Scott Cramton hopes for a deal for The Murder Mystery Company, his theatrical group that hosts murder mystery parties, in Shark Tank episode 1518. Scott was born with a severly cleft palate and had to see a speech therapist for 18 years. When he overheard his speech therapist telling his parents he could do anything except maybe be an actor, he was driven to become one.
Scott plays Detective Ness in the productions which are immersive theater. Customers can hve the theatrical company come to their home or a venue of their choice. Several actors perform and involve the guests in the production. They even provide costumes. Their scripts basically put attendees inside a live game of Clue.
Founded in 2002 in Grand Rapids, the business started small. Now, it’s the largest theatrical company in the United States with locations in 66 cities. A small party will cost you at least $500 to $1,000 and can go higher depending on how big the event is venue, food costs and more. Scott is likely looking for an investor to expand even more.
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Posts about The Murder Mystery Company on Shark Tank Blog
The Murder Mystery Company Shark Tank Recap
A man dressed as a butler enters the Shark Tank holding a silver tray with a cover. He says his name is Jarvis and he’s here to strike a deal on behalf of The Murder Mystery Company. He tries to get another sentence out and begins coughing. All of a sudden, the lights go out and there are screams. When the lights come back on, Jarvis is face down on the floor with a knife in his back. Scott Cramton enters dressed as a detective and says “Oh my goodness, there’s been a murder!” He says he wants more gasps from the Sharks and he says it again; the Sharks gasp louder.
He tells the Sharks they’ll all get the opportunity to solve the crime. First he looks at the suspects (who are the Sharks). First is Lori (Grenier) LaRoux, then Professor Blum, Don (Mark) Cuban, the famous hit-woman Barbara “The Butcher,” and finally Mr. Wonderful. The killer is Mr. Wonderful. The other Sharks start chanting “lock him up!” If this had been a longer production, they would have had time to look at clues like a reciept for a knife paid for with “Royalties.” Another clue is Barbara hearing Mr. Wonderful say “the butler is dead to me.”
The Pitch
At this point, Scott stops acting and starts pitching. He introduces himself and says he’s the owner of The Murder Mystery Company. He’s seeking $350,000 for 5% of his company. He says what the Sharks saw is just a small piece of what they do every day. The Murder Mystery Company is the nation’s leader in private, immersive experiences. You don’t just watch it, you’re a part of it. Their immersive experiences allow them to do things as small as grandma’s birthday party all the way up to big corporate events.
They send a professionally trained “immersioneer” to you with everythhing you need to make the mystery happen and you’ll throw a party everyone will be dying to attend. He asks the Sharks “which one of you is going to be guilty of passing on the opportunity of a lifetime and which one is going to walk away with a killer deal?”
Q&A
Kevin wants to know about the business: where does he sell it, how does he acquire customers, where are they doing it etc. Scott says they are strategically located in 23 different cities. The company has existed for 20 years but more seriously since 2017. They have 2000 part time “immersioneers.” Since 2017, they’ve done just under $50 million in sales. Last year they did $7 million and kept $800,000. This year (2023) they’ll definitely clear $10 million and they should keep $2 million unless they choose to re-invest it.
Kevin wants to know why he needs a Shark. He needs to be back doing more public shows and he doesn’t want to waste 10 years knocking on doors. He wants a Shark who won’t be knocking on the front door, he wants a Shark who will go to the top. In 2019, they did 1219 individual public shows. After Covid, those partnerships disappeared. It took Scott 10 years to build those partnerships. Since Covid, they focussed on strictly private venues.
Some Numbers and Offers
They have private shows as low as $499 to $2000 and larger shows can be $5000-$10,000. Shows are around 2 hours, 2.5 in a dinner setting. Scott says the fact that he’s up here pitching this is an absolute miracle. He tells the Sharks the story about his struggles with a cleft palate as a kid. He says immersive theater is about the power of participating. People leave feeling special.
Jason says his business is amazing. He thinks there’s a lot of crossover for people who like to go to horror movies and those who like immersive entertainment. Jason thinks he’s be a great strategic partner and he offers $350,000 for 10%. Scott asks if he can counter. Mark cautions Scott on countering and Scott says he was going to counter with a happy dance. Scott accepts Jason’s offer.
The Murder Mystery Company Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. It looks like this deal closed. A few days after the original air date, Blum told The Hollywood Reporter “Scott Cramton has built up a tremendous business in The Murder Mystery Company and American Immersion Theater. His dedication to bringing guests not just a show but a bespoke, thrilling narrative is an exciting concept to our ambition in immersive experiences of all kind. We look forward to collaborating with Scott and his team of Immersioneers.”
In the same article Cramton said “All of American Immersion Theater could not be more thrilled to team with Blumhouse! It’s a dream come true to be able to work together to change the landscape of Immersive Experiences. My hope is that we can galvanize people’s interest in immersive experiences on a global scale.”
On the Murder Mystery Company website, company COO Shelby Stremus had this to say: “Remember us airing on ABC’s Shark Tank? That was only 3 months ago, but so much has expanded within the company already. Scott signed a deal with Jason Blum for 5% of The Murder Mystery Co. From the start, Jason and Scott began working on opening ticketed shows in the United States. The Murder Mystery Co. has now opened 25 venues across the nation and sold out over 30 shows. American Immersion Theater would like to thank ABC’s Shark Tank, Jason Blum, and all of the directors and immersioneers with AIT. We really couldn’t have done it all without you.”
The Shark Tank Blog will follow-up on The Murder Mystery Company & Scott Cramton as more details become available.
