Kevin Harrington

Kevin Harrington offers morning keynote at NBJ Summit 2010

2010-07-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Over $22 billion of nutrition industry sales are generated from non-retail channels including internet, direct response TV, radio, mail order, multi-level marketing, online, and healthcare practitioners. This session will dig below the surface into the pros and cons of these channels. Are there conflicts with being in retail as well as non-retail channels? Are they synergistic or cannibalistic? Hear from top CEO’s running successful nutrition businesses in these channels and their candid thoughts on how consumers are best educated, and how to evaluate and succeed in these important sales channels.

Kevin Harrington will be providing the morning keynote presentation on FRI - JULY 23rd, 2010, and will be sharing his insight on how direct response marketing can successfully be used for the nutrition industry.

The other panelist members are:

Joe Chang , President - Pharmanex
Elizabeth Francis , CMO - Intelligent Beauty
Kevin Harrington , CEO - TVGoods.com / IBC
Edward Hauck , President - Healthy Directions

Following is a Q&A

To register or learn more, please visit:
http://www.nbjsummit.com/nbj10/Public/Calendar.aspx?ID=1011280&sortMenu=103000

TV Goods Inc. goes public under Symbol HNHI

2010-06-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

Official Press Release details are available on our website: www.TVGoodsInc.com under "Investors."

[Exerpt]

About TV Goods Holding Corporation

TV Goods is a Florida corporation located in Clearwater, Florida which develops, markets and distributes products and services primarily through infomercials and other direct response channels of distribution. TV Goods intends to leverage the experience and current high profile of its chairman, Kevin Harrington, and his management team to develop and launch marketing campaigns for a portfolio of products and services. Mr. Harrington has most recently appeared as one of the stars on ABC's reality TV show "Shark Tank".

Full Press Release Available Here: www.tvgoodsinc.com/investors.php

Shark Tank star Kevin Harrington and serial entrepreneur Steven Page announce Canadian inventor’s incubator

2010-05-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

Infomercial pioneers create the Inventor’s Business Centre Canada

Press Release

5.19.2010 – Toronto, ON – Have you ever had a brilliant idea for a product you think could sell millions, but you don’t have the tools and support needed to bring your vision to life? The Inventors Business Center USA today announced the launch of the Inventor’s Business Centre Canada (IBC Canada), an innovative incubator for inventors, entrepreneurs and new products.

Kevin Harrington has launched more than 500 products in 25 years, grossing over $4 billion in sales worldwide. Harrington is the principal architect of the direct response infomercial industry and currently stars on ABC’s television show Shark Tank. He is chairman of TVGoods Holdings and TVGoods Inc., as well as founder and CEO of IBC USA. Harrington has partnered with Torontonian Steven Page to create IBC Canada. Page has founded and run Canadian operations of a number of direct to consumer companies with U.S. revenues in excess of $60 million.

A full-service organization focused on the direct response industry, IBC Canada will help take an idea from scribbles on a napkin to a fully developed product ready for international distribution. Services and support by the centre will include advice on securing product patents, industrial engineering, web development and more.

The combined experience of Harrington and Page has attributed to the success of many notable brands including Tony Little’s fitness products, the Franklin Mint and music celebrities such as Wolfman Jack. Page has also been instrumental in bringing celebrity brands such as Suzanne Somers to the Canadian marketplace.

“IBC Canada offers a wealth of knowledge and experience for those looking to create and build a brand,” said Harrington. “I’m passionate about launching great products that have direct appeal to consumers. We look forward to working with Steven and the many Canadian entrepreneurs that IBC Canada can help.”

IBC Canada encourages Canadians to bring their great product ideas to life by offering consulting, product development services and infomercial production. Inspired by the success of reality shows like Shark Tank and Dragon’s Den, this exciting venture could help turn big ideas into big bucks. Entrepreneurs, idea-makers and anyone (from anywhere in Canada) with a dream or great idea are invited to submit their products for consideration and development support by the company. Visit www.inventorsbc.ca for more information.

About Kevin Harrington:
Kevin Harrington has an impressive track record. Of 500 product launches that have resulted in sales of more than $4 billion worldwide, 20 individual products have generated sales of over $100 million each. Harrington is widely acknowledged as a pioneer and principal architect of the infomercial industry. His company, TVGoods Holdings Corporation, and its subsidiaries TVGoods, Inc., as well as the Inventors Business Center LLC are Florida-based corporations with a track record of success in the direct response television industry for more than 25 years.

About Steven Page:
Steven Page is a seasoned entrepreneur with 23 years experience in successful business ventures, and 16 years in the natural products industry. Page is responsible for founding, operating and growing Canadian operations of direct selling companies with revenues in excess of $60 million (U.S.). He has extensive experience in launching products via TV shopping in Canada and the U.S., has launched brands into the Canadian marketplace such as The Amazing Micro Diet, Body Wise, Channoine Cosmetics, FemOne, Lean Choices and Biopro, and has represented the celebrity brand of Suzanne Somers. In the late 1990s, the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) sought out Page’s participation on their fundraising committee to help raise capital towards CCNM’s move to a new campus, making it the second largest naturopathic college in North America. Page and his wife, Shawna, also founded femMed, the first and only user-friendly mass channel retail brand of supplements created expressly for women. Page was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.

