Malia Miglino on ‘Haunted Discoveries’ & Becoming LA History Girl

She’s a historian, researcher, traveler and full-time content creator, and she does it all in style. I’m talking about Malia Miglino. For her latest venture, she’s the historical researcher and one of the TV hosts of the upcoming paranormal series Haunted Discoveries. In addition to that, she’s been staying busy, continuing to produce content centered on Los Angeles history and beyond. Let’s dive into what she’s been up to.

So much has transpired over the past few years since I last interviewed Miglino. For instance, she’s rebranded from Macabre Mondays to LA History Girl, but more on that later in my Q & A with her. I will say that the macabre aspect of her work hasn’t gone anywhere; if anything, she’s giving audiences a heavier dose of obscure history through a broader lens. Just watch any of her fascinating Instagram Reels or TikTok videos to see what I mean.

This fall, you’ll be able to watch her in action when Haunted Discoveries debuts in October on T+E. She joins Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gatollari, who were previously on A&E’s Ghost Hunters, and Kevin Otte, investigating historic haunts in Kentucky. However, it’s not your run-of-the-mill paranormal show as Miglino clearly explains in our discussion. The cast is focused on unraveling the stories and mysteries of the sites they visit in a genuine way, not relying on gimmicks. Plus, they’re implementing more novel approaches to their paranormal analysis.

In the following interview, Malia Miglino opens up about her involvement with Haunted Discoveries, her journey to becoming LA History Girl and more.

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Q: I think it’s absolutely fantastic that you’re a part of the Haunted Discoveries series. The trailer is so enticing. How did you become involved in the project?

A: I am so excited that you are excited and that you enjoyed the trailer! I became involved pretty late in the pre-production process of season one. Originally, it was just going to be the three guys, Brandon, Mustafa, and Kevin, and at some point, I guess they came to the conclusion that they needed a historical researcher on the team. Brandon and I had known each other for a couple of years at that point and he asked if I was interested; naturally, I was, haha. So after sending my stuff along to the producers and a quick little Zoom meeting, I was officially a part of the team! To be honest, I’d never had any interest in being involved with a paranormal show before but considering how much they wanted to focus on the historical elements of the locations, it felt like it would be a great fit and it was. 

Q: You’re no novice when it comes to researching and showcasing your knowledge in front of the camera. You do your craft very well and have created multiple series for your YouTube channel. Can you talk about your experience being a part of a TV show like Haunted Discoveries?

A: You know, it’s really interesting how easy it was to jump into the show. I think working in TV/Film in Los Angeles for 15 years, both in front of and behind the camera, really helped so far as the production goes. I think it was a relief to personally not have to worry about things like also running the camera or doing makeup or worrying about how to sell the show after we wrapped. So in some ways, it was a real treat to only have to worry about my job when I am used to wearing so many different hats on set and instead just get to enjoy the ride.

The travel element was probably the hardest. We shoot A LOT of episodes with virtually no days off in an insane time frame. It’s not a schedule I think anyone would choose, haha, but when you’re working with smaller budgets, you have to make it work the best you can. Thankfully, our crew are absolute rockstars and despite getting little sleep, and almost no days off, they show up and do the job and they make it look great. It’s kind of like going into battle; we have this insane mission, film 12 episodes in four weeks, change hotels 11 times, and we all come out of it sort of shell-shocked, haha, but we’ve made this thing and we’ve done it. I honestly have no idea how any of us have survived three seasons this way, but we have. 

That’s just sort of the job. Making a TV show or a movie is a lot of hard work and reality is different in the sense that it’s usually run and gun, you never have enough time and you’re also dealing with real, raw emotion and you have to be able to pivot and think on your feet. When I am interviewing someone, it can get really emotional at times and you have to learn to walk that line between getting the story out and also being in the moment and empathetic with your guest. 

Q: I’m sure shooting for this show is filled with so many incredible moments, but is there one in particular that stands out? Has there been anything you’ve been surprised to learn while filming?

A: The biggest surprise was being a part of the paranormal investigations, haha! I originally was only ever going to handle the interviews and the history and by the second episode of the first season, I was dipping my toe in the pool. It wasn’t something I’d ever planned or even really cared to do, but I was there and so invested in these historical people and these places that I think I was seduced by the idea of getting to contact some of these people and maybe fill in some of the historical gaps that research just couldn’t cover. 

The most surprising moment for me came in the finale of the first season at a location called Hall Place. We were having the most incredible interaction with someone we believed to be a former owner and it became so emotional and I felt just so…truly, honored to be having this experience that I just couldn’t stop crying. You leave some places really feeling like you got something incredible or you did the people justice and are helping tell their story, and there are other places where you ask yourself if it’s better just to let the people rest. I don’t have the answers to these questions, haha, but I think it was an interesting journey into my own beliefs to see where I fall on the scale.

