307 Paranormal Ghost Chronicles

307PARANORMAL INTERVIEW
by Leslie Valentin



Hello Todaysparanormal Readers.  I am excited to introduce you all a paranormal investigation team from Cody, Wyoming.  This group of bright and determined teenagers are making a name for themselves in the paranormal community as investigators.  They share a compassion to assist others by seeking answers and truths to potential hauntings.
307 Paranormal is made up by three friends; all of whom work together on the investigations. Let me introduce Jared I. and Anna R. who are both 17 years old, and Logan J. who is 16 years old; all residing in Cody, Wyoming.

LESLIE:  WHEN WAS YOUR GROUP ESTABLISHED?

307Paranormal:  307Paranormal was formed in April of this year (2011.) We are young and still growing but we know what we are doing. We all have previous experience investigating and know what it takes to stand out and capture compelling evidence.

LOGAN - And we are loving every minute of it!

LESLIE:  WHAT MAKES THIS TEAM WORK SUCCESSFULLY?

ANNA - We are all close friends and work together well in a group. When we investigate we know our jobs and everything we do flows well together.

JARED - We’re a tightly knitted group of friends who know each other inside and out. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and balance each other out. All of us bring something unique to the team. Whether it’s myself being so eager to learn and capture the proof of the paranormal, Anna having photography/videography background, or Logan being so fearless to face whatever we may encounter.

LOGAN - I think that our team's dedication and curiosity has driven us to be on the path for success.

LESLIE: WHAT WAS YOUR PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION TO YOUR TEAM'S PERFORMANCE?

ANNA - I take the personal and group photos of our team; also I run a camera throughout the whole investigation. Jared and I also work together through the editing stages were we put together all the evidence for our episodes. The field I know the most in would be the photography.

JARED - I’ve conducted a lot of investigations and am the “veteran” of the group. I know what to expect and the best ways to find evidence of the paranormal. Like Anna, I also have a background in videography which helps in the filming and editing process of our episodes.

LOGAN - I’m an investigator as well as an EVP analyst (Electronic Voice Phenomenon). I go through all of our EVP sessions from our investigations and see if we caught any evidence. Most whispers or noises have to be amplified to be able to hear them with the human ear, and that’s my job.

LESLIE: WHEN SETTING UP AN INVESTIGATION, WHAT STEPS DO YOU TAKE TO ACCOMPLISH IT?

ANNA - We always talk to the homeowner/business owner about what they have observed and find out the history, anything that could be causing abnormal occurrences to be happening. Before the investigation we figure out if our gear is working, where we need to be, and what time. We are very professional about all our investigations.

JARED - After we are contacted or contact someone about an investigation, our crew talks with the owners of the location and gets the inside scoop. The background, the history, the paranormal experiences, all of it! We want to figure out what is there and why. After that, we set up a time when our crew comes in and does the investigation.

LOGAN - We have a fairly simple routine for setting up. We usually have a meeting the night before the investigation and discuss the location and what we want to focus on the most, and then we meet at the building the next night. We usually get some B-Roll shots (alternate footage) of the location and try and get some interviews.
LESLIE:  WERE THERE ANY STRESSORS THAT AFFECTED YOUR INVESTIGATIONS SUCH AS DEADLINES, EQUIPMENT, DATA COLLECTION, TRANSPORTATION, WEATHER, ETC.?
ANNA - There are always stressors that affect your investigations, whether is before, during, or after the investigation. There are a variety of different things that make investigating complicated. The number one thing for us I think is the fact that we are all teenagers. There is always a question to homeowners/business owners whether or not we are just a bunch of teenagers messing around. So that is always hard. Also there is equipment that just goes wild. We want to prove the existence of the paranormal, and that is hard when your cameras or microphone malfunction.

JARED - There are always the stressors of reviewing all of the evidence. On a normal investigation, we have eight hours of video evidence to review, three hours of voice recording evidence, and all the pictures to go through. Equipment has also been a stressor recently. The paranormal field is always expanding and there are so many new pieces of equipment that are extremely helpful in capturing evidence. It’s difficult to always be buying the new, cutting edge equipment of the field. People also have been hesitant with us because we are so young. They think we are just high schools students looking for a scar. But in reality, we are extremely serious and professional about this and mature in conducting investigations.