Link to article: http://bit.ly/InventorsBC_Canada_2010

Kevin Harrington on CTV - Top Picks!

2010-05-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

The star of the TV series 'Shark Tank' and so-called king of infomercials talks about his new business, the Inventor's Business Centre Canada, which aims to help inventors get their products off the ground.

www.InventorsBC.ca

Click Image to Play Video !

Follow Kevin On Twitter: @InfomercialKing
Follow IBC on Twitter: @InventorsBC

Kevin Harrington featured in Haute Living Miami!

2010-05-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

Who Dares to Enter “The Pitch Tank?”

Posted By Christina Bohnstengel on February 15th, 2010

You know you’ve got a hit show when local markets host events based on your theme. On Friday night there was Equestrian Idol in Palm Beach, and earlier in the month, “The Pitch Tank Awards” debuted at Trump Hollywood.

“The Pitch Tank Awards” patterned itself after the ABC hit show Shark Tank. NFL Hall of Famer and former Miami Dolphin Dwight Stephenson hosted the competition as part of the 2010 Professional Athlete Business Summit. Twelve entrepreneur contestants were given the opportunity to pitch business ideas to a panel of judges including Kevin Harrington, Catherine Eagen, and Regent Ducas. The winner: Dr. Steven Schnur of Elite Health, a concierge and executive medical program that seamlessly blends the foundation of traditional medicine with the latest innovations in health care. Schnur’s prize is a two-minute infomercial with Harrington to promote Elite Health. Schnur beat out John Offerdahl, a five-time Pro Bowler and career Miami Dolphin in the “Pitch Tank.”

(Cont) .

Link to full article: http://www.hauteliving.com/blog/who-dares-to-enter-the-pitch-tank/

IBC launches in Canada!

2010-04-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

We are growing!!

Inventors Business Center expands in Toronto, Canada!!

Opening Launch Party is on:

Wednesday, May 19^th, 2010

2010-04-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

Tampa, FL- ABC's "Shark Tank" Entrepreneur and infomercial pioneer, Kevin Harrington, announces the premier of the Access Gayle™ "Newsmercial" and the opening of the Inventor's Business Center (IBC). This innovative and entertaining format will be hosted by 17 year news veteran, Gayle Guyardo. IBC is the first of its kind one-stop-shop for the development of inventions ranging from medical, health and wellness, beauty and green products, along with thousands of other submissions awaiting their shot at fame and fortune with IBC and a debut on Access Gayle™.

Access Gayle™ is scheduled to air locally on ABC, WFTS Channel 28 every Saturday from 9:53 to 9:58 am and Sunday at 8:53 to 8:58 am at the end of the news hour.

Harrington promises, "Viewers have never seen this type of programming before. With Gayle's loyalty to the consumer, she will demonstrate the IBC experience from the very first show. In addition, Gayle's try it before you buy it concept will allow viewers to take the guess-work out of what's worth buying!!

More about Access Gayle: www.AccessGayle.com

More about Kevin Harrington: www.KevinHarrington.TV

My friend...the Brazilian "shark" !!!

2010-01-08T12:55:00.001-08:00

Ricardo Bellino is an international entrepreneur who brought Elite Models and The Look of the Year, the most famous modeling contest in the world, to Brazil. Now Bellino is the founder and dealmaker behind Trump Realty Brazil, an enterprise born from the creation of the largest golf complex in Latin America, Villa Trump. The author of three business books focusing on the power of ideas and sales techniques, Bellino is the first commercial partner of the Trump Organization outside the United States.

I got a chance to meet up with him again while in NY!! Great guy, great mind - can't wait to see what 2010 brings!!

Kevin Harrington & Ricardo Bellino

Let the new Shark Tank episodes begin!!

2010-01-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

We're all so excited for our new episodes to begin!

Tune into ABC FRI'S AT 9/8C

You can watch the promo video & learn more about Kevin Harrington, Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec & Kevin O'Leary here:
http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank

Can't get enough deal-diving Shark Tank action?!?! Tune in Saturday nights for a repeat of episodes from the FULL FIRST SEASON!! More info to come...

Shark: Kevin Harrington - to be at the NASDAQ Closing bell, Jan. 5, 2010!!!

2009-12-27T23:18:00.000-08:00

Myself and the other sharks of ABC's Shark Tank (produced by Mark Burnett) will be beaming with joy as we ring in one of the first days of the new year at the NASDAQ Closing Bell ceremonies on January 5, 2010!

