Directors
“I’ve always had an interest in the paranormal. I grew up in a time where there were only three channels on your TV (and you had to get up off the couch if you wanted to change one!) and you had a “party line” on the phone at your house! But I was an avid reader. At about age 12 I started reading the paranormal greats of those times: The Omen, Amityville Horror, The Exorcist, Carrie… all before they became movies! Oddly enough, I used to borrow these books from my paternal grandmother. I often wonder… if she were alive today would she get a kick out of all the paranormal media that is available now? My wish to become a real-life paranormal investigator came from watching Ghost Hunters for the first time. I know it’s become popular to bash these shows, and many of them deserve it! But when I saw their scientific methods and how they disproved many claims with common sense, I was like “YES!” I’m a teacher now, but I often wonder that if I had only known there was a viable career in paranormal research how much different my life would be. Oh well 🙂 I feel very fortunate to have found the like-minded people in Fringe and love every opportunity we have to search out the paranormal through our investigations.”
“From an early age I’ve always been interested in things that are strange and different. Nighttime would find me watching everything from “Twilight zone”, “In Search Of”, and “Unsolved Mysteries” which, at the time were the equivalent of today’s “Ghost Hunters”. My interest in the unknown extended to cryptids such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster. I also had an interest in the performing arts; specifically magic. The one performer I especially took interest in was the late Harry Houdini. Ironically enough, Houdini was well known for exposing false mediums. While I never became adept at the craft, my study of stage magic helped develop my sense of thinking outside the box so to speak. I consider myself to be skeptical yet open minded. As a director of Fringe Paranormal I have been able to meld my sense of adventure and my education into a winning combination which, with the aid of my fellow director and agents, has served to form Fringe Paranormal into one of the most innovative and productive teams in the area.”
Investigators
“My paranormal interests began in 2007 when I started watching several paranormal shows. Each one with their own theories and methods of explaining why unexplainable things were happening was fascinating to me. Very quickly, my interests started to scaffold from watching shows to reading books by anyone notable in the “paranormal world.” Along with reading and researching, I traveled to haunted locations (I would read about) and used equipment to collect evidence. When I gained confidence, I started to investigate residential locations. Trying to find answers for people who were having experiences in their own homes seemed to promote my hobby to actually helping and contributing in the paranormal field. With some experience under my belt, I focused on implementing research to support paranormal claims. I found using the local history department to collect news articles, obituaries, transfer and block cards were good places to start the research of a haunted location. Finding evidence that support paranormal claims is like finding pieces to an interesting puzzle. Paranormal investigating is not an easy task, but helping people is the best reward.”
“I never believed in ghosts. I was always a skeptic until on my honeymoon. My wife and I had a personal experience that we could not debunk. Since then we have become very active in the paranormal field. Together my wife and I have been on over 70 investigations in Ohio , Indiana, West Virginia, Tennessee and Nevada. Some of our more well known locations include Ohio State Reformatory , Waverly Hills, Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Madison Seminary and the Buxton Inn”
All my life I have been fascinated with the Paranormal. I love and relish in the idea that there is so much more in this world that’s waiting to be discovered. That there are things at work way bigger than ourselves.
The first house I ever lived in as a child was haunted and I remember waking up to several ghostly visitors by my bedside in the middle of some random late nights. I vividly remember not being afraid of them but very curious. Unfortunately, I grew older and my ability to see and feel the spirits left me as well. However my fascination with the paranormal never ceased and in fact it was compounded by my desperate need to find answers to what I saw so many years ago. For the past decade I have participated in various paranormal investigations throughout Virginia, Georgia, and here in my home state of Ohio. I’ve worked with all sorts of equipment but my favorites are always the basics: voice recorder, digital camera, and my own intuitive senses. Nothing matches the thrill of capturing an EVP or getting a picture of a ghost peeking out at you from a window. However, my time served in the US Navy taught me to approach situations and experiences in this field with an objective mindset as well.
My hope is to live in a world filled with Paranormal Unity, with Hotels whose signs scream “YES!!! WE ARE HAUNTED! COME ON IN!”. A world where the paranormal, the supernatural, aliens and knowledge of such things are commonplace. Maybe all the oddities of the world can sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee. Who knows? Anything is possible.
I got interested in the paranormal in 2009 when I met Kelly and Don. My mother had passed and she was known as a healer in our small town and I learned some of her skills. I was having things happening in my personal life that I couldn’t explain. I would watch and read all the books from the medium John Edwards to find some type of answers to what was happening. Due to my personal beliefs, spirits and the afterlife were in conflict of what I was taught. I had to find the truth or debunk it. I continue to watch paranormal shows but take most of them as entertainment and continue to debunk evidence. I had in my possession a chair that was created at the Mansfield Reformatory and strange things happened that I couldn’t explain. So I did the next best thing and got rid of it. Director Don became the new owner. My time is limited but I continue to investigate when possible.
Shel Gatto ~ Author and Contributor
Shel has a passion for all things unique and strange. She is on a constant search to discover the unexplained through information and insight. Whenever she can, Shel strives to share this information through the written word, in hopes of urging others to come to their own conclusions. She is a freelance writer by trade and an observer of the world by nature. Shel has contributed many articles on our Fringe U page and also has a blog “Down a Dark Trail” on our Para Blogs page
In addition to our full time team members Fringe also has on call and members with limited availability
- Dave B
- Val
- Lee Ann
Fringe Paranormal 