All language subtitles for Shark.Tank.S15E05.720p.WEB.h264-EDITH_Legendas01.ENG

Narrator: Tonight,
it's Sharkoween in the Tank,

and scarier than ever.
[ Wolf howls ]

And Jason Blum,
the King of Horror

and the founder of game-changing
production company Blumhouse,

joins the Tank.

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 Tank.

It's going to get scarier.

-Ooh! I'm excited.
-Oh, boy.

I love it!
I love it.

♪♪

Narrator: First in the Tank
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
12 amazing activities,

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 100%
of your business now?

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 Tank"
for a long time.

It's an incredibly
important show

because I think people
almost watch "Shark Tank"

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 Tank"
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 Tank" 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 Tank" 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 weapon 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%, 90% of our sales

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 guns, Annie.
Stick to your guns.

15% is too much.
I've been --

I'm gonna stick
with my guns, 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.

12 is so high.
In the 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 Tank 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.

149 million people
are expected

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 Tank
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 2008
in Milwaukee,

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?

2022,
we moved to $546,000.

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 Tank.

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 Tank" gear,

or a visit to
the "Shark Tank" set.

Go to ABC.com/sharktank
for more details.

Winners will be contacted
on Instagram.

We can only contact followers

of "Shark Tank"'s
official Instagram.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