The NASDAQ MarketSite includes a state-of-the-art digital broadcast studio that transmits business shows, such as CNBC’s Fast Money, and broadcasts approximately 100 live market updates each day by a host of media outlets, including CNBC, Bloomberg TV, Fox Business Network, CNN, New Delhi Television, Xinhua News Agency and other financial networks that reach millions of viewers around the world with up-to-the-second market news.
http://www.nasdaq.com/marketsite/closing_bell/studio.html

You can watch the ceremony via webcam with the link below.

By launching this link, http://www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx at 3:50pm you will have a view into the MarketSite studio where you can view the ceremony

Fielding pitches....

2009-11-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

all day yesterday for the Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards at the NYSE. The GSEA program is the premier award for students that own and run businesses while attending a college or university. What a great opportunity & very smart students!

Kevin Harrington - At The Learning Annex Make Money Expo with Suze Orman

2009-11-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

MOSCONE Convention Center
Sat., November 7th
7:00 AM

747 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.974.4000

How to Get Your Idea, Invention or Product to Market with Kevin Harrington

He's turned ordinary people with an idea into millionaires!

Over one million viewers tune in to home shopping channels & infomercials every day, watching and waiting to purchase millions of dollars worth of products. This is your big chance to get in the game! Kevin Harrington, CEO of TVGoods.com, LLC, is the "Infomercial King". Since producing the first infomercial in the 1980s, Kevin has financed more than 500 product launches with sales of more than $4 billion worldwide and created millionaires out of ordinary people with just an idea. Kevin's other successful infomercial ventures include HSN Direct with Home Shopping Network and TVGoods.com.

The author of ACT NOW!, Kevin has also become a reality TV star on the new ABC show "Shark Tank" where budding entrepreneurs pitch their moneymaking ideas to him and other investors.

Come learn this pro's best-kept secrets about product development, self-management and how to bring your product to home shopping channels.

You could be the next home shopping star!

You'll get plenty of concrete tips and strategies for getting your product on direct-response TV and profiting off your ideas, inventions and products. Kevin will share over a twenty years' worth of insider secrets with you, including:

* What the home shopping channels look for in a product
* How to be the first and fastest to the market with your ideas
* Four ways you can get your product in front of decision makers
* How to launch your product with a low budget
* Costly mistakes to avoid
* How to leverage television into other distribution opportunities
* How to practice on-air presentations of your product
* Selecting price points
* Sales and marketing techniques.

BONUS: Bring your products & ideas to class! Kevin Harrington will review them for network TV consideration. The next product sold on TV could be yours!

Kiana Tom to be host for "Body Jac" show

2009-10-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

Barbara and I recently traveled to New York to meet with Kiana Tom who will be our show host for the "Body Jac" show...she's a great fit for the product and we're glad to have her on board!!

More updates to come on this product...

Shark Tank deal update

2009-10-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

'Cactus Jack' Barringer trims 30 pounds, picks up $180G for 'Shark Tank'

BY Christina Boyle
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

He has peddled everything from dissolving cleaning tablets to "catch a lot" fish hooks.

Yet infomercial star Jack (Cactus Jack) Barringer needed more than a gift of gab to get his latest invention on air - he had to shed some serious pounds, too.

Investors told the Iowa TV salesman they would bankroll his pushup exercise machine - if he won his battle of the bulge.

He stepped on the scales in New York Thursday 30 pounds lighter than he was in August, and walked away with a $180,000 check.

"My doctor wanted me to get rid of some weight. He said the No. 1 thing to do is pushups," said Barringer, 66, describing how he came up with his latest quirky invention. "I couldn't do one, and there wasn't a machine out there to help me, so I created one."

Barringer appeared on ABC's "Shark Tank," where he pitched his business plan for the "Body Jac" to a panel of would-be investors, including New York real estate guru Barbara Corcoran and infomercial king Kevin Harrington.

The two said they would give Barringer $180,000 - but only if he dropped from 273 pounds to 243 pounds.

"I thought, 'Nobody's going to buy that product when they see that big gut,'" Corcoran said.

"I believed he was going to make a success of it because he's great with promotion and there's a huge market for it."

Barringer's Body Jac is made up of bars and rubber resistance bands that support the body during pushups.

It can support 25% to 75% of a person's weight, so the resistance can be increased as he or she tones up.

"I wanted a way to do a pushup, but in the process realized there are millions of baby boomers just coming into retirement age and the bulk are like me: overweight [and] out of shape."

His infomercial will air in January. The Body Jac will cost about $129, before hitting retail stores for $89.95.

Barringer says he improved his diet, started walking more and used his Body Jac to shift the pounds.

"Not only am I going to keep it off, but I'm going to lose another 30 pounds," he said.

