Narrator: Tonight, it's
Sharkoween in the t*nk,
and scarier than
ever. [ Wolf howls ]
And Jason Blum,
the King of Horror
and the founder of game-changing
production company Blumhouse,
joins the t*nk.
I have a lot of
scary experience.
Why are you here?
We're full-time
professional weirdos.
Yeah, baby.
Who's ready to raise the
dead with me? We are!
In the spirit of Halloween,
I came here to get a deal.
- Are you making any money?
- No.
- You are a very brave man.
- Are you getting creepy?
[ Transylvanian accent
] Very, very scary.
Ooh, I love how
scary it is in the t*nk.
It's going to get scarier.
- Ooh! I'm excited.
- Oh, boy.
I love it! I love it.
♪♪
Narrator: First in the
t*nk is an entrepreneur
in the business
of chills and thrills.
♪♪
[ Thunder cracks ]
Hello, Sharks.
My name is Guy Kitchell,
and I'm a serial thriller
from Madison, Wisconsin,
and the CEO of Thrill Builders.
[ Wolf howls ]
I'm seeking $250,000
for a 20% share in my company.
Sharks, Thrill
Builders has created
some of the greatest
attractions for the largest names
in the industry... everything
from escape rooms,
mini golf, animated
props, haunted attractions,
and special effects.
We're the best in the biz
when it comes to all
things thrill-inducing.
Now, I love Halloween,
but the problem is it only
happens one day a year.
Why can't it be every day?
Well, that's where
Thrill Builders comes in.
We're building Thrill Factory,
a 50,000-square-foot
indoor entertainment center
for adults and kids
that actually rocks.
[ Squeaking ]
Thrill Factory will have
like Wizard's Adventure,
where kids will use real
magic wands to solve puzzles
and explore the
Enchanted Forest,
or Hyper Bowling,
where interactive bumpers
allow you to score points
by hitting the moving targets.
And, of course, our
signature haaaaunted houses
that let you blast
animatronic monsters
as you navigate a haunted maze.
Our activities
are a barrel of fun.
- [ Laughs ]
- Oh, wow.
Thrill Factory will
be fully immersive,
with attention to detail
and incredible theming
like only Thrill
Builders can do.
We know what works,
we know what people like,
and we know what
makes the most money.
So, Sharks, who's ready
to raise the dead with me
and build the next big
thing in family entertainment?
Well, you other Sharks
may not know this,
but we have had a
Blumhouse of Horrors,
which is a live-event
haunted house
for many, many years.
They're very, very
hard to make money at.
So my hat's off to you.
I'd love to know a little bit
more about your numbers
that you achieved in the
earlier haunted houses
that you've already done.
Yeah, so we've only
done one haunted house.
It was called
Wisconsin Scary Land.
And you're right...
Haunted houses don't
make a lot of money...
[ Laughs ] No problem.
Which is why we're moving into
family entertainment centers,
which do make a ton of money.
But our haunted
house, we had 68 actors,
so that ate up
most of our budget.
How many nights was it open?
We were only open 11
nights, so you're right.
You make a couple hundred
thousand bucks for the season.
And how much did
you spend? About that?
No, we probably grossed
about 450 and netted under 2.
Oh, that's... I mean, that's
impressive. Well, you netted...
Did better than me.
My hat's off to you.
We've owned our
own haunted house.
We've owned our own
escape-room complex,
small
family-entertainment center,
and now we're
building a big-scale one,
a 50,000-square-foot one.
And are you buying a building,
renting a building,
leasing a building?
How much are you gonna
have to invest in total?
'Cause that does
not sound cheap.
No, our current
project is in a mall,
and in the 50,000 square feet,
our GC work is $1.8 million,
and then the whole
project will be $7.2 million.
Where's that money coming
from? Corcoran and Greiner: Wow.
So we've raised
$1.7 million in cash,
and I have a loan for $5
million backed by the SBA.
You are a very brave
man. Very brave.
Or you're nuts,
one or the other.
How much money are
you expecting to make?
We project to gross
$5.5 mil the first year...
Really? ...and ramp
that up to $10 mil.
And are you selling
merchandise and food?
And what else are you doing?
Can I do a birthday party there?
We have birthday
parties. We have bowling.
Hyper bowling is
new. It's for little kids.
It's got 200 different games
that you can play
with the bumpers.
What's your ticket price?
There's no ticket
price to get in. No?
It's just per-attraction.
Let me get this deal
$250,000 for 20%.
Am I getting a piece of
your existing business
selling scary
stuff to other guys,
or just this facility?
This is a real-estate
play in some ways.
I'm open to either. So
our existing business,
Thrill Builders, will do $4.2
million this year in sales. Yeah.
We did 3.2 last
year, and we've done
in the last six
years $12.2 million.
And it's profitable, too.
What did you make last year?
Last year, we made
$975,000 profit.
Blum: And do you own
No, I've sold 17% to get
the $1.7 million. Got it.
Guy, let me just
clear the deck a little.
I'm going to go out,
and it's not that I
don't believe in you.
And I imagine
you'll do very well.
And there are good
numbers associated with it,
but it would scare
the heck out of me.
