We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dylan Stevens a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dylan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about one of the craziest things you’ve experienced in your journey so far.

In the beginning of 2023, myself, and a few of my friends flew out to California to film at the Winchester Mystery House for our YouTube channel, Haunted Nights. At the end of our trip, we had a rest day worked in so we could catch up on sleep and post a video that evening- but also realized we were staying incredibly close to Alcatraz. Naturally we made the decision to visit, as most of us had never been.

The boat left for Alcatraz around noon, and we couldn’t check into our hotel until 3pm. So we had about 10 bags between the 4 of us on the trip, sitting unattended in our SUV in the middle of San Francisco- which we later learned was the car break-in capital of the US.

We had a great time at Alcatraz- essentially getting a private tour of the hospital wing because everyone left the island due to inclement weather. Hail, thunderstorms, crazy wind- it was something out of a movie. Around 4pm, we left the island with the workers on the last boat off.

As we got back to our car, we noticed two windows had been smashed out, and 7 or 8 of our bags had been taken. Clothes, watches, electronics, military patches, filming equipment, SD cards- pretty much everything was gone. All in all, about $40k worth of items had been stolen- on top of footage from 7 different locations, one of them being the Winchester Mystery House, the entire reason we went to California in the first place.

There was definitely a defeated vibe in the windy, rainy car ride back to the hotel, but a few months later we went back out to film. We only stayed in CA for about 16 hours total though, so we didn’t have the chance to get our stuff stolen again.

Dylan , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Dylan Stevens, and I am a paranormal investigator. I got into investigations at the age of 12, with this May being my 10th year in the field. It combines three subjects I love- history, traveling, & the paranormal, and without ghost hunting I would’ve never had the opportunity to visit so many historic locations around the US & Canada. We only started on YouTube just under 2 years ago, after working with creators Sam & Colby, and having the opportunity to be featured on the Travel Channel’s “Destination Fear” a couple of times.

On top of working with Haunted Nights, I have my own brand, “Ghost Generation”. I made it with the understanding that just a generation or two ago, people could be institutionalized or ostracized for exploring the paranormal and other taboo topics. Today, ghost hunting is prevalent on all forms of media- social media, television, etcetera. I also have a set of core values that I strive to live by to be “Built Different”, available on my website www.ghost-generation.com .

Further- I serve in the Army Reserves as a Sergeant, enlisting my junior year of high school in 2019 and going through basic in the midst of COVID in 2020. I’ve always wanted to be in the service, and the Army Reserves allows me to pursue my civilian career while also serving my country. As of writing, I am attending an NCO Academy.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Growing up, I remember turning to YouTube when times were tough. I used to love watching creators like Markiplier, Pewdiepie, Jacksepticeye, and I aim to have a similar impact. Getting comments saying we have helped individuals through tough times, or furthered their interest/knowledge regarding a topic invigorates me to continue. Sharing my experiences with my audience is also incredibly fun & rewarding.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Consistency and value are huge. Truthfully, I was very fortunate to have been afforded the opportunities I had- but a lot of hard work went into it.

I spent my entire summer prior to basic training shoveling dirt & concrete, tearing down dilapidated ceiling tiles, and boarding up doorways at the abandoned Saratoga County Homestead. I spent an innumerable amount of 10-12 hour days working up at the property preparing it for the Travel Channel to visit, and it led to the opportunities we were afforded. I never imagined I’d be a “content creator”, but it’s been an insanely fun and rewarding ride.

Once you see a spike in interaction or following, you have to ride that wave- consistency, interaction with your audience, and developing a brand presence/personality are huge.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ghost-generation.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snevets_nalyd?igsh=ZXo2MzhlMDZ6MG5n&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanstevens-e4122?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/snevets_nalyd/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/HauntedNightsInvestigations
• Other: https://youtube.com/@snevets_nalyd?si=LSHEY7tGHk1qPxP4 My personal YT Channel