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Murder, He Wrote David Landau's Murder To Go is making a killing at the box office.

By Amy Carroll Kierce

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

While working as an electrician for the TV series"Nurse," David Landau got a brainstorm. One day, during aheavy filming schedule, a group of businessmen followed the camerasaround, fascinated by every aspect of the production. Landauwondered, "Wouldn't it be fun to get rid of the camerasand have an audience follow the action around?"

Landau took his idea further, writing and directing what hecalls the first interactive mystery play. Based in his home officein Florham Park, New Jersey, his 14-year-old interactive mysterycompany, Murder To Go--founded for under $10,000--grossed half amillion dollars last year.

Landau planned his first big event aboard an overnight trainride in 1983, a trip that would take participants between Hoboken,New Jersey, and Syracuse, New York. What he didn't count on wasa blizzard--or a broken-down freight train that made his own"murder express" come to an abrupt halt. "We lost$30,000 in that `learning experience,' " Landauadmits.

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