I don't know a thing about
it. So for that reason, I'm out.
All right, thank you.
Well, I'm happy to say,
if it sweetens the pot,
I'm happy to have
all of your investment
secured by Thrill Builders,
and I understand
you're taking a risk.
O'Leary: Well, I think
I would need that.
I mean, I'm intrigued.
I have nothing like this
in my portfolio. I
love real estate.
It's funny... I actually
like the business
that he had before
the event. Right.
Seems to me like you're biting
off way more than you can chew,
but I don't have any
real-estate experience.
I have a lot of
scary experience,
so if there was some
way to get ownership
of your core
business, that's actually
very interesting to me.
Well, he's willing to guarantee.
But I want a piece
of the whole thing.
Well, I love it. I do.
I love it. I can see it.
I think you need to make
this for kids and adults.
There's something
for everyone, right?
All right, Guy, listen.
I... no. Stop. Wait.
I'm gonna make an offer. I'm
gonna make an offer. Whoa! Whoa!
I'm gonna make an
offer. Whoa, Nelly!
♪♪
Narrator: One Shark is out,
but Kevin, Lori, and Jason
seem interested in Guy's
scary entertainment company,
Thrill Builders.
O'Leary: I think it's an
interesting play on real estate.
I'll do the $250,000 for 25%.
I'm willing to do the
whole thing myself
or split it with anybody
who wants to split.
I do want to do
a deal with you...
But it's the whole
business... because I love it.
Yeah, the whole business.
I would like to do the $250,000.
I would do it for 25%.
How about three Sharks?
Between me and Blumhouse,
we have 3 million followers.
And on getting people who
love scary stuff to your events,
we're pretty good at that.
- Well...
- I mean, you can't go wrong.
Each with a different specialty
You've got... between
the three of us,
you've got everything
covered here.
And you're raising
from 20% to 25%?
Well, if it's three Sharks,
you gotta give us 30
so it's 10 each.
Could you work out a line of
credit for our next opening?
Well, I'm interested
in going to finance this.
If these numbers are real,
you're gonna come with
me to some foreign countries.
I've always wanted
to go to Dubai, so...
No, because that's what I
do. That's why I'm interested.
Guy, your numbers
don't add up, then,
because you said
you made $970,000
from Thrill Builders, right?
That's in one year?
Or is that lifetime?
No, that was our
net off of $3.2 mil.
- Last year, right?
- Yeah.
So let's just make it
$1 million to simplify it.
So for $250,000 for 30%,
you're gonna write them a check
at the end of the
year for $300,000
for giving you $250,000.
I know I'm undervaluing
the company,
but it's very important
to me that I get a deal.
Guy, why is it so important
you get a deal from a Shark?
I don't get that at these
terms. I don't understand.
Well, it's not the
money for this one.
It's for expansion.
I want to build nine of
these in the next five years.
That's the part I like.
So if you had this one...
Right. You guys, why
are you such naysayers?
You're throwing away
your business, Guy.
Do the math. All right, I'm
restating the deal here...
Blum: They're trying
to unsell our deal here.
I'm not trying to go in.
I'm trying to help the guy.
Greiner: Okay, so
it's the three of us.
It's $250,000, 30%
for the entire business.
And we'll be in it to
win it with you together.
What do you think? This is
so exciting. I'm interested.
All right, so you want to
raise it to 30%, 10% each.
Will you go to $300,000 then?
- I'd do that.
- I would do that.
- I would do that.
- All right. Let's make a deal.
Whoo! Okay. Yay!
I'm so excited. I love this!
- Oh, we're gonna hug.
- Yes! I'm thrilled.
- I'm gonna give you a hug, too.
- All right. Thank you.
- Great job, great job.
- I think it's so smart.
He just gave away 30%
of his company for nothing.
Remember the watermelon?
The watermelon and the grape?
- Exactly, Mark.
- That's right.
But the watermelon
and the grape...
You know what?
Mark always does this
when he doesn't get a deal...
- 'Cause I didn't get the deal?
- He's upset.
- Yes! Jelly.
- No, I'm not upset.
This is Mark waiting for a deal.
Thank you, everybody.
Do I want to give up 30%?
No, but I see the bigger
picture of Thrill Factory.
Rather than capping
out our current business
at $5 or $6 million a year,
we're gonna be doing
over $100 million a year.
And I'd much rather have
those Sharks on board
and give up a portion to
them to make that happen.
[ Transylvanian accent
] Very, very scary.
Yes, for him.
I was born in Los
Angeles in 1969.
My mother is a retired
professor of art history.
My father started
an art gallery.
My father took risks by
buying paintings from artists
that no one heard
of and no one liked.
I watched my dad take
risks as an entrepreneur,
which paid off for him,
and it deeply affected
my professional path.
My first job out of school,
I sold cable
television door to door.
Turned out I was a
very good salesman.
And in a way, what I
still do is primarily sales.
My second job... by day
I was a real-estate agent,
and at night I was
producing theater.
I got together with a
group called Malaparte,
run by Ethan Hawke, and
I had this amazing group
of colleagues at
a very young age.
My first official job
in entertainment
was working as vice
president of acquisitions
for Arrow Entertainment.
