KATRINA WEIDMAN
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BIO: I’ve always had a passion for the supernatural and a desire to seek out the unknown! Growing up in haunted houses will kind of do that to you. As a child, I pored over any information I could find on the paranormal. I was fascinated that there were other houses like mine and wanted to know as much as I could. Ghosts, UFOs, cryptos, you name it, I was fascinated! I’m often asked, “How in the world did you become a paranormal investigator?” Honestly, I feel like it chose me. I wasn’t always a great student. In fact, a third grade teacher told me that I would never amount to anything and that no one would ever hire me. Encouraging words for a young buck to hear, no? I barely graduated high school and had no real ambition to go to college. The words of that teacher stayed with me for years, and I started to believe them after awhile. Fast forward a few years to a trip to The Pennsylvania State University that changed everything! I dropped a friend off at the main campus one summer weekend, and the minute my feet hit the pavement, I had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to be there. Not being the academic type, I decided I had better pay attention to this feeling. The day I got back to my hometown, I signed up for classes at the local community college. It was there that I overcame the harsh words from that teacher long ago. I transferred to Penn State, and during my studies, my passion for the paranormal grew even more. As luck would have it, there was a paranormal club on campus, the world-renown Paranormal Research Society (PRS). I trained with them and later worked as their case manager, interviewing thousands of eyewitnesses to the unknown. This led to the opportunity to co-host A&E’s hit docu-drama “Paranormal State” (2007-2011), which chronicled the work of PRS. I then became the host for Chiller’s “Real Fear: The Truth Behind the Movies,” which explores the real life terror behind some of the world’s most iconic horror films. I also hosted the follow-up special, “Real Fear: The Truth Behind More Movies,” in 2013. Currently, you can catch me on “Paranormal Lockdown” with my friend and colleague, Nick Groff, airing on TLC. “Paranormal Lockdown” follows Nick and me as we investigate and live in some of the world’s most haunted locations for 72 hours! It’s funny to think that if I’d not taken my friend to Penn State on that August day, this journey may have never happened, and the paranormal in my life may have only existed in the books I read (and, you know, my house). I graduated from Penn State with degrees in Integrative Arts and Theatre with a minor in Music Technology. Take that, third grade teacher! Throughout the year, I lecture at paranormal conferences and events where I discuss my experiences in the field. I’m also the co-founder of Atherton Paranormal, a group aimed at furthering the paranormal field and helping those affected by it. In addition to my work in the paranormal, I’m a performer, a producer, and the lead singer of the band AwayFrom30. In my free time, I love karaoke, cooking, reading about true crime, and watching reruns of The Golden Girls. (Seriously, I’m obsessed with that show to unhealthy levels and will probably try to convert you to being a fan too.) I also spend time volunteering as a crisis counselor, which I’ve been doing since 2008. http://www.katrinaweidman.com/ |