Today we’d like to introduce you to Edyn & Ghoulio “Alcala Studios”.
Hi Edyn & Ghoulio, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We are Alcala Studios LLC, a production company. Our story kind of starts out as a love story. Yes, we are one of those annoying couples who people refer to as a “power couple”. Coming from very different backgrounds, we did not meet in this crazy world until we were both 28. We believe we had to endure a lot of trial and error as individuals before we could see the potential we had together, not just as romantic partners, but as business partners. Before there was an “us”, the two of us explored the creative world individually through filmmaking, music, special effects makeup, painting, photography… you name it! We were creating well before we found each other, but our success did not begin until we started working together.
I (Edyn) was born and raised in Indiana, and Robert (aka Ghoulio) was born and raised in Texas; we both ended up living and working in Los Angeles, California, in our twenties. We were both going through transitional periods in our lives. Personally, I was in a very bad state of mind the day before we met. My boss at the time was aware of how bad off I was and suggested we attend a festival on behalf of the company we worked for. The company had previously turned it down because it did not seem like it would have a worthwhile turnout, but he knew I needed to get out of my apartment and out of my own head. Ghoulio’s band was hired to play at this festival, and on his break, he walked up to the booth I was working, started asking questions about a clown mask on the table, then looked up at me as I answered, only to walk away while I was mid-sentence. These events can attract all sorts of interesting characters, and he was dressed as a gothic clown, so I didn’t think much of it. Later down the road, I was told that he pointed at me for the entirety of the night, asking anyone who would listen, “Isn’t that girl like too pretty?” For years, I thought this was just a line, but many friends have since confirmed it was true. It was a love-at-first-sight situation.
The next day, I saw he had posted on the event’s Facebook page, and since I was trying to get out of my shell, I sent this odd clown a friend request. We quickly discovered we had a ton in common and became really good “friends” because neither wanted to admit that the other was actually “the one”. I’m sure you can imagine how things evolved romantically as we spent more time together. We shared creative ideas as we dated and found that we produced better work when being encouraged by each other. We began traveling and created our very first project together, a short-lived YouTube series called “The Haunted Boozers,” where we explored haunted lore. Only 16 months after meeting, in October 2015, we welcomed our greatest collaborative project of all time, our son, Tober. We are a real-life Addams Family, so naturally, we named him after the best month of the year! He is a big part of our story because he is our muse and the main motivation to continue our creative journey together.
Shortly after Tober’s birth, we each found our own paths in the Dallas professional art world. In 2016, Ghoulio became head of the media department at Dark Hour Haunted House, one of the top ten haunted attractions in the country. Meanwhile, I focused on building an online fanbase, and demand for my handmade masks grew. We supported each other in these areas, helping whenever possible. In 2018, we decided to take our art on the road full-time, building a tiny home and art studio in a retired school bus known as The Ghoulie Skoolie. This was ultimately a financial decision, driven by rising housing costs, and it allowed us to continue producing artwork. Though it was a creative challenge, it gave us the freedom to share our work with more people than we could reach online. We built the Skoolie ourselves (mostly Ghoulio), with a few helping hands. Even when our crowdsourcing goal fell short, we found ways to keep going, and by the fall of 2019, we were living and working in it full-time. During the pandemic, we stayed in a quiet country spot, which gave us time to reevaluate our goals. The timing worked out, as we both experienced severe burnout from meeting the demand for artwork, building the skoolie on a tight budget, and life on the road. Ultimately, the skoolie served its purpose and helped us transition into the traditional home/studio we are now in.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our journey has been shaped by many obstacles—burnout, financial strain, health issues, parenting alone, and unpredictable industries—all of which have led us to moments that have defined our path. Each challenge pushed us forward: from meeting despite our different backgrounds, to our son’s Halloween due date, which reassured us after a surprise pregnancy, to our moves from California to New Orleans to Dallas, where we found a supportive, creative community and workplace. Every difficult choice brings us closer to where we’re meant to be.
Early in Ghoulio’s career, the Hollywood writers’ strike halted his rising trajectory and forced major professional changes. Rather than returning to the traditional industry, he pivoted to independent filmmaking and character-driven content. In this new space, the Ghoulio persona flourished, and he grew a dedicated audience. That detour, though potentially devastating, led to our meeting.
