Ed Edmunds 46, president of Distortions Unlimited Corp. in Greeley, Colorado
By Jenny Kee
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Description: Manufacturer of Halloween-themed products ranging from costumes to decorations to life-sized animatronics
Sales: More than $2 million in 2000, with 10 to 15 percent growth projected for 2001
Humble beginnings: In 1978, Edmunds sold his motorcycle for $350 to buy his first drum of latex. "I made a mask just to earn extra money. A local retailer saw it and the next thing I knew, I was making masks for a living."
75% of sales in secondhand and retro clothing shops are for Halloween costumes. SOURCE: The Halloween Association |
Star power: Woody Allen, Michael Jackson and Van Halen are just a few of the celebrities who've snapped up Distortions Unlimited's designs. Some of Edmunds' products will be showcased in the upcoming film Men in Black II. His biggest client is Six Flags Theme Parks, which has asked Edmunds to replicate his popular Brutal Planet haunted house in 16 of its parks nationwide.
Coming attractions: "The holiday is evolving rapidly in some real crazy ways. Right now, we've got plans to use things [in our haunted houses] that attack people on a subliminal, psychological level with subsonic sounds where they won't even know why they're scared."
On competition: "In the beginning, we were the only show in town as far as violent, horrific animatronics. Now numerous companies do it. We'll just forge new ground. We've immersed ourselves in what the rest of the world sees as just one day. We spend every day of the year thinking about it."
Contact Source
- Distortions Unlimited Corp.
152 30th St., Greeley, CO 80631, (970) 351-0100