In 1996, I went
to the big leagues,
which is Miramax.
When I got to my late 20s,
I started my own company,
but after two and a half years,
that company completely
went down the tubes.
I almost went to go
work for somebody else.
But something in me says,
"You have to do
this on your own,"
and out of the sky,
I got a first-look
deal at Paramount.
I got money to keep
my company running,
and that was really the
beginning of Blumhouse.
"Paranormal Activity" was
the movie that changed my life.
Every studio had
passed on the movie,
and I called the
filmmaker, and I said,
"Let me try and get this
movie into movie theaters.
And if you make anything over
$500,000, I want X percent."
The budget of
"Paranormal Activity"
was $15,000,
and the movie wound
up grossing $193 million.
We made six
"Paranormal Activity"
movies after that.
The total worldwide
gross of all seven movies
is approaching $1 billion.
What "Paranormal Activity"
did for me was teach me
that there was a way to
make independent movies
that could be
incredibly lucrative,
and the way we
do that is we make
very, very low-budgeted movies,
and we own a big
piece of the revenue
because we've worked
for nothing up front.
We and the director and the
actors don't get paid up front.
If the movies work,
everyone does very, very well,
and if they don't,
no one gets too hurt
because the movies didn't cost
very much money
in the first place.
It was a new model.
It was a different
approach to making movies.
One of the proudest
moments I had
was when Harvard asked to
do a case study on Blumhouse.
When we did that case study,
we had 13 of the top 25
most profitable
movies ever made.
Can we get like 10%
out of the budget?
Blumhouse is a
multimedia company.
We do massive
horror franchises...
"The Exorcist,"
"Halloween," "M3GAN."
We've been able to
reach outside of horror...
"Whiplash," for which we were
nominated for an Academy Award.
We were nominated
for Best Picture
for "BlacKkKlansman,"
the ultimate horror
movie, "Get Out."
I'm always afraid of failure,
but you can't be an
entrepreneur and not fail.
No, we need it sooner than that.
It's got to be ready
by Halloween.
I've been a fan of "Shark
t*nk" for a long time.
It's an incredibly
important show
because I think people
almost watch "Shark t*nk"
in the same way they
watch the Academy Awards.
Someone always says, "I
remember when I was little
and I watched the
Academy Awards, I thought,
someday I'll make
it to this stage."
And I think "Shark t*nk"
is a very similar thing.
It gives people hope that,
like, "Hey, if they did it,
I can do it, too."
♪♪
♪♪
[ Evil laughing ]
[ Creaking ]
Narrator: Next up
is a healthier version
of a sweet-and-spicy
Mexican treat.
[ Playing mariachi
"Shark t*nk" music ]
♪♪
♪♪
Sounds cool with
a band, doesn't it?
♪♪
Hola, Sharks. My
name is Annie Leal,
and I am from Monterrey, Mexico,
and today I am seeking $300,000
in exchange for a 5%
equity stake in my company,
I Love Chamoy.
Sharks, when I think
of Halloween candy,
I don't think of chocolates,
caramels, or licorice.
No, that's boring. I
think of Mexican candy.
And it's not just me.
Consumers of all backgrounds
can't get enough of its
sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors,
and no other product
encompasses the flavors
and versatility of Mexican
candy like Chamoy.
[ Plays up-tempo song ]
[ Chuckles ]
Chamoy is a traditional
Mexican candy sauce
that is enjoyed over
fruits, vegetables,
drinks, popcorns,
chips, and even by itself.
I Love Chamoy is sugar-free...
carb-free...
and calorie-free.
Soon after we moved to America,
my dad was
diagnosed with diabetes
and could no longer enjoy the
sugary staple we grew up loving.
Seeing him struggle
to find something
that reminded him of
home that he could still enjoy
inspired me to create what
was missing in the market.
I Love Chamoy is a
love letter to my dad,
my culture, and my community.
So, Sharks, who wants
to join I Love Chamoy
and make Mexican
candy accessible to all?
Sharks, give it up to
my wonderful mariachi.
- Whoo! Whoo!
- Wonderful.
- Whoo-hoo!
- Thank you, guys.
[ Playing mariachi
"Shark t*nk" music ]
Sounds good.
So, Sharks, in front of you,
you have three of
the most popular ways
that our customers love
to eat I Love Chamoy.
You have a fruta cup and chamoy.
You also have a mangonada,
which is a nondairy
ice cream smoothie
with mango, lime,
and, of course, I Love Chamoy.
And then you have a margarita
rimmed with I Love Chamoy.
So these are
sweetened by monk fruit?
Correct. It's sweetened
with pure monk fruit.
It's an all-natural
sweetener, sugar-free,
carb-free, and calorie-free.
And it complements
the Chamoy quite well.
- Excellent.
- Interesting.
And sugar-free products are
really popular... Ooh, that is good.
But when it came to the
Mexican candy category,
there was nothing like this.
So why are you
calling it a candy?
It's really a
condiment or a sauce.
I grew up with it being
a Mexican candy sauce.
We also have an
additional product line
that I haven't
showed you guys yet.
And in order to show
you that, I'm gonna need
the help of Mr. Jason.
