Local celebrity: Shaun Burris

(Credit: Michelle Pemberton / Metromix)

Claims to fame: Co-host of new A&E show “Extreme Paranormal" (airing Oct. 19 and 26), provoker of spirits, lover of Bazbeaux pizza

In 15 words or fewer, I want the world to know:
Don’t ever stop believing in yourself. And sometimes, even in the cornfields of Indiana, dreams really can come true.

What was your first paranormal experience?
I was between the ages of 6 and 15, living in a haunted home on the Southside of Indianapolis. My mother and father told me that a woman had hung herself in the attic. I remember waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs from the attic. The sound would stop at the end of the staircase, and the voices would start coming out of the darkness, but no one was there...

What’s your most memorable paranormal experience?
The one that stands out the most was a haunting here in Indy. While I was sitting at the dining room table interviewing the client, a vase started shaking on the table. When I asked her who she believed haunted her home, the vase came up off the table and smashed against the wall, just missing my head by inches.

You and your co-hosts, Nathan and Jason, are described as “irreverent” paranormal investigators who provoke spirits. How does one provoke a spirit?
Asking about the entity’s life, talking about things that would trigger emotion, and/or trying to get a name or information that would help a researcher find out who, what and/or why the spirit haunts the location. Some say that using provocation is wrong, but I believe that if it’s done as part of a method to document activity, then it should be done.

What one place in the world do you really want to investigate?
One of the most haunted places in our nation: the White House. That place is filled with ghost stories of every kind, and some of the greatest leaders of our country have experienced them. I would love to get my shot at them.

If you were headed to jail for life, what’s the last meal you’d eat in this town?
The biggest pepperoni pizza that Bazbeaux (on Mass Ave.) has to offer. Or maybe a big steak with lobster and baked potato from St. Elmo’s.

Indianapolis: Love it or leave it?
Sometimes I think I would like to leave, but with the amazing seasonal changes, and all my loved ones here, I know I never will. This city is a magical place sometimes — one of great history and great haunts.

SEE THE SHOW: A&E will air initial episodes of “Extreme Paranormal,” hosted by Shaun Burris, Nathan Schoonover and Jason Gowin, on Oct. 19 and 26. “I guarantee this show will be different from the others out there,” Burris says, “and trust me when I say that we will bring back the American ghost story with ‘Extreme Paranormal.’.” The three also have a radio show at 10 p.m. Sundays on www.ghostanddemon.com.