A really big challenge came in late 2019, when burnout hit so hard that we stepped away from art completely. During this time, I was enduring some health challenges due to having multiple autoimmune diseases that were not being treated, and was simultaneously going through a miscarriage while vending at a mask convention. Just weeks after this convention, a customer left my very first negative review online because her masks were delivered the day after she had hoped to receive them. Just for clarification, her masks were delivered 7 weeks after she placed her order during peak demand season, and the listing did state it could take 6-8 weeks for processing. She was not happy with me, regardless. It was just one bad review out of hundreds of good ones, but it broke me because I was literally sacrificing everything, including my health and family, to ensure my work was above and beyond. Almost immediately, we announced an indefinite break to our followers, sold our remaining pieces, and genuinely believed that was the end of that. With some time, I found myself feeling inspired, making small batches of artwork again, and reopened my online store early this year.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Alcala Studios is the parent company that hosts “Edyn Rashae Studios” and “Ghoulio”. It is a multi-faceted production company that blends physical art with cinematic storytelling. On the sculptural side, Edyn Rashae Studios creates high quality masks, props, and creatures inspired by folk tales and vintage Halloween. Though this area is managed by me, both of us are involved in every step of the process. In fact, quite literally, both of us have our hands in the clay sculpting. Our sculptures are in five consignment shops nationwide, hold eight film credits (excluding Ghoulio’s film work), and have been displayed at over a dozen national art exhibitions. One of the things I’m most proud of is a mask we made together for a film with singer of Slipknot, Corey Taylor, in it. The mask was sculpted by Ghoulio, while I molded, casted, and painted it. Slipknot just happens to be one of both our favorite bands, and Slipknot mask replicas were some of the first mask creations made by Ghoulio back when he was in high school, so it was like a full circle moment for us! We even had the opportunity to meet him and have him sign a blank copy of the mask which we now proudly display in our office.
The visual media and music production side of Alcala Studios is managed by Ghoulio and operates under the same name. It focuses on cinematic filmmaking, photography, behind-the-scenes coverage, and music production. Just like with the sculptural side of things, we both have our hands in this process as well. We’ve supported haunted attractions and independent productions throughout the U.S., creating character-driven visuals, interviews, music videos, and promotional media with a strong cinematic style. The resources have not always been abundant, but the results are always mind-blowing.
Today, Alcala Studios is what it is thanks to years of adaptation, resourcefulness, and imaginative teamwork. Everything we create, whether it be props for film projects, or the film projects themselves, comes from our individual backgrounds mixed with our shared persistence. We are living proof that successful crativity only happens if you are flexible enough to grow with it. You have to trust that making scary decisions will lead you down the right path.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to us is our son, Tober. When he was born, parenthood did not change who we were as artists, but he did give us a sense of purpose. He made us want to build a legacy that we could leave behind for him. Every decision we’ve made along our path together is a direct result of Tober’s existence. We have created this magical world full of creative people for him to grow up in! Although this might change as he becomes a teen, he is ecstatic anytime he gets to be a part of the Alcala Studios projects. Having two parents that work creatively together, push each other to greater heights, and are always working on their next BEST thing, is something that will help shape him in a way we can both be proud.
Community and connection are also very important to us. Along the way, we have remained involved in various art communities, showing work through groups like ARTrageous Art Hub, where one of my sculptures earned Best in Show. At the same time, Ghoulio’s cinematic work was being screened at film festivals, earning recognition. His music video for a band we’re both in, Party of Darkness, won “Best Music/Musical” by the Absurd Film Festival. The earlier art shows and makeup competition wins were small but important reminders that our presence in this world was making an impact. And even greater, our presence has more recently begun building its own community. We are proof that creativity works best when it’s done together, not alone. The creative team we work with now is the very best, and their eagerness to work on new projects with us is nothing short of motivational! It’s like a snowball effect. We mentor them, encourage them to pursue their own projects, and their work, in turn, always inspires us even further. Together, we are always looking forward to the next project!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ghoulio.com and edynrashae.wixsite.com/artistedynrashae
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/edynrashae and www.instagram.com/artistghoulio
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/edynrashae and www.facebook.com/ArtistGhoulio
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@artistghoulio
Image Credits
©Ghoulio
