Indiana Ghostbusters – Who U Gonna Call?

Interview By: Tyrone Davis

We saw these guys in downtown Indianapolis and decided to reach out to them for an interview. Meet the “Indiana Ghostbusters”.

For starters, what are your names?
Jonathan Ray, Ross Mckee, Tommy Conway, Kramer Fancher, & Dustin Gardner

How did you guys get started?
Jon: It originally started in 05’ with 3 members: Jon Ray, Dustin Gardner, and Jake Didot. We made our costumes for Star Wars Celebration 3. That is where we met Andrew Beymer and he joined with us. We started going to more and more conventions and everyone loved our costumes. One of my friends that is head of the Arizona Ghostbusters suggested we start to do chartiy work. Andrew called around to all the Haunted Houses in the area one year for Halloween and the only one that would have us out was The Asylum House in Greenwood, IN. Since then, we have become very good friends with the owner and volunteer there every weekend throughout October.

When I first met you all in downtown Indianapolis, you were being heckled by a guy who claimed that basically you all were “too old” for make believe. I also noticed that you grab people’s attention immediately. What is the overall response from people who see you out and about and do you come across many people who have negative things to say about what you do? 

Ross: The overall reaction that we get when we go out is one of interested bewilderment. People are usually positive. People always have to do a double take in order to ensure what they are seeing is true. Once they have figured us out they usually want a picture or just see why we are out. For me, I am the type who will do something no matter what people think and I do what I like. Referring back to the encounter with the guy in question, I know the difference in fantasy and reality and know that what we do is all in just good fun and camaraderie.

What do you do for a living aside from catching ghosts?
Tommy: Currently Going to IUPUI School of informatics New media.
Ross: I am currently Active Duty Army training units deploying overseas.
Kramer: Other than Ghostbusting, I’m an unemployed junior at Whiteland Community High School.
Dustin: I am a teller at a bank.
Jon: I work with Special Needs Kids.

Question for Kramer: What school do you go to, what grade, and what will you be pursuing after High School?
Kramer: I am a Junior at Whiteland High School. I plan on going to college either for Fine Arts or Graphic Design. I may even look into Paranormal Investigation. I’m actually very interested in it.

You guys are involved in a lot of Charity events. What type of events have you done?
Jon: We have participated in such events as the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, Answers for Autism, Run For Ronald (for the Ronald McDonald House) and soon we will entering a walk for Diabetes and Downs Syndrome, due to one of our own members having Diabetes and A family member having Downs Syndrome.

Your uniforms and equipment look like the real thing. What was the process like putting them together?
Dustin: This whole thing has taught me that there is nothing you can’t accomplish when you have time, money and the Internet.
Jon: To make my uniform and props I watched the movie more times than I can count. I talk to other fans of the movies on Gbfans.com to get their opinions and help. My current proton pack is my 4th one that I have built, it has full lights and sound. And the Proton Gun was made for me by a friend, he acquired a Proton Pack made for Ghostbusters 2, but not used in the movie. He made a cast of the gun on it and I have a copy of that.
Tommy: www.studiocreations.com gave me the idea to to make a proton pack. I added some lights made for a model train kit.

I was a big fan of the Ghostbusters growing and up and had a lot of the their toys. Do you think that these types of movies today are better than the ones from the 80’s?
Ross: Definitely not due to the difference between the generation now and ours. The films coming out like, G.I Joe and Transformers are a whole new story line in order to catch the short attention span of kids today. Even the animation is different. It’s all about Japanese Anime and that is what is appealing to kids these days. The current Ninja Turtles cartoon is a testament to that idea. Now, I know G.I referenced some of the comic books in the making but it stilled shattered my childhood memories.

Ghostbusters 1 or 2: Which is better?
Ross: Growing up I said Ghostbusters 2 but as I have become an adult I say the first one because there are subtle comedic lines and references that only adults can catch. I still find myself catching something new each time that I missed.
Jon: Ghostbusters 1 will always be my favorite, because getting the VHS for Christmas when I was 2 is my first memory.

I’ve heard there are talks about a new “Ghostbusters” film being released in the future. How do you feel about that?
Jon: It would appear that all of the original cast is coming back for it plus some new additions, I am excited about it.

If anyone wants to contact you for an event, how do they go about it?
Jon: You can always contact me at indygb84@gmail.com. I am usually the one who sets up our events. You can also contact us on our Indiana Ghostbusters Fan Page on Facebook.

Any last words?
Jon: We at the Indiana Ghostbusters would like to thank Twenty4Seven Magazine for their interest to do a story on us.

Visited 66 times, 1 visit(s) today

About The Author

Twenty4Seven Magazine Twenty4Seven Magazine is a monthly digital and quarterly print publication founded in 2009. Though we cover a little bit of everything, our primary focus is urban entertainment and lifestyle.

Related Posts

Post A Comment For The Creator: Twenty4Seven Magazine