Can I borrow
you for a little bit?
- Go ahead, Mr. Jason.
- Beautiful.
So you're gonna
stand right here.
Okay. So, guys,
in Mexican culture,
the way we like to break piñatas
is we usually fill them with
something really special,
and then you can go to
town with... Okay. Great.
Okay. So I'm gonna get
your w*apon of choice.
Go with the baseball bat.
Sharks, usually when
we break piñatas,
we count from one
to five in Spanish.
Do you guys want to help me out?
- Okay.
- Yeah.
All: Uno!
Oh! Dos! Dos!
All: Dos!
Tres!
- There we go!
- Whoo!
- You took some candy.
- It's open.
Didn't that feel good?
I mean, this is part
of the celebration.
There we go! What a mess.
- This is our new candy category.
- Oh!
So it's Mexican candy,
but it's sugar-free
chili-watermelon flavor.
This is a new product
line that we soft-launched
a few months ago, and
it was a great success.
- Chamoy gummies?
- Chamoy gummies.
- Let me try one. Ready?
- Absolutely.
It's spicy, it's
sweet, it's tangy.
Ay, Chihuahua, caramba!
- There we go.
- Mmm!
- Oh, it's got a kick to it.
- And where were you selling it?
We're selling it
direct to consumer
completely through our website.
And in our first full
year in business,
which was last year, 2022,
we closed the year in
$550,000 in sales. Wow.
Year-to-date, we've
done $1.3 million.
- Wow.
- Good for you. Well done.
And we're projected
to close the year
between $3.8 and $4 million.
- Oh, my God!
- Dang!
-Wow. And what is your... -Wow!
Now, wait, is that the...
That's not even the candy.
You didn't even launch
that. That's just these.
The candy is only $30,000
because we soft-launched it.
It's all coming
from the pink bottle.
How did you build that customer?
That's a huge jump.
Are you spending a lot
on advertising to do it?
No, we've... 80%,
are completely organic.
It's been entirely online
through social media. Really?
And I started posting
about my inspiration,
the fact that I wanted to find
something healthier for my dad
and there wasn't
anything like that available.
How many followers do you have?
Half a million followers
across different social channels.
We're in around 250
grocery stores in Texas.
We're proudly made in
Texas. We're in H-E-Bs.
We're also in a
nationwide retailer
that specializes in home goods.
Is it just you, Annie,
or do you have a team?
It's just me. I
talk in "we" a lot.
You're doing all of this
yourself?! Correct. Yes.
So, Annie, walk us
through the numbers.
How much does it cost to
make? What do you sell it for? Yes.
What's the wholesale
price to retail?
So we make it
between $1.60 and $2.
And we sell it
direct to consumer
for $12 on our website.
We sell it to retailers
between $3.90 and $4,
and they sell it to their
customers between $6 to $7.
So being direct to consumer,
putting profits
before anything else,
making sure we have cash
flow... all of that has made
such an incredible
difference in my business.
You have no debt right
now? Any debt? No debt.
Annie, you've got to be
making just a boatload of money.
Our profits for this year
is projected to be 1.5.
- Good for you.
- Thank you.
Are you trying to get it outside
of the Mexican
community? Absolutely.
So our customer base
is not just exclusive
to Hispanics or Latinos.
I want to have a
bigger footprint in retail.
No matter how we
expand on retail,
I never plan on
dropping the ball
on the social-media aspect.
Corcoran: Annie, I think
you're underestimating
your insurmountable
charm and salesmanship
that you're doing
on social media.
None of that applies to retail.
So if you're in
for the retail ride,
I'm not with you, so I'm out.
Thank you, Barbara.
O'Leary: Well, listen,
I've heard enough, Annie.
I'm gonna make you an offer.
I'll give you the
$300,000 for 15%.
Thank you so
much for your offer.
Annie, I don't want to take
a chunk of your business.
I think you can do this.
I'll be a consumer
but not a partner.
- Thank you so much, Lori.
- I'm out.
Really appreciate it.
Well, I too... I'm a
fan of your product.
But what I am
particularly impressed by
is your way to talk
about your business.
You're really doing
everything right.
I would only be money to you.
This is so far
afield from anything
I really have any experience in,
so I couldn't lend that
much expertise to you.
So I'm out, but I hope you
make a deal with another Shark.
Thank you so much.
Annie, you've earned
that spot right there.
I mean, you're doing
everything right.
You've gone to social.
You didn't just do it
like a traditional
consumer food product.
Everything's perfect,
except it's not my taste.
I just couldn't be out there
saying it's a great product,
but it's not great for me.
So, unfortunately, for
those reasons, I'm out.
Well, all Sharks are out,
and all chamoy leads
to Mr. Wonderful.
[ Thunder rumbles ]
What do you want to do, Annie?
♪♪
Narrator: Four Sharks are out.
Kevin has offered Annie
$300,000 for a 15% stake
in her sweet-and-spicy
sauce and candy business,
I Love Chamoy, but
it's a much bigger stake
than the 5% she
came in offering.
Well, all Sharks are out
and all chamoy leads
to Mr. Wonderful.
What do you want to do, Annie?
Mr. Wonderful, would
you consider doing
$350,000 for 7%?