"When I do that infomercial, I'm going to be in my cowboy boots and hat and Speedos," he joked.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/10/23/2009-10-23_cactus_jack_trims_30_pounds_picks_up_180g_to_push_new_gadget_no_gut__some_glory.html#ixzz0UyXkBLNN

Kevin Harrington - Infomercial King; article featured in MSNBC Business

2009-10-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Chris O'Meara / AP file

King of infomercials testing the mainstream
Harrington ‘moves faster and thinks bigger than the average entrepreneur'

(Associate Press, updated 12:21 p.m. ET, Tues., Oct . 13, 2009)

CLEARWATER, Fla. - In a sprawling studio, Kevin Harrington is watching a TV pitchman put a shapely model through her paces on a new exercise contraption soon to be featured in a half-hour infomercial.

The machine is all foldable bars and straps and handles, which can be used for 88 different exercises. Harrington is excited. He thinks the $99 item is going to be a huge seller.

“It’s hard to look at that and say, ‘This is going to be the next billion-dollar project,’” Harrington says to a visitor. “If it only does $250 million, we’ll be happy.”

Harrington, who has produced some of TV’s best-known infomercials, has a knack for knowing what will sell and how to sell it. He’s made a vast fortune convincing impulse-buying insomniacs that they just can’t do without the latest kitchen gadget, cleaning device or exercise video. The latest spot is for “Tony Little’s Private Trainer,” named for the long-haired “You can do it!” guy.

Harrington, who can be seen on ABC’s new show “Shark Tank,” claims to have invented the infomercial back in the mid-1980s. Today, he reigns over a marketing empire that includes a truckload of “as seen on TV” goods and ownership in the Tampa-area studio that cranks out the long-form commercials.

“I call him an infomercial visionary,” says Little, whose boisterous TV pitches for exercise gear and DVDs have made him a celebrity. “He’s very good at selecting the right products, selecting the right talent.”

For sketchy industry, a sense of legitimacy
Usually behind the curtain, Harrington is stepping in front of the cameras this year on “Shark Tank,” a reality show that has inventors and entrepreneurs pitching products to a snide panel of marketing moguls. That led to his showing off his St. Petersburg mansion for Joan Rivers on a new reality show called “How’d You Get So Rich?"

His memoir — “Act Now!: How I Turn Ideas Into Million Dollar Products” — has just been published. And he can’t stop talking about a deal that places one of his products — the Air Cutter, a hair-cutting device that vacuums up the locks as they are shorn — in a movie that has Kevin Spacey playing an inventor who peddles stuff on infomercials.

A likable, fast-talking wheeler-dealer who formed his first company as a teenager, Harrington sees his mainstream exposure as an opportunity not only to discover new products he can market on TV but to earn a degree of respect for his work.

The industry has already gotten a boost from Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan, infomercial pitchmen who starred in a reality TV show on the Discovery Channel. Mays died of a heart attack in June but is still being seen in ads.

“In the last couple of years, I think the industry has gotten a little more credit for being critical,” says Harrington, whose wiry build and blonde-tipped crew cut make him look much younger than his 52 years. “It’s not as schlocky as it used to be, for sure.”

An expert on consumer behavior echoed Harrington’s assessment.

“He brought that sense of legitimacy and the idea that infomercials are not necessarily hucksterism, [that] they are meeting the legitimate needs of legitimate consumers,” says Thomas C. O’Guinn, a marketing professor at the University of Wisconsin. “He made it OK to buy stuff from infomercials. He kind of added a little class to it.”

Pitching himself out of bankruptcy
Harrington, who is married with two sons, is doing OK for a guy whose staggering business losses once forced him into bankruptcy and who still falls flat with 2 out of every 3 products he launches.

He started working young, first in his father’s taverns and restaurants in his native Cincinnati. Before long, he was peddling high chairs to pregnant ladies, car rustproofing, air conditioners and weight-loss products.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33196084/ns/business-consumer_news/

An interview with the "Sharks"

2009-10-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

A Shark Tank interview by Jason Cochran with Kevin Harrington, Barbara Corcoran & Robert Herjavec.

Kevin is Mr. Wonderful and Robert jokes about lending Barbara money next year!!

Kevin Harrington Talks Spending

2009-10-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Ann Meyer Minding Your Business
September 28, 2009

ENERGY BAR MAKER CARVES HIS OWN PATH TO GROWTH CAPITAL THROUGH TV APPEARANCE

Thinking creatively has taken Jonathan Miller a long way in launching a business and funding it.

His Chicago startup, Element Bars, offers a new twist on the energy bar concept by letting consumers choose ingredients on the company's Web site to build custom bars that are shipped to their doorstep.

Finding growth capital for the year-old business during a severe recession also took a new twist, when Miller appeared on ABC's reality show "Shark Tank." The new series pits entrepreneurs against five aggressively skeptical investors in hopes of winning capital for their businesses.

Part of the entertainment is watching the "sharks" rip into their business plans. One shark told Miller: "You know my job is to squeeze your head like a teenage pimple."

Still, enduring the abuse proved to be worth it for Miller; he negotiated a deal for $150,000. Ironically, before the show's airing Sept. 13, Miller had tried for a $10,000 to $20,000 bank loan but was turned down.

