Ghostbusters North

What Ghostbusters North does

Ghostbusters North is a non-profit charitable cosplay organization founded in 2015 in Northern Minnesota, operating as an officially licensed franchise chapter of Ghost Corps — the production company founded by Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman. The organization deploys Ghostbusters-branded costumes, props, and vehicles at community events including parades, birthday parties, charity functions, and fan conventions. Core physical assets include full flight suits, proton pack replicas with lights and sounds, P.K.E. meters, the ECTO-6 vehicle (a 2015 Ford Flex with custom livery by Statt Wraps and third-row seating for 8 passengers), and a 14-foot inflatable Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The group is staffed by approximately 5 core volunteer members and serves communities across the Iron Range, Twin Ports, and broader Northern Minnesota.

Following founder Adam Nori's daughter Harper being born with congenital heart defects in 2016, the group adopted Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Upper Midwest as its sole charitable beneficiary. Ghostbusters North operates on a donation-based model: event organizers and attendees are asked to make donations directly to RMHC instead of paying appearance fees. All funds collected — including event donations, the semi-annual "Fill the ECTO" supply drive, and merchandise sales through TeePublic — flow directly to the charity. The organization has historically raised approximately $800–$1,000 per year for RMHC.

In 2023, Ghostbusters North expanded its scope by launching "Heroes North," a superhero cosplay sub-brand partnered with Minnesota Superheroes United, and acquired the ECTO-6 vehicle to increase operational capacity. The organization also maintains a promotional partnership with Sony Pictures, hosting a green carpet premiere for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire in Hibbing in March 2024 and participating in Ghostbusters Day 2024 (the film's 40th anniversary). Marketing is conducted primarily through organic social media (Facebook, Instagram), the organization's website, local news coverage, and word-of-mouth. In April 2024, the organization lost over 3,000 Facebook connections when its page was unpublished by Meta under community standards, requiring rebuild of its social audience.

Name

Ghostbusters North

Legal name

Ghostbusters North

Website

https://ghostbustersnorth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ghostbusters North is a non-profit charitable cosplay organization founded in 2015 in Northern Minnesota that provides Ghostbusters-themed costume appearances at community events while directing all donations to Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Upper Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Entertainment Services

NAICS

All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (71399)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Parades, Carnivals & Street Fairs (MPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Seasonal & Special-Event Parks (Halloween/Christmas, Pop-Up Experiences) (THAJAEAH)

Keywords

• Charity cosplay appearances
• Themed entertainment services
• Community event entertainment
• Charity fundraising events
• Costumed character appearances

Headquarters

HQ city

Northern Minnesota / Iron Range

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Appearance Donations: Ghostbusters North is hired for events; instead of payment, attendees/organizers make donations to the Ronald McDonald House of the Upper Midwest. All funds collected go directly to the charity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ghostbusters North provides Ghostbusters-themed cosplay entertainment appearances at community events, parades, birthday parties, conventions, and fundraisers across Northern Minnesota and the upper Midwest. The organization raises donations for Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Upper Midwest through its appearance fees and the Fill the ECTO donation drive, operating as a licensed franchise of GhostCorps since its founding in 2015.

Product overview

Ghostbusters North is a community charity organization operating as an official Ghostbusters franchise under Ghost Corps, founded in 2015 in Northern Minnesota. The organization does not offer a technology product; instead, it provides experiential services centered around Ghostbusters-themed cosplay appearances and charitable fundraising. Its core offerings include professional appearance services at community events (parades, birthday parties, conventions), the Fill the ECTO donation drive program for the Ronald McDonald House, and a side project called Heroes North for superhero cosplay. Supporting offerings include trading cards, downloadable coloring/activity pages, and merchandise through TeePublic. The organization serves communities across the Upper Midwest, primarily in Minnesota, with a mission of bringing joy to children while raising funds and awareness for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Upper Midwest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heroes North: A side project launched in 2023 for superhero costume appearances that benefits the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Upper Midwest, partnering with groups like Minnesota Superheroes United for events.

Products and services

• Ghostbusters North Cosplay Appearance Services
• Heroes North
• Fill the ECTO Donation Drive
• Ghostbusters North Merchandise

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mann's Cinema 8 HibbingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2024Local movie theater partnered with Ghostbusters North to host the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire green carpet premiere event in Hibbing.
• Minnesota Superheroes UnitedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership for Heroes North, a side project of Ghostbusters North focused on superhero costuming. Both groups share the same mission of benefiting children through costumed appearances at fundraisers and events.
• Ghostbusters Medi-CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Other Ghostbusters franchise group that partnered with Ghostbusters North on the "Coffee? Yes Have Some!" donation drive in 2018, raising over 3,000 cups of coffee for RMHC.
• Ghost CorpscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerGhost Corps is the official production company founded by Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman that licenses the Ghostbusters franchise. Ghostbusters North is an authorized franchisee allowed to use the Ghostbusters name, insignia, and intellectual property for charitable appearances.
• Sony PicturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides promotional materials including posters for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and other films. Ghostbusters North distributes these at events and premieres.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Upper MidwestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary charitable beneficiary of all Ghostbusters North fundraising efforts. The organization provides housing and support for families with children undergoing medical treatment. Ghostbusters North raises funds and collects supplies for RMHC-UM.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The 501st Legion: Well-established global Star Wars costuming charity organization. Larger and broader in scope than Ghostbusters North, but highly comparable volunteer-driven charity-cosplay model serving community events for fundraising purposes.
• Rebel Legion: Global Star Wars-themed charity costuming organization, sister group to the 501st. Comparable volunteer-driven, event-appearance, charity-fundraising model — though operating at much greater scale than Ghostbusters North.

Direct peers

• Ghostbusters New England: Licensed Ghost Corps franchise chapter operating across New England. Closely comparable peer with similar community-event and convention-based appearance offerings.
• The Connecticut Ghostbusters: Another Ghost Corps licensed franchise chapter focused on community appearances and charity work. Directly comparable in mission, IP rights, and event-driven operating model.
• Ghostbusters of the Western Reserve: Another officially licensed Ghost Corps franchise chapter operating in Ohio. Most directly comparable peer — same licensing model, same costumed appearance service, same community-event focus, different geography.
• Ghostbusters Medi-Corps: Past co-collaborator on the 2018 Coffee? Yes Have Some! donation drive for RMHC. Another Ghost Corps franchise with comparable charitable mission and cross-franchise partnership activity.
• Minnesota Superheroes United: Direct partner on the Heroes North sub-brand. Charitable superhero costuming organization sharing the same mission, geographic region, and Ronald McDonald House beneficiary — making it both a peer and a collaborator.
• Big Apple Ghostbusters: Officially licensed Ghost Corps franchise serving the New York City metro area. Same franchise structure and appearance-based service model as Ghostbusters North, but at a much larger urban scale.

Regional players

• Ghostbusters of Wisconsin: Ghost Corps franchise chapter serving Wisconsin. Operates the same licensed charity-cosplay model in a neighboring Midwest region — adjacent rather than directly overlapping Ghostbusters North's territory.

Emerging players

• Heroes for Heroes: Charitable costumed-appearance organization serving veteran and first-responder causes. Comparable operating model (volunteer cosplay appearances at fundraisers) but different beneficiary and IP focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/ghostbustersnorth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ghostbusters-north

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ghostbusters North