LOGAN -  Out of our many stressors, I’d say our biggest is we’re high school students and the public doesn’t take us professionally. Another drawback is we’re based out of a small town in Wyoming and there are only so many available locations to investigate here.
LESLIE:  WHAT DREW YOU TO THE PARANORMAL FIELD?
ANNA - Basically I stumbled into it, when I was little I remember staying in my great grandmas house and hearing strange noises during the night and just brushing it off. But as I got older I knew it was haunted and I became more curious. So when my friend Jared got into investigating I was really interested and joined a local team with him.

Curiosity. I remember watching all the ghost shows on T.V., reading ghost stories in books, and hearing ghost tales from others and wondering if it really was real. In order to believe it for myself, I wanted to experience the paranormal myself. So I set out to start looking for answers and soon enough, I found them. Now I’m out to capture undeniable evidence for others that leave no doubt that the paranormal is real. Ever since my first investigation, I’ve been hooked.

JARED - I’m drawn to the paranormal field simply because of curiosity. There is so much to it that is unknown and I have my mind set on revealing its’ existence.
LESLIE:  HOW WOULD THE OTHER TEAM MEMBERS DESCRIBE YOU?
ANNA - Probably as the quiet one who maybe is not as up for everything, but always there and ready to investigate.

JARED - Anxious to investigate, curious of the paranormal, committed to finding proof, and vital to the team.

LOGAN - I think that my other team members would describe me as the person that goes first and isn’t afraid to go to a certain location.
LESLIE:  WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOUR POSITION THAT APPEALS TO YOU MOST?
ANNA - I am the one who makes sure Logan and Jared do not get into any trouble, and I think there always needs to be a person who just can step back to make sure no one is getting in over their head.

JARED - Probably the fact that with every investigation, we might uncover the best proof that the paranormal exists.
LOGAN - Just the paranormal field in general, it doesn’t really matter that much to me my exact position as long as I’m in this field.
LESLIE:  WHAT TYPE OF EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE DURING AN INVESTIGATION?
ANNA - We use Sony Handycams with nightshot for all our visual as well as audio evidence, also microphones for EVP's. We are experimenting with spirit boxes or franks boxes and mel meters.

JARED - We are heavily video dependent. We all love filming and we use this to our advantage. With video, people can see what we see and feel like they are investigating right there with us. It also gives us the visual AND audio evidence. We also use voice recorders to capture EVP (Electron Voice Phenomena) or spirit voices. We’ve also been experimenting with Mel Meters and spirit boxes. These instruments can help validate that spirits are in our presence and communicating with us.

LOGAN - We typically have 2-3 cameras rolling and always at least one digital recorder and if we split up we have walkie talkies. The more equipment, the better.
LESLIE:  WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE YOUR STRENGTHS ARE?
ANNA - I believe that my strength would be not writing everything off as paranormal, I try to keep my mind open so when we find something we know for sure it really paranormal not just a car driving by, or the heater turning on. Also I keep everyone organized make sure all the equipment is working and with us, I organize the files on the computer.

JARED - I’m very self-driven. I will stop at no length to do whatever it takes to help this team grow and provide the evidence for people. I’m also very creative and think out of the box to help keep our episodes and tactics interesting and unique. My leadership also makes me stand out. I make sure things get done and that we are always on the right track.

LOGAN - I think my strength is being comfortable around the paranormal. I’m not the type of guy that’s going to be scared or freak out if I hear a whisper.
LESLIE:  HAVE YOU INVESTIGATED PRIVATE RESIDENCES?
ANNA - Yes I have.

JARED - Yes. Most of these investigations are to help the owners figure out what is going on in their house and answer questions.

LOGAN - Yes, 2 of the 3 investigations I’ve attended have been private.

LESLIE:  HOW DO YOU CONDUCT YOUR INTERVIEWS WITH A CLIENT?
ANNA - We are always very professional and listen to what they are expecting, so if they want this to be a private investigation, we don’t let any footage onto our website and only share our findings with them personally. It is really important to us to make sure the client knows we are professional the trustworthy

JARED - I figure out if there is anything in the past that could be causing paranormal occurrences. Maybe a death took place in the house, or the house is on sacred ground. Then I figure out what they have been experiencing and if they are any explainable reasons for it happening.

LOGAN - We usually just have the sit down in a well lit room and ask them questions about what they have experienced and where.