"It's an interesting commentary. You can get great national publicity and a great equity deal, but you can't get the line of credit" from a bank, Miller said.

Miller's creative approach to securing capital was well-timed, given the current credit crunch that has many entrepreneurs scrambling for funds, said Mike Adhikari, president of Illinois Corporate Investments. Entrepreneurs have few options outside of investments by family, friends and individuals who have a shared interest.

When trying for private funds from investors or venture capitalists, entrepreneurs must know how to negotiate, Adhikari said. "They really need to know how venture capitalists think," he said. "Most don't have a way to get beyond the, 'I want $200,000 for 10 percent of the business.' "

But Miller did. A 2008 graduate of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, Miller had taken a class in negotiating. He also spent a summer working in venture capital, reviewing business plans and observing entrepreneurs' pitches.

Before his "Shark Tank" appearance, he did his homework. He knew that he wanted to come away with $150,000 and wasn't willing to give up more than 35 percent of the company's equity for the capital.

Miller shrewdly kept the upper hand on the show, observers said. He started by asking for $150,000 for a 15 percent stake. While some investors laughed, Miller never budged on the amount of money he wanted.

"One mistake negotiators commonly make is they wait for the other party to make the first offer," said Jeanne Brett, professor of dispute resolution and organizations at Kellogg. "The first offer in a negotiation tends to anchor the other party's thinking."

Miller added another dimension by communicating his passion for the business, Brett said.

In the end, Miller gave a 30 percent stake in his company to investor Kevin Harrington, chief executive of TVGoods.com. In return, Miller got the capital he wanted plus a commitment for a 4 percent royalty tied to a licensing agreement.

Harrington, a regular shark on the show, said he looks for potential "As Seen on TV" products and had previously sold protein bars. When he tasted the custom Element Bar Miller made for him, "I loved mine. My initial reaction was, 'Wow,' " he said. "I thought I could take it to the masses."

Harrington hopes to use his relationships with shopping channels, Web developers and TV production studios to help Element Bars reach new markets.

Harrington is exactly the type of investor entrepreneurs should be seeking, Adhikari said. "When you are partnering with someone, they should be providing not only the capital but also additional value," he said. You also need compatible personalities.

Meanwhile, Miller said the "Shark Tank" exposure has fueled a tenfold spike in demand to 10,000 bars a week purchased on ElementBars.com. Consumers build their own bars on the Web site in five steps. First, they choose a "chewy, oaty, crispy or datey core," then add in fruits, nuts and sweets like honey or chocolate chips, Miller said. The final step is to choose from several nutritional boosts, like protein, omega-3 or fiber.

Customers also get to name their bars, which cost $36, plus $6 shipping, for a box of 12.

Miller started making his own bars for personal consumption in 2004, but didn't consider it could be a business until December 2007, when a friend of his wife's asked if he could make bars for diabetic children.

Four months later, Miller and two partners, Maria Sutanto and Jonathan Kelley, were testing a prototype Web site. Together, they put up $100,000 of their own money to launch the business.

"I'm a firm believer in proofing out a business before trying to raise money," Miller said. "We've done that. We have sales growing and repeat customers."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-mon-minding-capital-0928sep28,0,2636676.column

Watch Kevin Harrington on Joan River's new show "How'd You Get So Rich"

2009-08-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

WATCH TONIGHT - "How'd You Get So Rich" - on TVLAND - 10pm

It slices. It dices. It makes billions of dollars! It’s the amazing infomercial, and Joan meets the man who invented it. See how he ended up with an eye-popping fortune. But wait, there’s more: She’ll also meet the middle-aged woman who went on to make millions after her rich doctor husband split. Find out how! Premieres August 19th.

Disney ABC Television Group -- "Summer Press Tour" at the Langham Hotel

2009-08-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Kevin Harrington, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary and Barbara Corcoran attend the "Summer Press Tour" Panel Event hosted by Disney ABC Television Group at the Langham Hotel on August 8, 2009 in Pasadena, California.

Wow - What a great press day for "Shark Tank"!! Back to taping soon!

Be sure to tune in Sunday at 9:00 EST on ABC!!!

Fulfilling American Dreams does not 'Lack Bite'

2009-08-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

Helping hand? Moneyman Kevin Harrington samples a potential investment on tomorrow's premiere of 'Shark Tank.'

Michael Starr, of The NY Post, feels there is "not a lot of action" on Mark Burnett's latest TV Show 'Shark Tank,' and titles his article "Lacks Bite."

Alright, I get that some people may be jealous of Mark Burnett and that he can put out yet another show that big companies, like SONY Pictures, want to invest MILLIONS of dollars into. But let's not forget that these are real American people going into the Shark Tank, and there are real American Dreams being fulfilled!

THAT, does not 'lack bite.'

To Read Michael's article, follow this link:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08082009/tv/lacks_bite_183477.htm

It's Press Day! And this is just the beginning...

