and then you joked that some of the volunteers would go home with a wet spot on their pants....

That is just cruel It certainly was not funny....

It smells so bad you are going to puke? you are going to hurl? What if they did?????? who's cleaning that mess... Wwat if they choke???

OK I get it Halloween Rats, Spiders, Snakes, Bugs... Did you warn everyone on video at the start of the show that you could have any of the above on the stage and that if they volunteered it was at their own risk???

The Ants Skit.... Why have them in their mouths choking off their airway....??????? If you ever once studied the safety material or took classes you would know without a doubt that you set people up for a major abreaction and one that could have created a loss of control on stage....

On top of that you had people on top of the chairs..... jumping up and down.....


Shocking someone with 10,000 volts.... Now come on DeAnna did you never study our industry at all??? Several years ago in England a hypnotist suggested just that in a show... the girl died the next day... Now was it his fault? I don't know. I am not going to dramatize it...

However did you explain at all the difference between volts and amps???? Or that it would shock them but not physically harm them?????
What if the guy had a pacemaker you did not know about or another heart condition?????

The voodoo doll...... Wow... I have seen people do some wacky stuff however lets look at this...

The needle bit was pretty violent..... abusive as well... Making out with the voodoo doll??? in a show with kids???

Now the dance routine was cute... All you would have had to say is you will dance in place and you will not touch anyone else.... Done... you would have had a much different outcome....

Instead one volunteer leaped and headbutted the face of another...

Like myself you perform for a living.... Getting shut down because some hobby hypnotist with 3 days of training messed up is frustrating at the least.. However you are a professional and that video needed no commentary to be damming....

So 13yrs or 13 days... It does not really matter nor does your website or the fact that you are a female business owner...

What matters is what people see on video, perception is reality................ And if you do material like that then we all must.... Not true however you and I both know that people group us all together.

You can do scary material in a Halloween show... Warn them beforehand.... Then take the steps necessary to reword things so that you get some screams but not panic attacks.....

Go back and watch your own material... write it down and look at your suggestions unintentional or not......

And then study the safety material.... You are a high profile personality you are someone that people will emulate I.E. Terry and Mark.


My original post was not set out to slam you nor harm. However the material I viewed was shocking and disturbing... Whether you care or not there has been a huge battle behind the scenes to keep us as an industry insured....

If we can not get insurance as an industry then we will suddenly find ourselves out of work....

You are a professional... Your business is your own... However if you are doing material that can harm the industry it is everyone's business to be aware of it and who that person is.....

As I said prior had I been one of your volunteers I would have hated hypnotists had you put me through that.... That was not some actor in a costume yelling boo... That was truly torture. Perhaps that was your intent....



Justin James....

www.safeonstage.com
www.justinjames.us
www.thehypnosiscompany.com














De'Anna Nunez, The HypnoChick said:

This show is at Halloween Haunt, the largest Halloween event in the world according to Amusement Magazine. The entire event (much like Universal Studios Halloween event) is geared towards adults. (Yet they recommend 13 years and older). The HypnoChick show is one of eight headlining shows for The Haunt. Their #1 big event is called, The HANGING, where the entire 30 minute choreographed show involves stunt men falling from buildings, dancers, etc. all being "killed off" one by one. They "Hang" the most annoying celebrating of that year. The opening to the show talks about death, and who will "die" in the show. It is Halloween entertainment. Much like watching a horror movie. As you know, there is a big audience for that type of entertainment.
The rest of the park is themed, hiring over 1,000 actors to scare people while they walk through the dark mazes, smoked out walkways, etc. At the entrance of our theater, they have a simulated hanging torso with an automated alligator that comes up from a well. As you can imagine, this is the theme they have going throughout the park. The people that come for this love it.
The HypnoChick show material is geared towards that audience. The client, which in this case, Knott's Berry Farm is very happy with our show material, and delivery. We are re-booked for the third time for October 2010- with 98 shows for them. The audience is well informed prior to volunteering with signage and a video clip of the risk.
I gear all of my show material towards the client that I am working for. I do not do R or X rated shows, all G, PG and PG13 type shows. I continue to book corporate dates, fairs, and public venues performing the family shows I have always done. At the end of every show, whether it be Haunt or anywhere else, I ALWAYS remove suggestions, and leave them with this last one....
"You now realize that you have the ability to entertain all these people using the talents that GOD gave you, if you can do this, imagine what you can do in your personal lives to succeed? From this moment forward you feel wonderfully positive about yourself, feeling more confident, and empowered to utilize the abilities that are inherently yours and strive towards success."
For thirteen years I have performed and given positive suggestions, helped others succeed, and helped to bring laughter to people's lives. At this very show, the volunteers high fived, hugged, and laughed after it was over. It is the audience who determines the type of material for this show, and therefore it is successful. It is Halloween Haunt.
If you were to visit my website, HypnoChick.com you would witness who I am, and what I do.
In this case, of the Halloween Haunt shows I am simply delivering to audience demand. This year we do have brand new material that is tightened up, and fast paced, and Yes there may still be a skit or two that are considered "dark"- all because that is what Haunt delivers. I have taken the safety classes and tests that have been implemented into insurance policies, and will abide by those guidelines.
The video that you are choosing to circulate with edited text, is slanderous. The unedited version itself has been posted for four years on the web, you are more than welcome to view it. I would appreciate from one professional to another that you do not promote this video as it contains text that is legally unfounded, and harmful. Create your opinions as you wish regarding the content, but do not promote another persons negativity and slander.
I am a working professional Hypnotist, and women business owner. I strive to create positive and successful experiences for all.
To your success,
De'Anna Nunez
www.HypnoChick.com