No. Here's my concerns.
I think retail is
harder than you think.
You've heard that
already from the Sharks.
We've all been through
the retail meat grinder.
I'm a big believer in what
you've done on social.
But then there's the factor
that I was worried about.
And, you know,
it's Halloween here,
and there's
tombstones and skulls.
Are you getting creepy?
No, I'm thinking you get
run over by a truck. The risk.
Well, I was gonna say...
And you're gonna walk in
and just operate
the company, right?
- You know what? I mean...
- You're the whole deal.
That is not a legitimate reason.
We've built a really,
really strong brand.
And I just want to say,
when it comes to moving
into retail and taking...
I'm a big fan of
taking calculated risks.
Obviously, and it shows.
I don't necessarily
agree about getting...
If you get hit by a truck,
those are other problems.
But you do have the money to
hire another business partner,
which I would definitely,
whether you make
a deal or not...
You countered, and you're
allowed to say no, Annie.
Honestly, Annie, what
if he got hit by a truck?
That's right, Kevin.
- Then I would take his chair.
- I look at it this way.
I have a whole team of
people that work with me,
and they have for decades.
They're Team Wonderful.
Everybody knows that.
And you'll meet them.
But, you know, there's
enough risk in this deal
because the big guys in this
space can easily knock you off.
And then all you've got
is whatever the
brand is at that point,
'cause they can fight on price,
they can fight on distribution.
I get all that.
I've made you an offer
I'm comfortable with.
You're not dead to me right
now. You could be in a minute.
Stick to your g*ns,
Annie. Stick to your g*ns.
I'm gonna stick with
my g*ns, too, Annie.
I'll do the deal. I'll give
you $300,000 for 15%,
and you've got a partner,
and we ride into
the mariachi sunset.
You're brutal.
I'm not brutal.
I'm Mr. Wonderful.
I came here to make a deal,
but this is breaking my heart.
I'm not competing with
anybody, just myself.
And I'll tell you this... I
came here to get a deal,
to make my parents proud,
to make my community proud.
And because I truly
believe... You already have.
In how far this thank you...
How far this company can go,
would you consider
doing $300,000 for 8%,
and we have a deal?
Well, I haven't
been flexible yet,
but I'll go to 12 1/2
and I'll do it there.
That's my final offer.
spirit of Halloween...
- It's not so high.
- In the spirit of Halloween.
I've been working really hard
to make all of these sales...
Annie, you're
insanely profitable.
That's the
difference. Thank you.
If you were losing money,
then the 3%, 5%
doesn't really matter.
Meet in the middle,
guys. It's a great deal.
O'Leary: All of
this is interesting,
but none of them are
making you an offer.
I'm the only Shark that
really believes in you
with his money.
I'll do it at 12.5%.
My final offer, Annie.
- I can't take the 12.5%.
- I appreciate it.
Yay! Good for you.
- Thank you so much. Bye, guys.
- Great job, Annie.
Greiner: Good job,
Annie. Congratulations.
Leal: That was a blood-sucking
offer that Kevin made.
His ask, 12.5%,
was just way too high.
I've worked really
hard for I Love Chamoy.
We're profitable.
We have so many new things
coming out, and it's just...
I wasn't able to meet
him at that number.
Narrator: For our
milestone 15th season,
we're counting down the
top 15 Shark t*nk companies
with the highest
total retail sales.
Number 3 is Scrub
Daddy with $926 million.
Number 2 is Everlywell
with a whopping $1.1 billion.
And the top spot goes to Bombas
with $1.3 billion
in retail sales.
♪♪
Narrator: Next
up are two artists
with a passion for pumpkins.
♪♪
[ Thunder rumbles ]
Hey Sharks. I'm Marc Evan.
And I'm Chris Soria.
We're from New York,
and we're the co-founders
of a crazy carving company.
We are...
[ Laughter ]
Together: Maniac
Pumpkin Carvers.
We're lifelong artists,
Halloween lovers,
and professional carvers
who have been honing our skills
and techniques for decades.
We produce custom pieces
that have been featured
and displayed in
prestigious museums,
events, and installations
across the country.
From detailed portraits
to re-creations of
famous works of art
and iconic insignia.
We've carved out our niche,
elevating this nostalgic pastime
to an ephemeral art form.
And now we're here to
help all of you with our...
Together: School of Pumpkin.
We'll feature online
carving classes,
teaching a wide variety
of pumpkin techniques
to help unlock your
true pumpkin potential.
And we'll offer all the
tools and resources
one needs to carve
the perfect pumpkin.
Our School of Pumpkin
is still growing on the vine.
That's why we're seeking
$150,000 for 8% equity
to really help it thrive.
So, Sharks, who wants to
get pumped up with us and...
Together: pumpkin like a pro?
So how would you guys release
my pumpkin-carving potential?
Well, we've been teaching art
for over a decade
in various forms.
Our courses will get
you through the steps
to carve something that
you're really proud of.
And even if your first
one is not a masterpiece,
we're still gonna
help you get away
from the classic jack-o'-lantern
that you've done in the past
and do something really fun.
Tell us about the business.
What are we buying into?
