Gossip and Rumours

Despite being a journalist for a couple of amusement industry publications it can often be difficult to get definite facts and figures from the parks to include in articles, especially for new rides. More often than not I pick up on a tit bit of a rumour from someone and then have to plug away at the parks and manufacturers to try and get some form of a confirmation. You can't blame the parks for wanting to keep their big new attraction a secret, you don't want to invest millions only for someone else to find out and come and out do you at the last minute. Of course the manufacturers themselves have to keep tight lipped they are locked into a confidentiality clause and can't jeopardise future contracts by letting slip what's coming next.

When writing articles you often want to be the first to break a story, and luckily I have done this on a few occasions, but there is a fine line between publishing what is fact and what is speculation. I have a very good relationship with several parks who always help me. It's a two way streak as those that help me naturally get the extra publicity. Over the years of working in the media I've developed a bit of a reputation and several producers and reporters call me when they want information or advice regarding the amusement industry. Naturally when they want somewhere to film I always suggest the parks that have been helpful to me. Not just to get them more coverage as a thank you but also because I know they're easy to work with.

One park I get on very well with is Drayton Manor They have a fantastic PR company who are quick and helpful to get information. As a result over the past 5 years I've been involved with several programs and news features filmed there. Not to mention that the park itself has a fantastic collection of rides and attractions. Some very unique like Shockwave and G Force which go to making Drayton Manor one of my favourite parks in the UK.

When it comes to rumours the web is fantastic. I usually read a rumour then dig around my contacts to try and confirm or deny the rumour. There are several very good rumour sites and Screamscape is one of the best. Lance Hart is the owner of the site and we often share information when and where we can. Like me he has established a good collection of sources and neither of us do anything to risk jeopardising those relationships.

When writing about the amusement industry it's often a case of joining the dots, you pick up pieces of the jigsaw from several sources and hopefully 2 and 2 equals 4. But sometimes you get over excited and end up with 5.