Brandy Green is well known from Syfy’s Ghost Hunters International as the case manager working among cast members Robb Demarest & Joe Chin. From a young age, Brandy had personal experiences in the paranormal, fueling the interest. She began her search hoping to find some answers. She is a local Minnesotan. We were lucky enough to catch up with her between speaking appearances.
• How did you become interested in the paranormal?
As a child, I spent much of my time in South Minneapolis at my maternal grandmother’s home. At that time the house was already well over 100 years old with an interesting history, which doesn’t automatically mean a place is haunted; however, there was certainly some strange activity occurring within the walls of that home. Almost everyone that either lived in or stayed at the house experienced something paranormal. Radios, televisions, lights, and battery operated toys missing batteries would turn on and off with no aid from the living. Full bodied apparitions were seen by two family members, people would hear and feel breathing, movement, shadows, extreme anxiety in certain areas of the home, etc. That house had a little bit of everything and I had my share of odd experiences as a child and in my young adult life. Activity was also encountered at my other grandmother’s home as well. So, needless to say, it was this activity that drew me to paranormal research. With my combined knowledge in psychology, anthropology, and history, I have been researching claims of paranormal activity for years. It only seemed natural that I would end up involved in research such as this.
• You’ve been everywhere in your travels with Ghost Hunters, Int’l. What was your favorite location?
My favorite location would have to be my bed in my house. *haha* I really enjoyed Costa Rica because of the diverse climate. Costa Rica is the size of West Virginia and is the seat of twelve different ecosystems containing extremely diverse wildlife on land, in the sky, and in the water. I enjoyed Poland not because of the country itself but because of the case that we had which was the Wolf’s Lair where the infamous Operation Valkyrie happened. Robb and I had a great time investigating together at the compound, and we walked away with perhaps more questions than answers. It was a pretty awesome location. At the end of the day, I don’t think that I could choose just one spot that I enjoyed the most. Many locations and countries have had their own unique histories and experiences that have stayed with me over the years.
• How do you feel about all of the paranormal shows on television? Do you feel that they give an accurate portrayal of what actually happens in/on an investigation?
It may throw people off when I say this, but I honestly think that the paranormal television craze has hurt the field more than helped it. I think that we can all agree that the fad has brought to light more of a taboo topic; however, no “para-tv” show accurately portrays a real paranormal investigation. These shows cast “investigators” based on looks and whether they are excitable or not. Experience is not a requirement, unfortunately. Every television show, whether paranormal or not, is based on ratings. Poor ratings mean no money for the networks and a sinking show that will end up being cancelled. It’s business. We can see that the “para-tv” fad is dying off, which has been seen before. I know from personal experience that editing can also be incredibly painful to watch on the aired episodes as well as oftentimes detrimental to what Robb and I had fought for the entire time on the show that we were on. We both worked hard every day to keep everything legitimate while we worked for the show and unfortunately, we are both no longer apart of it. I do know that there are many shows out there that are simply being produced for entertainment. Let’s face it; anyone that has actually done a REAL paranormal investigation knows that investigating can be incredibly boring. More times than not, investigating consists of sitting in the dark for eight hours in complete silence. There are just some things that don’t make great television; i.e. REAL paranormal investigating. Thanks to “para-tv”, there are many common misconceptions. Many shows misrepresent footage being presented, create evidence, and because of their lack of real knowledge and understanding of terminology, end up misguiding the viewing audience completely. All I can say is, be smart and don’t think that you will learn everything you need to know from a television show. If you want to be a real investigator, you need to read books, learn about all of the new equipment being used for paranormal research, learn your terminology and then get involved with a local team to gather hands-on experience.
• You made a comment on your Facebook page that you have become more and more of a skeptic throughout your journeys into the paranormal. Why is that?
I was born a natural skeptic. I am an agnostic, I don’t believe in the devil or demonic possession, and I am a student of photography, psychology, and anthropology. Though I’ve had many strange experiences throughout my life, I have never experienced anything that I wasn’t able to find some type of an alternative explanation for. In my domestic and international experience, the majority of paranormal claims turn out to be nothing more than misinterpretation, psychological, or a cry for attention. It’s funny, actually. I was always told, while working for the show that I was on, that I was TOO skeptical. I think healthy skepticism is vital in life and specifically in paranormal research. It is easy to become biased and I take pride in staying incredibly level headed. I also don’t scare easily. A friend of mine who was also a member of a team I had created and used to run prior to working for television, would always say, “The moment you see Brandy run out of an investigation is the day the devil himself shows up!”
• Being a local Minnesotan, do you have a favorite place in the area to investigate? Any location that you’d like to get into and take a look?
I think the common problem anywhere is that there are a lot of supposed haunted locations that turn out to just want to make profits from it all. It can certainly be tough to weed through all of the BS. In terms of locations in Minnesota, I think it would be interesting to get into Glensheen one day. Often times, the places that have legitimate strange activity are the locations that are unknown to the public. They are places that don’t advertise their activity or are private residences. There really is no “favorite” for me.
• What do you have coming up next? What are you looking to pursue in 2011?
There are a lot of new adventures on the horizon for me. I am currently going back to school to get my degree in secondary education specializing in history. I’ll be an extremely full-time student while finishing up a few events and writing my first book, which will hopefully be out mid to late 2011. I have a couple potential television projects in the works that I would have creative control of and am also organizing the second annual PARASOTA event here in Minnesota, which will take place August 12 and 13, 2011. Needless to say, I will be keeping busy.