Each of the three seasons is pretty different. The first season, just energetically, was a lot lighter, we dealt with a lot of beautiful familial homes and everything felt pretty benevolent. In the second season, the histories of our locations got a lot darker, and with that came the energy at the time and I think when people watch all three seasons, they’ll see us all really react to these environments in different ways. I have a little ritual I started doing in the third season just to sort of protect myself because I didn’t do that in the second or the first and we left a couple places and I felt truly affected by them emotionally. So I guess my biggest lesson was that each place is going to be different and you’re going to think, feel and come away a little differently with each one. 

Q: Switching the topic briefly, I want to ask about your personal brand. You’ve experienced phenomenal growth over the last few years and you recently transitioned your website from Macabre Mondays to LA History Girl. What motivated you to make the change, and how has your content evolved?

A: Oh man, it has been a long time coming but something I have been terrified to do! I think the goal is to always evolve, right? You grow, you move on from things and you have to look at what is serving you. Macabre Mondays will always be my baby, and I genuinely have no plans on abandoning it but I do think I was hiding behind it a bit because I was really worried I wouldn’t be taken seriously if I pushed the history too hard and I think I was right, for the time. My joke was always, “I’ll turn your head with sexuality and then give you a history lesson,” and I just got to the point where I didn’t want to use my body to get the attention anymore. Becoming a part of Haunted Discoveries felt like the right time to bring up the necklines so to speak, haha, and to show the world that I can do what I do and I don’t have to be half-dressed to do it. Now, that’s not saying I dress even remotely like your normal paranormal TV personality, haha. I am who I am and love to dress up, but I’m not leading with sexuality anymore and that was very much on purpose. 

From a business standpoint, you have to pay attention to what works. I think having the background I do, it both prepares you and scares you from doing a lot of things. I sold my first show at 26 but then had a hard time recovering when pitching my show Grave Hunter and being told by a major network that they, “didn’t want any single female hosts.” It can play mind games on you. When I first started creating content online, nearly 10 years ago, 70% of my demographic on social media and YouTube was male. Photos of me did far better than my deep historical research and I was gutted that no one seemed to care about my work. Since I wasn’t devoting 100% of my time to history at that point because I was still full-time in TV/Film, I just stuck with what was working until I finally hit a wall and asked myself, “What happens if I start talking about the non-haunted history of LA’s Victorian homes,” for example. Something finally clicked. For the first time, I was gaining female followers, photos of just me weren’t doing as well as my history posts or videos and I finally felt like I could make the leap into a career in history full-time. So I decided to not lead with the macabre, and re-brand as the LA History Girl as I am a girl, living in Los Angeles who makes a ton of history content and I just felt it was time to open the niche a bit, not get rid of anything, but evolve. 

I think mainly it was about trusting myself that I could do it, that my work could speak for itself, and I feel incredibly grateful that people seem to really be behind me as I grow and build my brand. 

Q: Back to the TV show. How does Haunted Discoveries differ from other series covering the paranormal, and what sort of impact do you hope it has on viewers?

A: To be totally honest, I stopped watching paranormal shows in my teens because I thought they were all fake and so disrespectful. I had no interest and thankfully, our team had no interest in making anything like what has been on TV before. Stylistically, it’s probably the most cinematic show of the genre; like I said, our crew is just freaking fantastic but I also think it’s the team, it’s the locations. It’s the fact that if we are somewhere and nothing is happening, you’re going to see nothing happen because we’re not faking anything. Brandon, Mustafa & Kevin are truly trying to bring paranormal exploration out of the shadows and into the scientific field, which means no result is a result. There’s no script, there are no pre-meditated beats. This is pure, what you see is what you get. Plus, we have a badass scientist, Dr. Harry Kloor, who can explain away pretty much anything so when he CAN’T find the answer to what is going on….we know we’re on to something good. Then there is the chemistry. Pretty much all TV shows are cast. Ours wasn’t. It’s legitimately a team of people who have known each other for years. These are the things I truly feel will set us apart, and I hope that our honesty, our genuine interest, and interaction with each other makes the viewer feel like they can trust us so they can enjoy what we’ve discovered and join the ride with us because lord did we experience some CRAZY things.  

Q: Are there any teasers you can share regarding the future of Haunted Discoveries and your own projects for LA History Girl?

A: Hmmmm….I can say there is a hell of a lot of content for you all that is going to be coming your way over the next few years and I think we captured some data that might shake up the paranormal field forever. As far as my own stuff? 2024 is looking to be my biggest and busiest year yet and I may or may not be going global…;) 

Where to Stalk

LA History Girl official website

Haunted Discoveries Instagram

Macabre Malia Instagram

LA History Girl TikTok

Malia Miglino YouTube