Interview With Dana Workman

We had a chat with paranormal investigator Dana Workman from SyFy new show "Haunting Highways" we talk ghost, gadgets and more.

 OtakusandGeeks.com:  What inspired you to get into paranormal investigating?  How did you get involved with the show? 

Dana Workman:   I've always been interested in the paranormal ever since I was little.  I was obsessed with the “X-Files” (obsessed is probably understatement), and I just loved any movies surrounding the topic.  Any type of unexplained phenomena absolutely fascinates me, but on the other end - it does so because there's a huge element of fear, the unknown.  So when the opportunity came about to do the show, it was a no brainer for me.


OtakusandGeeks.com:  Can you tell us about some of the cases you encounter on the show?

Dana Workman: It's interesting, because each of the towns we went to all had a history.  There's a story that originated in these places, and one of the witnesses we interviewed truly believes, now whether that story grew legs, I don't know, ha!  But I definitely think there’s an element of truth in all of these areas.  For instance, Skin Walker Ranch is a place in Utah that was once home to a family who fled the property because of all the unexplained phenomena they experienced. So much so, that the National Institute of Discovery Science bought the ranch to study and carry out their own investigations there.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg with this place.   

OtakusandGeeks.com:  Can you tell us about some of the cool gadgets that you use on the show?

Dana Workman:  We got the opportunity to use some very high tech equipment, I believe one of the more expensive pieces was the flir camera.  This picked up heat signatures- anything from a mouse, to a four legged mammal or sea creature - this thing came in handy quite a few times!  The least fashionable of them all though was definitely the parabolic mic, haha.  It's looks like a large satellite dish that you hold out in front of you, and amplifies the faintest of noises from far distances.

OtakusandGeeks.com:  On the show your encounters are face to face. Was there ever a time when you just had to bail due to danger?

Dana Workman: There were definitely times I repeated "this isn’t a good idea" -  the dangers alone of being outdoors in the middle of the night were scary enough.  From animals, to weather, nature did not spare us at all, that’s for sure.  I had rogue waves coming into my boat during the Bear Lake Beast episode.  The craziest wind storm kicked up out of absolutely nowhere, I've never seen anything like that. But aside from nature, we experienced unexplained things that just fueled our adrenaline to keep going ironically enough - don't ask me how! I look back now, and can't believe we experienced some of the things we did.

 OtakusandGeeks.com:  “Haunting Highways” takes place in various locations, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Arkansas and Louisiana. Which state had the most disturbing encounter?

Dana Workman: I think Utah was the most interesting.  There were a lot of little things that added up to being..."weird.” There was one particular instance that stands out in my mind. It was something Jack actually experienced, and he doesn’t get spooked easily at all, so if ears perk up at all,  I KNEW something was up.  He kept hearing a weird “scraping noise” while filming that apparently was growing increasingly closer. We were standing on top of a ridge overlooking a valley at night, and he kept stopping to try and look to see if he could see something. We never figured out what it was, but it was enough to spook me out of there as fast as my little legs could run!

OtakusandGeeks.com:  Aside from dealing with the ghouls and ghost. What else are you working on?

Dana Workman: I’m working on creating and producing a show in the same field - I really do love the paranormal, and unexplained phenomena, so I'm sticking to this genre for now. But I've got my hand in a few different things ;).

OtakusandGeeks.com:  Now comes the part where the readers ask some questions. Dan2k12 asked: If you can choose any place in the world to investigate the paranormal, what place would you choose?

Dana Workman: Since the show aired, we get tons of fan mail suggesting places, and it seems every plausible investigation I look into just tops the next in terms of my interest! For me personally, I love anything with a strong history behind it, from eye witness accounts, to the legend itself, and current sightings- you can't go wrong with a case like that. I've got a growing stock pile -  I'm lucky because Skin Walker Ranch was actually one of the places I have always wanted to check out, and we actually got the opportunity to go.

OtakusandGeeks.com:  Cynthia asked: I always wanted to do some paranormal investigating around my area in Ohio. Is there any tips you can give on how to go about this?

Dana Workman:  Research!! Talk to people, and find out anything and everything. It’s important to be an open minded skeptic and try to debunk anything that has a plausible explanation. Also...patience. Lots and lots of patience!

 OtakusandGeeks.com: Finally Dana you have the floor, anyway for your fans to follow you, anything you want to plug and your words of wisdom.

Dana Workman:  Yes of course!  Twitter @danaworkman  and facebook.com/DanaWorkmanOfficial   -  I try to keep my posts interesting, with pictures, and I love sharing stories in the area of the paranormal, UFO's etc.