And what is the tangible thing
that the consumer is buying?
The last three years
were a real game-changer
in our business,
which a lot of it depended
on live, in-person events.
And with the pandemic,
we immediately transitioned
to doing online classes,
online events and
demonstrations.
Are you making any money?
In the last three years,
we sold over $170,000 worth
of virtual-class experiences...
- Wow.
- Good for you.
And $90,000 of tool kits.
So you do have a tool
kit. We just don't see it.
Our tool kits currently
are hand-selected items
that we've been using that
we love and recommend.
But we do have dreams
of releasing our
own proprietary tools.
Just in the last year,
how much did you make?
Last year our gross
sales were $294,000.
But that's for
pumpkins, not classes.
No, our business, we do
all different types of things
pumpkin-related,
including events,
classes, demonstrations,
and custom carving orders.
If I want to order
Mr. Wonderful pumpkin,
do I send you a
picture? And he will.
For sure he will.
How do I get my face in 3D?
Are you using laser cutters?
How are you doing this?
We do all the artwork by hand.
And that's real pumpkin?
These are real
pumpkins carved by hand.
We're lifelong artists.
People hire us to do portraits
and logos and movie posters,
all kinds of amazing designs.
So somebody
watching on television...
Can they go to a website
and upload a picture,
and you'll send them a pumpkin?
Or does it have to be local?
We do ship pumpkins
all over the country.
The cost of shipping a live
pumpkin is a little prohibitive.
Nothing would make me happier
than sending a picture
of Mr. Wonderful...
Yeah! ...and you sending
me a carved 3D pumpkin
of Mr. Wonderful so I can
smash it on Halloween night.
Or it could have a spike
in its head, like, yeah.
- Even better. See?
- Even better.
I think we should
offer a Wonder special.
And I'll get a 7% royalty.
What would that cost?
So a portrait of Mr. Wonderful
would probably be
somewhere in the
$600 to $800 range.
Oh, so worth it.
You have to do
the work yourself,
or do you have a lot of
carvers working for you?
We do. We have a team of artists
that we staff mostly for
the peak weeks of October.
The rest of the time,
we're cranking out
as much of it as we can.
But you're all pumpkin
all the time now,
'cause it sounds to me
like you're pulling out
between $150,000 and $200,000
each a year as pumpkin dudes.
No, they're all pumpkin all
the time one month a year.
Well, except I'm thinking
maybe I want to do a little
pumpkin action off
season. Can I do that?
When we first
started the business,
our season was really the
week or two before Halloween.
Now our season is
a quarter of the year.
So in August and September,
we're carving tons of
things that are gonna be used
in product placements
and advertisements. Ah.
It's really content creation.
Could you carve my
face on a watermelon?
- Absolutely.
- Absolutely.
Could you put Mark
Cuban's on the grape?
Guys! [ Laughter ]
I have a more kind of
philosophical
question for you guys.
You have this great thing going.
It's small. It's seasonal.
It seems tricky to scale,
and you have a
great thing going.
So why are you here?
We really want to get into
the direct-consumer market.
Halloween is a
$10-billion-a-year industry.
- Yeah, baby!
- Yes, it is.
to carve pumpkins this year.
We want all of those
people to be using our tools
and downloading
our streaming classes.
- But you don't have tools.
- You don't have the tools, yeah.
You gotta have tools
with your name on. Yeah.
You got to have Maniac
Pumpkin Carvers knives.
Knives!
How quickly are your
online classes growing now?
So far we haven't been
offering them
direct to consumer.
Oh, small detail.
Oh, you don't have classes to
people? Who are you selling them to?
To corporate clients.
They have us do a live
Zoom class or webinar.
It's a great, fun
team-building exercise.
Yeah, but you know what?
You're barking
up the wrong tree.
Why not apply your
skills to another market?
Do you ever do sand castles?
That's temporary. It
takes artistic talent.
Why curtail your whole
business into four months a year?
I don't see the potential in it.
So for that reason, I'm out.
Okay. Thank you. I think you
guys have done a fantastic job
articulating a market
I'd never heard of.
But, guys, I don't see a
scalable business here.
Your deal itself
is very, very scary.
So I'm out.
Look, guys, you're
looking for a way to scale.
That's the hard part,
right? I just don't know that
online pumpkin-carving
classes will be huge.
That makes it a
tough investment.
So for those reasons, I'm out.
But congrats on what
you've accomplished.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Listen, there's a lot of
pumpkin-carving tools
out there, actually,
and there's diagrams
and stencils and
things like that.
I don't think trying to
compete with what else
is out there already
really makes any sense.
So I'm not gonna take
the journey, I'm sorry.
I wish you good
luck, but I'm out.
Thank you.
Guys, my business today
is really managing the line
between art and commerce,
taking artists who make
movies and TV shows
and making those movies
and television shows profitable.
And what I see today
is two terrific artists
with a fabulous
seasonal activity,
which is fun for you guys to do.
And I actually think
if you had more business
running through your veins...
You'd be selling images
and everything else...
I think if you
actually did that,
you would be very, very unhappy.
And an unhappy entrepreneur
is not a successful entrepreneur.
So for that reason, I'm out.