2009-08-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

Article Title: 'Shark Tank' producer Mark Burnett does Swimmingly

MOGUL: Mark Burnett’s latest premieres Sunday.
PHOTO by: Brian Vander Brug

'Survivor' honcho Mark Burnett retools a worldwide hit into 'Shark Tank' -- and he's not stopping there.

By Scott Collins
8:37 PM PDT, August 7, 2009

Mark Burnett may look like the mind-bogglingly rich reality-TV producer behind CBS' "Survivor," but that's because you don't know him.

He says he longs to be a millionaire dealmaker like those on his new ABC show, "Shark Tank." Even though he's made a fortune cranking out programs for virtually every network on the dial, he still worries about his personal cash flow, just like the young entrepreneurs who need help on his show. Or at least he can pretend that he worries about such things, if only for the sake of framing his latest TV series as perfect for the deepest recession in 70 years.

"You and I know we'd all be hard-pressed to get a mortgage these days from a bank, let alone a business loan," Burnett said in an interview earlier this week on a Hollywood studio lot, hours before jetting off on a red-eye to the South Pacific to oversee the start of shooting for the 20th season of "Survivor."

If you can believe that the 49-year-old Burnett, who last month got his own star on Hollywood Boulevard, would actually need to borrow money hat in hand like a typical home buyer, he's got a business proposal he'd like to run past you. Actually, several. "Shark Tank," which premieres Sunday night, is just one of at least seven new shows he's producing this year, and he also happened to be behind the year's most notorious TV stunt, Brüno's high-wire landing on Eminem at the MTV Movie Awards.

Based on a popular worldwide format that is owned by Sony and has run for years in Britain as "Dragons' Den," "Shark Tank" gives struggling entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their business ideas to a panel of five potential investors -- real estate doyenne Barbara Corcoran, infomercial king Kevin Harrington, Internet mogul Robert Herjavec, Daymond John of FUBU clothing fame and TV host Kevin O'Leary -- who then decide whether to back the projects with their own money. It's a mix of "The Apprentice" -- another Burnett hit -- plus ABC's old "American Inventor," without the elimination elements of those programs. The British version has led to such notable consumer innovations as Reggae Reggae Sauce, a condiment pitched by a dreadlocked musician, and the iTeddy, a combo plush toy/media gadget.

It has taken a very long time for the format to reach American shores; the program has already been a hit in much smaller TV markets, including last year, in Afghanistan. But Burnett believes that "Shark Tank" is singularly well-suited for the U.S., home of free markets and, at least until recent months, guilt-free capitalism.

"We celebrate the Bill Gateses of the world," the producer told visiting journalists who watched a promo clip for the show at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. "We're not mad at Bill Gates." As for free enterprise, "it's only when there's a gross abuse of it, like we've seen in the past year, that people get pissed off."

The British-born Burnett certainly has no problem with free enterprise. He's been enterprising ever since landing in the Los Angeles area in the early '80s, where after a series of odd jobs (including, he says, a stint as a nanny) he created the adventure contest "Eco-Challenge," which ran on several cable networks. After his breakthroughs with "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," Burnett, who's married to "Touched by an Angel" star Roma Downey, was the undisputed king of reality competition shows.

Since then, he's diversified into a broad array of programming choices. To put it more plainly, he's started slapping his name on all kinds of stuff. The second season of "Bully Beatdown" starts later this month on MTV, and earlier this week "How'd You Get So Rich?," in which Joan Rivers tails the well-heeled and forces them to spill their money secrets (there's that wealth theme again), premiered on TV Land. He even produces the bull-riding extravaganza "Toughest Cowboy" for Spike.

If there's still a Burnett brand out there, it may be a little fuzzier than it was four or five years ago. But he dismissed any notion that he's overextended. He still watches and approves every single episode of every show he produces, he said.

"Look at the quality of the shows," Burnett said. "I'm not at all overextended . . . I'm very, very hands-on."

It seems unlikely that any of the "sharks" on the new show have the star power of, say, "Apprentice's" Donald Trump, but then in TV anything is possible. In Britain, "Dragons' Den" received some criticism after some of the investors were revealed to have backed out of deals after the cameras stopped rolling. ABC admits that could happen here too.

"The lawyers on both sides need to get into the minutiae of the deals," said Vicki Dummer, an ABC senior vice president who helps oversee reality, specials and late-night programming. "Some of the deals could fall apart."

But that risk doesn't seem to trouble Burnett.

"In the end, what you're really enjoying here is the 'aha' moment of, 'Wow, I wish I'd thought of that,' " he said.

"How many times have you been out for a beer or dinner and people are coming up with business ideas? Everybody wants to think they've got that great business idea."

Later, he told the crowd of journalists that he'd love to have the same chance to weigh pitches that his investors enjoy on the show.

