07 Oct Chilling Tales for Dark Nights – An Urgent Message to Our Listeners and Supporters

Friends, fans, and family of Chilling Tales for Dark Nights,

First and foremost — thank you.

Your generosity over the past year quite literally kept this company alive. When we faced serious financial shortfalls beginning in late 2024, your kindness helped us keep our small team paid, the lights on, and the stories coming. Because of you, we made it through another year that might otherwise have been our last.

It’s humbling — and honestly, deeply embarrassing — to come before you once again to ask for help. If I had any other option, I would never do this. But I’ve reached a point where, without your support, both I and Chilling Tales for Dark Nights may not survive what comes next.

For the past four years, I’ve been caught in a grueling and emotionally exhausting divorce process — one that began in 2021 after discovering my ex-wife’s infidelity, and which eventually became a drawn-out, bitter custody dispute. After years of fighting, I was awarded joint custody and 50/50 placement of my children, something I am incredibly grateful for. But the financial toll has been devastating.

I’ve done everything I can to stay afloat: cutting every unnecessary expense, taking on additional work within the company, and even becoming a firefighter to support my family and keep the business running. The fundraisers we’ve held before were only to offset the sharp drop in advertising revenue — never to address my personal situation — but those losses compounded an already difficult reality.

Unfortunately, things have now reached a breaking point.

As part of the divorce settlement, the court ruled that Chilling Entertainment — the parent company behind Chilling Tales for Dark Nights and our related shows — was marital property. My ex-wife’s accountant placed the company’s value at $240,000, despite the fact that it has no tangible assets and that its worth exists almost entirely in my creative leadership and goodwill. My own valuation came in much lower, but the court sided with hers and ordered me to pay her half — $120,000 — within 90 days.

I sold my home and gave every cent of the proceeds to my ex-wife, but I still came up $50,000 short. Since then, I’ve relied on business credit and deferred personal payments to keep the company alive and my staff supported.

Now, because I have been unable to pay the full amount, my ex has filed a motion to have me held in civil contempt of court. A hearing has been scheduled for November.

If the court finds me in contempt, the potential punishments could range from additional financial penalties or the application of interest — which would only worsen an already impossible debt — to, in the worst case, jail time.

I maintain, truthfully and unequivocally, that I do not have the funds available to cover such an exorbitant sum out of pocket. Without substantial assistance, I will not be able to pay it. I fear the consequences should a judge interpret my legitimate inability to pay as willful disobedience of the court’s order.

I’ve always tried to shoulder my burdens privately and quietly, but I no longer have that luxury. If I cannot resolve this, both I and Chilling Tales for Dark Nights — a project that’s been my life’s work for over a decade — could face ruin.

If you’re able and willing to help, donations of any size can be made securely at:
https://helpchilling.org

Every contribution, no matter how small, will go directly toward resolving this crisis — toward paying what remains of this debt, protecting Chilling Tales for Dark Nights from collapse, and allowing us to continue creating the stories that bring so many of us together.

To everyone who’s supported us before — you have my deepest and most sincere gratitude. You’ve carried us through the impossible before, and I believe, with your help again, we can make it through this too.

With humility, hope, and my heartfelt thanks,
Craig Groshek
and the Chilling Tales for Dark Nights Family