Dead Low Brewing on Cincinnati's Kellogg Avenue will host three fall and winter performances by The Murder Mystery Co., a national interactive dinner-theater company associated with Shark Tank investor Jason Blum, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. The experience combines a three-course meal with a live whodunit in which guests take on detective or suspect roles while professional actors perform the mystery.
The Murder Mystery Co. is owned by American Immersion Theater, founded by Scott Cramton. Cramton pitched the business on Season 15, Episode 18 of ABC's Shark Tank in March 2024, asking for $350,000 for a 5% stake; he ultimately reached a deal with guest Shark Jason Blum, according to Gyan Infinet. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Blum cited overlap between audiences for horror movies and immersive entertainment.
The company counts corporate clients including Netflix, Disney, and Apple, according to the same account of the company's growth. American Immersion Theater now operates more than 20 troupe locations and stages over 7,500 public and private shows a year, according to the cited accounts. Together, those figures describe the company's reported footprint.
Three Themed Nights on Kellogg Avenue
Dead Low's three-event schedule begins with A Modern Billionaire's Masquerade Ball on Oct. 9, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.; that performance has sold out, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. A 1930s Old Hollywood-themed show is scheduled for Nov. 20, followed by a Holiday Party show on Dec. 18. Both are listed for 7:30 p.m., and guests are encouraged to arrive by 7 p.m. Dinner-casual clothing is acceptable, although costumes are common.
Tickets are listed at $59 before taxes and fees, or $66.08 with them, and are available through Eventbrite or by calling 888-659-2592, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Guests may participate as suspects, receiving role information and costume guidance, or as detectives who work through clues as the actors advance the plot. A costume prize is also part of the evening.
What's on the Menu
The meal is structured as three courses, with salad to start, a buffet-style selection of sliders or pizza with sides, and ice cream or sorbet for dessert, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Drinks are sold separately at a cash or credit-card bar.
A Brewery Built for a Crowd
Dead Low Brewing opened on Kellogg Avenue in Cincinnati's California neighborhood in October 2019, co-founded by Christine Hall and Paul Ganim near Riverbend Music Center and Coney Island, according to Cincinnati Magazine. The name draws from Ohio River steamboat history, referring to the minimum water depth a boat needs to navigate safely, a nod reflected in the taproom's interior artwork per that same local history. The brewery features a scratch kitchen, full beer garden, and onsite brewing of beer, cider, and seltzer, according to Everything Cincy.
A Brewery Event in a Changing Area
City planning records do not provide a full before-and-after account of California since 2010, but the City of Cincinnati Department of City Planning lists a 1978 California Land Development Plan and a 1982 California Flood Plain Residences plan among the area's approved plans.
The event also fits within Ohio's broader craft-brewing industry. The Ohio Craft Brewers Association counted 420 operating craft breweries statewide at the end of 2022 and 442 at the end of 2024, according to its 2022 impact study and 2024 impact report. Those statewide figures offer context for a brewery-hosted entertainment event, but they do not by themselves measure Cincinnati's local economic impact.
The venue has hosted large community gatherings before, including as a participating vendor in Greater Cincinnati's 12th annual Margarita Madness festival on the Purple People Bridge, which Hoodline previously reported brings together more than 20 local bars and restaurants each year.
From a Living Room to National Stages
Cramton launched The Murder Mystery Co. in 2002 out of an apartment living room in Grand Rapids, Michigan, building the troupe from small rehearsals into a multi-state company, according to American Immersion Theater's account of its own history. He is a Detroit native who, per the Enquirer's reporting, said opening off-Broadway was amazing after the company opened an award-winning off-Broadway murder mystery dinner production in late 2024. The troupe also presented and sponsored the immersive live theater track at the national Overlook Film Festival in New Orleans in April 2026, a horror-genre gathering noted by ScreenAnarchy.
The company uses different themes for each show and presents what it describes as fun and comedic entertainment, mixing role-play, costumes, and a scripted crime for guests to untangle over dinner. With three dates now set at Dead Low Brewing between October and December, Cincinnati becomes the latest stop for a franchise that has leaned on local taprooms and restaurants to bring its national brand to neighborhood crowds.