"I'd like to be a shark," he said, somewhat dreamily.

scott.collins@latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-mark-burnett8-2009aug08,0,32392.story

"Shark Tank" launches SUN night..ABC...9:00pm EST

2009-08-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

Tune in to see the Premiere of "Shark Tank!" This show has been a blast to film and let me tell you...there ARE people getting closer to their dreams!! Here's the latest preview!!

You can also go to www.KevinHarrington.TV to learn more about what I do and the products that I've made successful!!

Shark Tank video promo w/ Mr. Tod's Pie Factory

2009-07-20T16:12:00.001-07:00

Shark Tank is coming to ABC on August 9th!!

Clearwater capitalist ready to deal on new ABC show

2009-07-16T07:09:00.001-07:00

Photo by: Jay Nolan
Photo caption: Kevin Harrington, in his Clearwater office, is known as 'King of the Infomercial' and has written a book titled "Act Now!".

By GAYLE GUYARDO | News Channel 8

Published: July 10, 2009

Tampa Bay venture capitalist and entrepreneur Kevin Harrington is sinking his teeth into the new ABC series "Shark Tank" debuting in early August.

Harrington is the president and CEO of TVGoods.com and co-founder of OmniReliant Holdings based in Clearwater. This year marks the 25th anniversary since Harrington produced the industry's first infomercial. With hits like the Flowbee and the Ginsu Knife, Harrington is a pioneer in what's become a multi billion dollar industry.

As one of the "sharks," Harrington says he's ready to make deals with inventors, business people and entrepreneurs with cameras rolling. "We have a pile of money right there on the desk -- and I will ink a deal on the spot," he said.

Shark Tank leaves contestants with the nail biting, take-it-or-leave-it decision of whether to accept whatever offer a shark might put on the table.

"The set cost a half million dollars and is amazing," Harrington said. Harrington described how contestants come up an elevator and walk through a tube like tunnel with animated sharks swimming all around.

Harrington who has spent his career behind the camera says big lights and 16 HD cameras pointed his direction doesn't throw him off course. "I'm so busy listening to the deals, my mind is spinning and I'm trying to compete with the other sharks on the panel to get the best deal." Harrington said.

Harrington smells blood when it comes to hot products. "I've hit milestones of over 500 product launches, resulting in sales of over $4 billion worldwide, and $100 million in individual sales," Harrington explained. "And, that adds up to the creation of dozens of millionaires," he said.

Harrington's company has been chronicled with a case study at Harvard/MIT, where students have been taught for more than 12 years what it means to be grassroots entrepreneurs in a fiercely competitive industry.

Harrington is also the founder of global networking association "the entrepreneur's organization".

LINK TO THE ARTICLE:
Clearwater capitalist ready to deal on new ABC show

"Shark Tank" on ABC - Fall 2009 - TUE's at 8:00 pm

2009-05-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

A First Look at ABC's "SHARK TANK" !!!!

ABC greenlights Burnett's 'Shark Tank'

2009-05-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/03/abc-mark-burnett-shark-tank.html

March 29, 2009

"Dragon's Den,' the UK version...

ABC is teaming with Mark Burnett for a new series that offers a bailout to struggling entrepreneurs.

The network has ordered seven episodes of Burnett’s “Shark Tank,” an adaptation of the U.K. reality hit “Dragon’s Den” in which eager entrepreneurs pitch their business ventures to five multimillionaire tycoons. The pitchmen have to convince the investors (the “sharks”) to part with the requested amount of their own money, or they leave empty handed.

The format originated in Japan and has since become a worldwide success, with BBC Two’s “Dragon’s Den” running for six seasons and airing domestically on BBC America. “Shark Tank” marks the first collaboration between ABC and Burnett, who has popular shows on the other three major broadcast networks but has never had a series on ABC. The network and prolific producer hope the project strikes a chord with viewers given the current economic climate.

“People are looking to be entrepreneurs to get ahead, yet there’s no way anybody can go into a bank right now and get a loan,” said Burnett, whose company Mark Burnett Productions is producing the "Shark Tank" along with Sony Pictures Television. “For these entrepreneurs, these sharks are their last stop.”

The team’s creative approach to the program has shifted since its pilot was ordered last fall. At first, everybody thought the show needed to feel bigger. The BBC version has the wealthy investors and pitchmen haggling in a sparse loft space. There’s no cheering audience, no graphics, no exterior footage. The drama comes from whether the entrepreneur’s proposal will survive an intense inquisition, and if it does, whether the sharks will then turn on each other to snatch up the idea.

“We’ve been excited about the 'Dragon’s Den' format for years, but we didn’t go forward at first because we thought it felt too small,” said Vicki Dummer, co-head of alternative at ABC.

In 2006, the network attempted a similar concept called “American Inventor,” which was co-produced by one of the British stars of “Dragon’s Den.” But “Inventor” was an elimination competition about the process of developing an invention, whereas “Shark” is self-contained episodes that are all about the
drama of pitch meetings.