- Have fun, guys. Congrats.
- Get ready for those orders.
- Thank you for sharing with us.
- Thank you very much.
Cuban: Congrats, guys.
Evan: We are disappointed
that we didn't get an investment,
but it's not gonna stop
us from doing what we do.
We're just gonna
keep moving forward,
making pumpkin art,
teaching pumpkin classes.
It's October. This
is our busy season.
We have to get back to
the studio and get carving.
It's gonna be a crazy
season no matter what.
♪♪
Narrator: Next into the
t*nk is a way to experience
some of life's dark mysteries.
[ Snarls ]
♪♪
[ Thunder rumbles ]
Hi, Sharks. My
name is Mike Huberty.
And I'm Allison Jornlin.
And we're asking for $250,000
for 15% of our company.
Can ghosts make you rich?
September 24th, 1869
the first Black Friday.
The price of gold collapses.
The United States stock
market is devastated.
Except for one tycoon
who anticipated the disaster
and came out on top.
Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Because he had a secret.
He was living with
a psychic medium
who would hold
séances in his house
and ask the spirits
what the future
of the stock market might hold.
When asked how other
business leaders could experience
similar success,
Vanderbilt said...
"Do as I do..."
[ Evil laughter ]
"consult the spirits."
Sharks, it's real
haunted history like this
that inspired my
sister and I to found
American Ghost Walks...
Deeply researched history tours
of beautiful locations
with haunted pasts.
Our tours are
entertaining presentations
of remarkable facts
so that even nonbelievers
have a wickedly good time.
So, Sharks, Cornelius
Vanderbilt knew
that ghosts could make you rich.
So who's ready to
consult the spirits
and join American Ghost
Walks for some real ghost stories
and real spooky fun?
What is your business?
It's tours or it's virtual?
It's live, guided
haunted history tours.
Now we're in seven
states and Puerto Rico.
Good for you. How many people
do you have giving the tours?
We have about 32 employees.
- Wow.
- I thought you guys were a joke.
You have a real business here.
Are the tour guides...
Are they playing a part,
or are they just very neutral
and explaining a story?
Great question. The
tour guides are people
who are engaged and
love the paranormal.
Blum: Almost every
horror movie that we make,
there has to be one authority.
The audience, at
least, has to believe
that this person is an authority
and really believes
in the paranormal.
So the casting of
your tour guides
is extraordinarily
important, I would imagine.
Absolutely. Which
is why we hire people
who have a passion
for this already.
It's people who
already had an interest
in true crime and ghost stories,
and they were doing
this already for fun
and taking their friends around.
But we write a script,
do the research,
find the stories.
Like, in Los Angeles
and Chicago, it's easy.
There's a ton of public spaces.
You've got buildings that
have been around for 100 years
that have history,
that have ghost stories.
You go right in front of them.
Some of the smaller
towns are exciting
because you're finding
stories that nobody else has.
How long has the
business been going on
and how much are you making?
Allison started in
and then I started
in Madison in 2010.
Started a tour in Minneapolis.
The next year was Saint Paul.
Next year was a vacation town.
Were they all
equally successful?
No. [ Laughter ]
All these are
cities in the north.
What do you do in
the winter? "No." "No."
Well, in the winter time,
a lot of them close down.
But so in 2020, Minnesota and
Wisconsin are our only states.
So we made $92,000.
Made as means profit or
grossed, when you say 92,000?
That is grossed.
You grossed $92,000.
And so then we grossed in 2021,
when we added
Illinois, $392,000.
- How much did you spend?
- Ooh, that's a lot.
We spent... let's
see, it was $392,000.
We spent $300,000.
Wow. That's a lot.
- So you made $92,000 in profit?
- Correct.
Right. Continue. What about now?
What was the net of 2022?
Net of '22 was negative.
Negative. Okay. How
much did you lose?
- We lost $42,000.
- Got it.
We reinvested in the
business that year.
So that's when we spent
money buying a tour in Chicago.
You bought one that
existed? That's interesting.
Yes, acquisitions are very
important in this business.
How much did you
spend on the acquisitions?
About $115,000.
What's your
projected gross in '23?
We're projecting about $650,000.
And what's your
projected spend in '23?
$600,000.
Right, so tiny
profit. So right now...
And are you guys
doing this full-time?
Oh, we quit our
jobs. We quit our jobs.
So this is it. We're full-time
professional weirdos.
How much are you pulling
out of the business right now?
I usually, I budget, and
then when I see the bills,
I pull out enough
to pay the bills.
About how much? 'Cause you're
talking about bringing in an investor.
They gotta pull
something out too, right?
Absolutely. You got to
wet your beak on a deal.
Well, they're in a growth stage.
Right, we are definitely
thank you, Jason,
for for saying that.
You're welcome.
We're in a growth
position right now.
Is that a different way of saying
you can't make any money?
- No, no!
- No.
No, it's saying that we've
invested in acquisitions
and we've made that money back.
And now we've discovered
a scalable business model
that we want to take
nationwide, but that's not the limit.
I get it. I get the model.
It's a service business.
Right. But, really, you
want to be profitable.
Well, let's talk about
cruise excursions next,
because we've broken
into the cruise market.
