Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew DiRoberto.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Matthew. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
This has been a 5 year journey. I started trying to get this event off the ground 5 years ago and finally was able to launch it last year in Quincy on the USS Salem. I’ve always had a love for Halloween and fall is my favorite time of year. I’ve been going to Haunted Attractions since I was 4 years old and have always loved going to them. After 15 years in the radio industry I left 2 years ago to start my own promotional and experiential company called Immersive. We work with clients helping them with their marketing and we also produce experiential events like Ghost Ship Harbor. I thought there was a need in the market in the Boston area for a Haunted Attraction because most of them are an hour or more outside of Boston. Ghost Ship Harbor is 15 minutes south of Boston and we had a lot of people come to the event last year from Boston. We had a great first year given all the hurdles that we encountered that were out of our control. Mainly we had terrible weather. The weather did not cooperate last year but we will be doing things to make the event more weather proof this year.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Is it ever a smooth road? No, if it was easy and smooth you’d have a lot more people doing it. Whenever you start something new and this big you are going to have challenges. I knew that going into it. It’s how you deal with adversity that will dictate whether you fail or not. We had challenges with the rain. We had challenges with hiring 300+ actors and talent for that short timeframe. We had challenges setting up an attraction on a ship that was built in the 1940’s. Nothing was insurmountable as every problem has a solution. Getting year one under our belt was important and we are excited to be coming back again this year and excited to be adding a 4th attraction as well.
Ghost Ship Harbor – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
There was a lot of blood sweat and tears that launched Ghost Ship Harbor in 2016. For us it’s all about the people. The people that worked with us in our first year made it happen and come to life. There’s so many talented people from builders, set dressers, artists, SFX artists and more. The talent and passion is what sets us apart from the competition as well as the location. We are doing an attraction on a 718 ft. destroyer docked in Quincy. Who else can say that? The backdrop is amazing and we are adding so much more this year that it won’t even feel like the same event as last year.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is putting out a great product that we are proud of and creates a great customer experience that makes people want to come back year after year. You know if you are succeeding or not by the people coming through the door. Our goal is to grow that every year!
Pricing:
- Tickets start at $29.99 and its always cheaper to buy online
Contact Info:
- Address: 739 Washington Street
Quincy, MA 02169 - Website: www.ghostshipharbor.com
- Phone: 617-935-0444
- Email: info@ghostshipharbor.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostshipharbor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostshipharbor/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GhostShipharbor
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