LESLIE:  WOULD YOU GIVE OUR READERS SOME EXAMPLES OF PLACES YOU HAVE INVESTIGATED?
ANNA - The Occidental Hotel, the Buffalo Bill Museum and the Irma Hotel.

JARED - Buffalo Bill's original hunting lodge, Sunset Elementary School and the Occidental Hotel,

LOGAN - Two private residences in Cody, Wyoming and the Irma Hotel.
LESLIE:  WITH THE SKILLS YOU POSSESS, DID YOU STUDY THIS IN SCHOOL OR GAIN EXPERIENCE THROUGH EMPLOYMENT; OR ARE YOUR SKILLS SELF LEARNED?

ANNA - Many of my skills I believe I learned while Jared and I were with  another group, but of course I think they mainly came with my personality. Questioning and being organized.

JARED - All my skills were self-taught. It’s so important to go out, try something, and fail. I figured out what worked and why. Then I repeated this until I figured out exactly what skills I needed to acquire in order to be a successful, affective paranormal investigator.


LOGAN - All of my skills I have in the paranormal field are self-learned.
LESLIE:  HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INTERESTED IN THE PARANORMAL FIELD?
ANNA - I have always had an interest, the discovery channel ghost tv shows have always been my favorite, but I think my interests have intensified within the last year the most. I am finally old enough to go out and investigate so that really has moved my interests into motion.

JARED - I’ve been interested in the paranormal field for about ten years. I had an encounter with a spirit when I was little and ever since then I’ve been curious. The past couple years though I have become much more serious and started researching and investigating.

LOGAN - I’ve been intrigued by the paranormal ever since I watched Ghost Hunters when I was about 13. Since then I have been amazed about the unexplained facts of the paranormal.
LESLIE:  DO YOU HAVE ANY ROLE MODELS IN THE PARANORMAL FIELD? IF YES, WHO ARE THEY AND WHAT DREW YOU TO THEM AS A ROLE MODEL?
ANNA - I do not know if I have an exact person who is my role model, but the ghost adventures team is definitely played a role in how our team investigates.

JARED - Zak Bagans, from Ghost Adventures. Ghost Adventures was the first ghost show I started watching and Zak stood out right away. He’s fearless, stops at no cost to do what it takes to get evidence, and is a leader. I look up to him and try to gain the same skills to help better myself as an investigator.

LOGAN - Mainly the crews from Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures.
LESLIE:  HAVE YOU EVER HAD PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE PARANORMAL FIELD BEFORE BECOMING A TEAM?
ANNA - I had personal experiences as a child, but before 307paranormal formed Jared and I were a part of another local team. So with that team there were a lot of experiences.

JARED - Yes. Anna, Logan, and myself all had personal experiences before forming. These experiences were actually the leading cause for us to form 307Paranormal. We wanted answers, and we wanted to show others that the paranormal is real and out there.

LOGAN - My house has a fairly interesting history and on an often basis I hear a whisper or a knock. But besides that my personal experiences haven’t been too stunning.
LESLIE:  TO DATE, HOW MANY INVESTIGATIONS HAVE YOU DONE?
ANNA - I have been apart of 7 different investigations so far, but helped with 9 investigations by going through evidence and editing footage into a webisode.

JARED - I have done 12 investigations.

LOGAN - I'm more of the new guy, so I've only done 3 investigations.
LESLIE:  WHAT IS THE FURTHEST DISTANCE YOU HAVE TRAVELED FOR AN INVESTIGATION?
ANNA - I have traveled to Buffalo, Wyoming which is a 3 to 4 hour drive from Cody.

JARED - About 200 miles. Most of our locations are fairly close, about a 20-mile radius. We are beginning to travel further away to cover most of Wyoming and all of its haunted locations.

LOGAN -- So far, all of our investigations have been local. I am currently in the process of  setting up an investigation in Billings, MT; which is about 90 miles from home and I wouldn’t have a problem going that distance. With that in mind I don’t know of a location I wouldn’t travel to for an investigation.
LESLIE: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ACTIVITIES TO DO IN YOUR "OFF-INVESTIGATION" TIME?
ANNA - I live in Cody, Wyoming so it is an awesome place to go outside and be active. I enjoy overnight hiking trips, fishing, and playing tennis. I live on a farm so my family and I are very active in the local 4H club, so for that I raise beef cattle, sew, cook, and photography. So fair is a really big deal.