That's where
we're going to see...
- The haunted cruise?
- Yeah.
Guys, I desperately
wanted to have
a successful production company.
The first movie we ever did,
which was "Paranormal Activity,"
and I thought after
we had that movie,
I'm gonna do low-budget
horror movies and nothing else.
And I was lucky I had that
success when I was 35 years old.
If I was 20, I would have said,
"I want to make the
next 'Transformers.'
I want to make a
big, expensive..."
But I said, "I
want to do nothing
but low-budget horror movies."
And that's how I
grew my business
to what it is today.
And what I hear is that
you're spread way too thin.
You guys are not spending
enough time on what you have.
And if I give you
one piece of advice,
is to try and focus on
the assets that you have
and make them more profitable
before you take in outside money
or before you spend
more money, in any case.
And for those reasons, and
I wish you the best of luck,
I'm out.
I think it's fun
what you're doing,
and I think it's great
passion and interest for you.
But I agree with
everything that Jason said.
And for those reasons, I'm out.
Well, we appreciate
your advice. Absolutely.
The more I listen to you,
on what your plan is,
the more confused I am.
But it just dawned on
me that I think you're doing
what usually puts most of my
entrepreneurs out of business.
It's falling in love
with the next rainbow
before you finish the
last rainbow. Yeah.
You really haven't given
us anything concrete
that makes us feel
like your core business
has been profitable, consistent
before you go on
to something else.
So for that reason,
I'm out, yeah.
Look, guys, you have
to be more concrete,
to Barbara's point.
If you would have
come out here and said,
"We're good at these tours.
We know how to double them.
There's 1,400 of them,
and we want to
buy the top 100"...
If you would have been
very specific in that strategy,
that might have
gotten my interest,
but it was a little
bit all over the map.
So for those reasons, I'm out.
Okay, 'cause we also have
not broken into merchandise yet.
Number one... we
got a sweet logo.
That logo's gonna
look great on t-shirts.
You are not in the merch!
You are in the tour business!
- It's true.
- You do not listen to my advice!
O'Leary: I'll tell you the
trouble I'm having with this deal.
I think you asked
for too much money.
I'm so intrigued
with it. It's so unique.
The trouble is, it's $250,000,
a quarter of $1 million. Yes.
You can't just take a flyer.
So I have to make that back.
Now, my options are I
give you the $250,000,
or I buy another watch,
and most of my watches
appreciate in value.
That's what happens.
And that's the only reason I
work is to buy more watches
and sometimes give
it to guys like you.
But you're riskier
than a new watch.
If this was 50 or
a hunski, maybe.
"A hunski."
And, you know, it's not
clear to me how I 10x on this.
I gotta make 2.5 million bucks.
That's what we do in Shark t*nk.
We want winners.
It's a $500 million
industry, though.
Yeah, yeah, but
we can't get near...
You're nowhere near a
place to spin enough cash
so that every month I get
my $25,000 in distributions.
It's a service business.
We're not gonna take it public.
It's gotta spin cash so
that I can wet my beak.
You know, I don't want
to ghost the money.
I give it to you and
say, "Bye, money! Bye.
I'll never see
you again." Right.
I'm sorry, guys. I'm out.
- Thank you.
- Good luck, guys.
Cuban: Congrats on
what you've accomplished.
All right, well, I think
you guys missed out
on the next million-dollar
tourism company.
For your sake, I
hope you're right.
When you call us next time,
it'll be $250,000 for 10%.
[ Laughter ]
- See you, Mike. Congratulations.
- Thanks.
- Good luck, guys.
- Good luck.
Jornlin: I don't feel
disappointed at all.
Who in our line of work
doesn't want to
feel what it feels like
to be torn apart by Sharks?
But like ghosts, we'll
always come back.
[ Evil laughter ]
Now we can use this place
as a location on our
haunted history tours,
because we're the
victims of a true crime.
They had something.
They just asked
for too much money.
$50,000 I would have given them.
I mean, they should
have asked for $50,000,
'cause they would have
been lucky to have you.
[ Growling ]
O'Leary: Is that
Mindy from casting?
[ Laughter ]
Boy, she looks bad.
I think she looks better.
Every time there's a
bad deal, this shows up.
Yeah, exactly.
She's upset we're
not making more deals.
- You need a throat lozenge.
- Oh, stop. Stop.
Blum: So bad!
O'Leary: What have I
done to deserve this?
Don't look at me, baby.
- [ Growling ]
- And that's lunch.
For a chance to win a
video chat with a Shark,
"Shark t*nk" gear,
or a visit to the
"Shark t*nk" set.
Go to ABC.com/sharktank
for more details.
Winners will be
contacted on Instagram.
We can only contact followers
of "Shark t*nk" 's
official Instagram.
♪♪
♪♪
15x04 - Episode 4
Watch/Buy Amazon Merchandise
Shows entrepreneurs making business presentations to a panel of five venture capitalists (investors in start-ups) called "sharks" on the program, who decide whether to invest in their companies.
Shows entrepreneurs making business presentations to a panel of five venture capitalists (investors in start-ups) called "sharks" on the program, who decide whether to invest in their companies.