Adriana of the Ontario Ghostbusters
Adriana, tell us about you. Who are you? What do you do? Do you have other hobbies?
Hello! My name is Adriana Muñoz and I'm with the Ontario Ghostbusters. During the day I'm a public servant, and my work unit’s all about helping people get employed and the like. In the evenings and weekends I pull double-duty as a mom and writer/editor for both Proton Charging and GBNews. That barely leaves time for any hobbies, but when I can I’ll occasionally draw, bake or take part in Aikido classes.
It took off with the RGB ‘toon before I was even allowed to watch the movies. I was always the strange quiet kid, and from a very early age had a fascination with the paranormal. So imagine how excited I was to see a cartoon that was about a bunch of guys going around bustin' ghosts! Being from a traditional European & Latino family, my parents didn’t quite understand why their little girl wanted to watch something geared to boys, but thankfully, they eventually relented and let me watch. I still can’t quite understand how it was okay for a 6 year old to watch movies like Porky’s & Police Academy, but not Ghostbusters? Bah!
Definitely came to a head in 2010. It all started when there was a week-long marathon of the first movie, like literally, minimum 3 times a day, ALL WEEK. My then 2 year old daughter just became FASCINATED with it and in turn reminded me how much I loved the movies. I then got the chance to meet Dan Aykroyd and his father for a book signing the following month. I became inspired; I knew I needed to get something going for an upcoming con, and this was it! So I started on my ecto-goggles and flight suit, which upon researching online for certain parts got me in touch with an incredibly talented prop builder and group leader of the OGB. And well, the rest is history!
So many great events, but by far my favourite was the official launching of Crystal Head Vodka in Ontario. The memories from that day are still surreal to me; it was such an amazing day! It’s hard to not just go off on everything for that so I’ll just round off the best moments. 1) The sheer look of excitement on the faces of my fellow GBs. The majority of them had never met Dan, so being a witness to that? I’ll never forget it. It was better than Christmas morning. 2) Surprising me with my own proton pack. I’m not normally one to be speechless, but when Colin and Mike presented me with my own pack, I was at a loss. Ok, maybe I uttered a profanity in shock, but the gesture alone left me flabbergasted. I’m pretty sure I treat my pack better than my husband. 3) Meeting Dan in the wee hours of the morning that day. It was just Dan, the CHV crew and I. Having him refer to me as one of his ‘recruits’, still makes me giggle in the most embarrassing way whenever I recall the moment.
Everybody seems to have a different interpretation. To me, a Ghosthead is an intensely dedicated fan to all things Ghostbusters. Do you need to have a fully decked out proton pack and screen accurate flight suit to be one? Not to me. I have met some absolutely dedicated Ghostheads that don’t suit up; it’s just not their ‘thing’. But hey, they just happen to run a site dedicated to everything GB. Or see how much bigger of a RGB toy collection they have compared to you? Face it, we all start as Ghostheads. Those of us that suit up, joined or started up a franchise? We just took it up a few extra notches and went from Ghostheads, to Ghostbusters!
At first they were group of fellow fans getting together to enjoy all things GB and showing others how great it was; it was really nice being around other people that shared a common passion. Then we started doing more charity-related work, and it gave the events more meaning. Somehow in the mix they trusted me to help in coordinating events. And the more events we did, the more I got to know everybody. Now I don’t know what I’d do without them; the dynamic within the group is incredible, and these people are some of the best I have ever met. Man am I ever going to get teased by them after this, I’m not normally the sappy one.
What aren't my plans for 2012?! Our biggest events are on the horizon, and the planning stages are now or never. We have Canada's largest comic-con type convention coming up in August, and the guys have set me up as the main coordinator for that shindig, ack! Before that we have a smaller but just as great in July called Polaris, as well as a couple of more local community type events. Following that is our (and probably every franchise's) busiest month of October. We're looking through requests for our attendance while trying to keep loyal to our main 'haunts' from previous years; either way, I look forward to it!
Events aside, we keep trying to see how we can improve or add to our props, displays; an eventual Ecto, or see what other charities we can dedicate to.
Of course I want to say hi to all the fans in the world! Hello! Bonjour! ¡Hola! Salut! I try to follow as many of you as I can with your FB pages or twitter feeds, just to see how awesome each group is! Thanks to those outlets, I’ve had to chance to talk to a few of you, and even meet a couple here and there; which has made my time as a GB even more amazing; there are so many incredible people involved! The most common thing I see with photos or messages is how everybody is having, or had a great time. This is what it’s all about, keep it fun and keep up the amazing work!
And a HUGE thanks to you Ghostbusters Mania! I swear you’re the most dedicated of us out there, it’s quite inspiring so don’t you dare stop!
 |
| Second cover |
Thanks so much by GBMania! Adrianaaaaa we love you!
Ontario Ghostbusters
- http://www.ontarioghostbusters.ca/
- https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ontario-Ghostbusters/109988565694248
- http://twitter.com/ON_Ghostbusters
