Actress Carrie Genzel has a long history of exploring the paranormal and supernatural realms. When she moved to Macon this past summer, pitching the idea of telling Macon’s supernatural stories felt right.
This past October, Visit Macon teamed up with Genzel to produce chilling stories from Macon’s past.
According to Visit Macon, the month-long series explores Macon’s most well-known places and delves into the hidden stories that lie within them. Genzel serves as the host of the Macon Beyond series, guiding viewers through the lesser-known tales of different energies and spirits trying to communicate.
The series highlights various parts of Macon and its surrounding community. The Macon community serves as the foundation for these stories, as Genzel believes they can unite those within them.
“I think that in this community there’s such a mix of a diverse mix of people, and every one of us is important to the fabric of this community, “Genzel said. “Just as we are today, we’re also an integral part of the community during different times and different timelines. I think it’s important to continue to tell those stories and remember those people.”
To tell these stories she knew that a visual project would allow her to share with viewers the supernatural realm that lies within Macon.
Genzel is not the only player in this production; her team plays a crucial role in bringing these narratives to life. In each episode, Genzel collaborates with close friends Morrighan Lynne, a psychic empath, and Jonathan Morgan, a paranormal investigator who helps interact with and capture these spirits and energies. As a psychic empath, Lynne can communicate and connect with these spirits, adding significance to their experiences.
To uncover these stories, Genzel and her team conduct research on the history and ghostly activities at each location. Interacting with these paranormal energies requires natural occurrences. During filming, the only scripted parts are the intro and outro.
“We have no idea what’s really going to happen, and there’s a lot of excitement about the discovery of who might come forward or what might validate those stories or take us in a different direction that we weren’t even considering,” Genzel said.
To maintain authenticity, she said little to nothing is known about the stories of the locations they are visiting.
“Morgan, in particular, who is the psychic empath, never wants to know anything before she visits a location. The only information she receives is the street name and the numbers of the address,” Genzel said.
For each episode, Morgan sometimes connects with spiritual energies before even arriving at the site.
“It’s pretty wild because she doesn’t have to be physically present to connect with what’s there; they reach out to her. Often, she will arrive at a location and say, ‘I already have a male contact’ or ‘I have a female contacting me,” Genzel said.
Everything recorded during the video series is live, including when Morgan receives messages from beyond to share with Genzel and the crew.
Telling the stories is one of the main goals of Genzel and the crew as they believe it is important to be able to not forget those who have contacted them during the episodes.
“With all the new and exciting things that we’re doing, we shouldn’t forget the past. We shouldn’t forget those people who were big figures in our city or maybe even just regular people. We don’t want to forget them either,” Genzel said.
For example, The Big House Museum is the site of one hidden tale but it’s not tied to how the home was a gathering place for The Allman Brothers Band, roadies, friends, and family.
“There are spirits here that feel like they’re being overlooked and so there’s a layer of panic,” Lynne said in the episode title “Macon Beyond: Exploring the Awe-Inspiring Big House in Macon, Georgia.”
One of these spirits is that of a little girl who lived in the home before The Allman Brothers Band. According to Lynne, this young girl, who was the victim of abuse by her father with her mother’s knowledge, shares a psychic and empathic connection that resonates through the house.
Genzel and her crew hope the community gains news insights from this video series.
“There are so many stories to tell in Macon, Georgia, and so much history to explore. It’s easy to get caught up in our busy lives and drive by those beautiful homes or locations every day and you don’t think about it,” Genzel said. “My hope with this series is that people at least slow down, and learn something.”
To watch the series, you can find the videos on the Visit Macon Website here or on the VisitMacon Instagram.
