Zak Bagans
| Zak Bagans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Zachary Alexander Bagans April 5, 1977 Washington D.C. |
| Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Occupation | Paranormal investigator, television personality, author |
Zachary Alexander "Zak" Bagans (born April 5, 1977) is an American paranormal investigator, actor, television personality, and author. He is the principal host of the Travel Channel series, Ghost Adventures.
Early life
Bagans was born on April 5, 1977, in Washington, D.C.[1] He graduated Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, in 1995.[2][3] Bagans attended the Motion Picture Institute in Michigan.[4] Following graduation from MPI, he moved to Las Vegas, aspiring to film documentaries. After arriving in Las Vegas, he found work as a wedding disc jockey.[5] A former skeptic, Bagans says that his passion for investigating the paranormal resulted from what he describes as "a face-to-face encounter with the spirit of a suicidal woman", in his former apartment building in Trenton, Michigan.
Ghost Adventures
In 2004, Bagans teamed up with Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin to produce a documentary-style film called Ghost Adventures. Nearly four years after the first season and the first episode aired in the U.S., where the crew stayed the night in the allegedly haunted Bobby Mackey's Music World and Bagans claimed to receive several mysterious scratch marks to his back, the series is now in its eleventh season.
Bagans has been criticized by some paranormal enthusiasts for the aggressive and confrontational methods he uses during investigations. In a June 2009 interview with Paranormal Underground magazine, he responded, "I don't want the public perceiving us as the taunting, provocative ghost hunters. We do that only to the bad spirits who we know are attacking the living."[6]
Other work
In 2011, Bagans hosted Paranormal Challenge, a concurrent spin-off program also on the Travel Channel, which also starred radio talk show host and paranormal personality Dave Schrader. In 2011, Zak Bagans narrated and hosted a Travel Channel special called "Ultimate Travel: Legends of the Park," a show about America's National Parks and how they are haunted.[7]
Bagans co-wrote a book with author Kelly Crigger titled Dark World: Into the Shadows with the Lead Investigator of the Ghost Adventures Crew (Victory Belt, 2011). On September 23, 2011, the book debuted on The New York Times Best Seller list at No. 18.[8]
In 2012, Bagans appeared in two music collaborations with Lords of Acid on the song "Paranormal Energy" and on an album called Necrofusion with Praga Khan.[9] Bagans produced Paranormal Paparazzi, a reality show that premiered on September 28, 2012, but starred entertainment pundit Aaron Sagers.[10] In March 2014, Bagans announced a spin-off series titled Ghost Adventures Aftershocks, which premiered in April 2014. It focuses on the life changes of people affected at haunted places before and after the Ghost Adventures Crew's visit to some locations.
On April 2, 2016, Bagans premiered his new show on the Travel Channel "Deadly Possessions" featuring his museum located in Las Vegas, Nevada.[11]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Ghost Adventures | Himself | Documentary |
| TBD | The Demon House | Himself | Post Production (Documentary) |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–present | Ghost Adventures | Himself | |
| 2011 | Paranormal Challenge | Himself | |
| 2012 | Paranormal Paparazzi | Himself | |
| 2012 | Nightline | Himself | |
| 2014–present | Ghost Adventures: Aftershocks | Himself | |
| 2015 | The Late Late Show with James Corden | Himself | |
| 2015 | Today | Himself | |
| 2016–present | Deadly Possessions | Himself |
References
- ↑ Bagans, Zak. "About Zak Bagans - Host of Paranormal Challenge and Ghost Adventures Crew | Zak Bagans - Official Site". Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ↑ Bagans on classfinders.com
- ↑ "Excalibur Nightclub" Season 7 Episode September 2–21, 2012 Travel Channel
- ↑ "Ghost Adventurers Zak Bagans Salutes MPI for Igniting His Career". Motion Picture Institute. June 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ↑ Bagans, Zak. "Zak Bagans Official Website". Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ↑ Mannen, Scott. "Fear No Evil".
- ↑ Bagans, Zak. "Zak Bagans Official Website". Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer. "Print & E-Books". The New York Times.
- ↑ "host of "Ghost Adventures" and "Paranormal Challenge" on the Travel Channel. Author of Dark World". Zak Bagans. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
- ↑ "Zak Bagans (@Zak_Bagans) on Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
- ↑ "Deadly Possessions on Travel Channel".