JARED - I love filming and editing action sport videos. Being from Wyoming, I am very outdoor orientated. I like mountain biking, rock climbing, and snowboarding. I am also into playing drums and the guitar.

LOGAN - During my off-investigation time I’m usually at my job or playing the guitar.
LESLIE:  WHEN DOING AN INVESTIGATION, WHAT TYPE OF EVIDENCE DO YOU LOOK FOR?
ANNA - Our goal as a team is to prove the existence of the paranormal. Of course the first thing we are going to look for is visual evidence because that is what people pick up on, and then of course audio from our voice recorders.

JARED - At the top of the list is visual evidence. Everything is more compelling when the viewer can actually SEE it. An unexplained shadow, a door shutting by itself, or any other activity that can be seen is what we look for. Then we look for the audio evidence. Relevant replies in response to our questions or sounds that back up stories of previous encounters are what we listen for.

LOGAN - There’s nothing in particular that I look for during an investigation. I’m happy if I can get absolutely any piece of evidence.
LESLIE: WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE INVESTIGATION THAT YOU HAVE HAD?
ANNA - I think the most memorable investigation for me would be the Occidental Hotel. There is so much history and personal items in that hotel you can feel the energy around you, It was such a great investigation.
JARED - It would have to be at Buffalo Bill’s original Hunting Lodge right outside of Yellowstone National Park. I was in Buffalo Bill’s room and remember something touching my hand. I say, “Something just touched my hand.” Right after I say this, you hear a voice say, “I’m sorry.” It was a class A EVP. It blew me away. It showed that the spirit could hear me and understand that it had an interaction with me.

LOGAN - The most memorable investigation I’ve had is definitely at the Irma Hotel in Cody, WY. I was in this one room that had an amazing history behind it and some of the reports of paranormal activity were water running, and when I went into the bathroom which had a history of extreme violence, the bath tub faucet went off.
LESLIE: AS A PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIVE TEAM MEMBER, WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU ON AN INVESTIGATION?
ANNA - I think the most important part of an investigation is that our team accomplishes our goal of providing evidence of the paranormal, when possible, in a professional and safe manner.

JARED - How well our team works together, and we always do. Since we all bring something different to the team, it’s essential that we work together and combine our skills to make us an unstoppable force.

LOGAN - It’s important to me as in investigator to capture as much evidence as possible; I don’t want any movement or whisper to go unheard or unseen.
LESLIE:  WHAT TYPE OF EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE TO REVIEW THE EVIDENCE YOU HAVE COLLECTED?
ANNA - We upload all our video into Final Cut Pro and go through every second watching the screen as well as listening to the audio. We also will bring our audio files from the voice recorders onto the computer and into FCP.

JARED - We use editing software called Final Cut Pro to review the visual evidence and to put the episodes together. As far as audio evidence, we’ve been using Audacity but are experimenting with other audio programs.
LOGAN - We have a low budget therefore making our equipment less advanced. I import the footage on my computer from my camera and digital recorder and go through it very thoroughly. Like I said, I don’t want any evidence to go unheard or unseen. So if I capture evidence and don’t see it when I’m reviewing, that’s just embarrassing.
LESLIE:  WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE FROM YOUR GROUP IN THE FUTURE?
ANNA - Big things of course! We are going to keep organizing investigations, gaining new followers, and making our climb to the top. Our new web series entitled, “307 Ghost Chronicles” will be coming out shortly as well, which we are all really looking forward to.

JARED - HUGE THIINGS! We are just getting started and have awesome things coming in the future. We have some incredible locations with crazy history to them coming up and also our new web series, “Wyoming Ghost Chronicles,” will be airing this fall.

LOGAN - You can expect to see our name a lot more in the future. One of my relatives is good friends with the producer of Ghost Hunters International so once we get a little bigger we’ll give him our information and hopefully get a TV show.

LESLIE:  Anna, Jared and Logan, I want to thank you for your time to share with Todaysparanormal.com readers about your group 307Paranormal. I am sure it is safe to say we will all be keeping an eye on your upcoming achievements and works!

If you live in the Cody, Wyoming area and are in need of services, you can reach Anna, Jared and Logan at 307paranormal@gmail.com and be sure to check out their website - 307Paranormal at http://www.wix.com/jmanrocks04/307ghostchronicles