Permalink Reply by Michael Haifleigh on September 7, 2010 at 3:35pm

Interesting what a bit of context will provide... Thanks De'Anna.

De'Anna Nunez, The HypnoChick said:

This show is at Halloween Haunt, the largest Halloween event in the world according to Amusement Magazine. The entire event (much like Universal Studios Halloween event) is geared towards adults. (Yet they recommend 13 years and older). The HypnoChick show is one of eight headlining shows for The Haunt. Their #1 big event is called, The HANGING, where the entire 30 minute choreographed show involves stunt men falling from buildings, dancers, etc. all being "killed off" one by one. They "Hang" the most annoying celebrating of that year. The opening to the show talks about death, and who will "die" in the show. It is Halloween entertainment. Much like watching a horror movie. As you know, there is a big audience for that type of entertainment.
The rest of the park is themed, hiring over 1,000 actors to scare people while they walk through the dark mazes, smoked out walkways, etc. At the entrance of our theater, they have a simulated hanging torso with an automated alligator that comes up from a well. As you can imagine, this is the theme they have going throughout the park. The people that come for this love it. The HypnoChick show material is geared towards that audience. The client, which in this case, Knott's Berry Farm is very happy with our show material, and delivery. We are re-booked for the third time for October 2010- with 98 shows for them. The audience is well informed prior to volunteering with signage and a video clip of the risk. I gear all of my show material towards the client that I am working for. I do not do R or X rated shows, all G, PG and PG13 type shows. I continue to book corporate dates, fairs, and public venues performing the family shows I have always done. At the end of every show, whether it be Haunt or anywhere else, I ALWAYS remove suggestions, and leave them with this last one....
"You now realize that you have the ability to entertain all these people using the talents that GOD gave you, if you can do this, imagine what you can do in your personal lives to succeed? From this moment forward you feel wonderfully positive about yourself, feeling more confident, and empowered to utilize the abilities that are inherently yours and strive towards success."
For thirteen years I have performed and given positive suggestions, helped others succeed, and helped to bring laughter to people's lives. At this very show, the volunteers high fived, hugged, and laughed after it was over. It is the audience who determines the type of material for this show, and therefore it is successful. It is Halloween Haunt.
If you were to visit my website, HypnoChick.com you would witness who I am, and what I do.
In this case, of the Halloween Haunt shows I am simply delivering to audience demand. This year we do have brand new material that is tightened up, and fast paced, and Yes there may still be a skit or two that are considered "dark"- all because that is what Haunt delivers. I have taken the safety classes and tests that have been implemented into insurance policies, and will abide by those guidelines.
The video that you are choosing to circulate with edited text, is slanderous. The unedited version itself has been posted for four years on the web, you are more than welcome to view it. I would appreciate from one professional to another that you do not promote this video as it contains text that is legally unfounded, and harmful. Create your opinions as you wish regarding the content, but do not promote another persons negativity and slander.
I am a working professional Hypnotist, and women business owner. I strive to create positive and successful experiences for all.
To your success,
De'Anna Nunez
www.HypnoChick.com

Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chase on September 8, 2010 at 12:34am

Anna,

2 questions

1. How many complaints have you had from your audience / participants?

2. Do you ensure all the suggestions are reversed and tidy at the end of the show?

Smiles
Jon