Working with Burnett, the network initially tried to make the show feel like a larger event, shooting a pilot in a huge auditorium and placing the investors behind an intimidating desk, among other tweaks. But most of the changes distracted from what worked so well about the original: the interpersonal tension between ambitious entrepreneurs struggling to convince five strangers to part with their money.

“The layers we added for a big huge show we’ve ended up peeling back to make the show more like the original,” Dummer said. “The core essence of the show works, and they’ve done a terrific job with it.”
No air date is set, though a premiere sometime next season seems likely.

The sharks include Robert Herjavec (who made his fortune in Internet security systems), Kevin Harrington (infomercials), Barbara Corcoran (real estate), Kevin O’Leary (well-known Canadian investor) and Daymond John (FUBU sportsware).

One aspect of “Shark Tank” that will be noticeably bigger than the previous versions: the deals spawned during the pitches.

“We have made bigger deals and more deals in our pilot than (other versions) make all season,” Burnett said. “What country on earth is more entrepreneurial and risk taking than the United States of America? Here we have businesses and jobs being created, and it’s a great feeling.”

About Kevin Harrington - DRTV & Infomercial Pioneer

2009-01-04T15:00:00.001-08:00

Kevin Harrington

Chief Executive Officer, TVGoods.com LLC

Kevin Harrington, CEO of TVGoods.com, LLC, is widely acknowledged as the pioneer and principal architect of the “infomercial” industry. Since producing the industry’s first infomercial in the 1980s, Harrington has financed more than 500 product launches resulting in sales of more than $4 billion worldwide with 20 products reaching individual sales of over $100 million each, and creating dozens of millionaires.

Harrington got his start in direct TV marketing with his company Quantum International, which after merging with National Media in 1991 grew to over $500 Million in annual sales with distribution in over 100 countries in 20 languages. Harrington was the pioneer responsible for setting up international infrastructure worldwide which lays the groundwork for today’s infomercial industry. He had offices in: London, Tokyo, Sao Paolo, Brazil, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

After leaving Quantum, Harrington had several other successful infomercial ventures including HSN Direct with Home Shopping Network before founding TVGoods in 2005.

He subsequently raised more than $20 million in capital from a New York hedge fund in a venture, which then acquired Tampa’s premiere film studio where TVGoods is headquartered. The studio is located in Clearwater, Florida, featuring a 33,000 square state of the art production studio on 5.4 acres.

Regarded as a tireless entrepreneur with a talent for identifying blockbuster products, Harrington’s business was a case study that was chronicled and taught for over 12 years at Harvard/MIT, called “The Rise, The Fall and The rise of Quantum International.” The case study is used as a teaching guide about what it means to be a grass-roots entrepreneur in a fiercely competitive industry.

In his latest venture, Harrington is an investor on a new ABC show called “Shark Tank”, in which budding entrepreneurs compete in pitching their potentially moneymaking ideas to business experts in hopes of securing investment financing. The show is owned by SONY Pictures and produced by Mark Burnett.

Harrington is uniquely qualified as an investor/shark because of his involvement over his career in a wide range of industries. As a young entrepreneur at the age of 19, Harrington launched and operated a successful company that reached $1 million in annual sales and employed 25 people, all while still in college. In 1979, he started Franchise America, a franchise consulting and brokerage business, through which he sold thousands of businesses, giving him insight to the inner workings of dozens of industries; from restaurants to retail to small manufacturing, etc.

Harrington’s book, ACT NOW!, explains how he innovatively turns ideas into million-dollar products. It is available through Amazon and at bookstores nationwide. Examples of popular products available through TVGoods.com currently are: Tony Little fitness, George Foreman cleaning, Jay “the Juice Daddy” Kordich Health, Flying Lure fishing, Wolfman Jack music, and the Dual Saw, marketed by the late legendary pitchman Billy Mays. One TVGoods.com product, the Air-Cutter, a precision vacuum haircutting system, will be featured in the upcoming film Father of Invention starring Kevin Spacey.

Harrington is proud to have founded two of the most important global networking associations in the marketplace, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA).

Entrepreneurs’ Organization
In 1987, Kevin and a group of young entrepreneurs including Michael Dell, of Dell Computers, and Ted Leonsis, of AOL, teamed up to create the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, or EO (formerly known as the Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization), and today it has grown to over 7,000 members worldwide, with 113 chapters in 38 countries with more than 924,000 members. The EO is recognized as a catalyst that enables entrepreneurs to learn and grow from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life.

Electronic Retailing Association
In the 1990s the electronic and digital retail industries began converging into one, combing electronic retailing and direct marketing. Paralleling this convergence, Kevin co-founded the Electronic Retailing Association, or ERA, alongside key industry entrepreneurs, including Greg Renker of Guthy-Renker, LLC. This trade association represents the $125 billion electronic retailing industry and is comprised of over 450 member companies and subsidiaries worldwide that use the power of electronic retailing to sell directly to consumers via television, radio, Internet and wireless media in over 100 countries worldwide.