We all had a blast that day, learning how Distortions' nightmarish works of art are produced, and getting to meet Ed and his wife Marsha. They're both very friendly people.
At that time, I had yet to watch their television show "Making Monsters" that was airing on the Travel Channel. This was because I didn't know the series existed until a couple of months earlier when Greeley Unexpected began featuring Ed and Marsha on billboards and local commercials.
The third season of Making Monsters was to start shortly after our trip to the warehouse, so I was interested in seeing the premiere. To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure what to expect; I'm not much of a fan of reality television. In fact, if I hadn't just met the show's stars and come away feeling some Greeley pride, I might have not even given it a chance.
Boy, am I glad that I did. I quickly found out it was a well-produced, unique, incredibly entertaining show - one that completely hooked not only me, but my entire family. The Edmunds live in an extremely fascinating world, alongside a colorful cast of dedicated, talented people. I enjoyed learning more about them and their industry.
We liked watching the creative process of taking a general vision defined by a customer, and then designing, producing, and ultimately installing a hair-raising, jaw-dropping spectacle. Witnessing the pride in the Edmunds' eyes and the smiles on their faces as their end-creations evoked screams and shrills from haunted house patrons always made for good TV.
My wife laughed at the quibbling between Ed and Jordu Schell. Jordu is an accomplished Hollywood sculptor whose work has been featured in numerous films. His theatrical personality and comical steadfastness resulted in some genuinely hilarious segments as the two men routinely challenged each other to create the best possible product. Their propensity to pull practical jokes on each other was also a lot of fun to watch.
I was intrigued by the numerous glances into the business-side of an industry driven by artistic expression. When one looks at the imaginative products created by Distortions Unlimited, it's easy to forget that the company is in business to make money. The show explored the relationship between creativity and capitalism. One time it came in the form of a frank discussion about whether or not the artists would do what they do for free. Another time, it was about how the materials and shipping weight for certain products needed to be scaled back for the merchandise to remain profitable.
Highlighting such things might not seem all that notable, but it kind of is - especially in today's culture where the benefits of choices are often recognized but the costs associated with them aren't. In that sense, I think my kids learned a few valuable lessons from the show.
Speaking of kids, Making Monsters was a far more family-friendly show than anyone would have expected, considering that the subject matter included gory creatures and unsettling imagery. There were never any angry tirades or foul language, and no one was ever demeaned the way they are in many shows in the reality genre. Refreshingly, Ed Edmunds even expressed his frustration with the sexualization of the Halloween industry. A strong work ethic was promoted each week, as was a "never give up until it's done" attitude.
For those reasons and more, I was disappointed when Distortions Unlimited posted the below message on their official Facebook page last month:
"Travel Channel has decided not to renew MAKING MONSTERS. It's been wonderful being a part of such an awesome project for the past 3 seasons! We've loved working with everyone at Travel ... and our film crew is absolutely the best!! ... so much fun! Thanks so much to all our customers and to everyone that watches the show ... you guys are the best! Please stay tuned ... we may not be filming MAKING MONSTERS, but Distortions is still making monsters ... forever.
- Ed & Marsha and our super crew (the monsters couldn't happen without you guys!!)"
While I'm used to television shows I like eventually going off the air, this retirement felt a bit more discouraging than the others. This is partially due to the local aspect. The city of Greeley and a group of its fine citizens were highlighted each and every week to a national (probably international) audience. That was pretty neat! My primary beef, however, was that it was simply a great show - one that would have likely become a ratings hit had it only received more mainstream exposure. The fact I live in Greeley and didn't even know about it until its third season was evidence of how poorly promoted it was by the Travel Channel and its conglomerates.
Just when I begrudgingly accepted that all good things must come to an end, I recently learned of a serious movement to get Making Monsters back on the air, either through a return to the Travel Channel or as a new offering on the Syfy Channel. There's a Facebook page that is coordinating both efforts through online petitions.
I have no idea of how likely the endeavor is to succeed, but it seems to me that the good people of Greeley could do a favor for a couple of their distinguished citizens, and for the general viewing public, by jumping on board and simply adding their names to the movement.
We need more quality shows like Making Monsters on television, especially when they're filmed in our own backyard. If you want to help, just check out the Facebook page I mentioned earlier. https://www.facebook.com/LetsGetMakingMonstetsonSyFy.
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