He was bom in Tallahassee, Florida, and grew up there until his parents divorced when he was 12. "Where are the seniors?" His parents divorced when he was twelve, and Amos was sent to live with his Aunt Della in Harlem, New York. "He likes to make them and eat them," Shawn Amos laughs. He is the founder of the Famous Amos chocolate-chip cookie, the Cookie Kahuna, and Aunt Della's Cookies gourmet cookie brands, and he was the host of the adult reading program, Learn to Read. Amos headed the rock n roll department, where he signed Simon and Garfunkel and worked with Motown megastars The Supremes, Diana Ross, Sam Cooke, and Dionne Warwick. Muhammad Ali came by one year, and, you know, it was a whole thing.". . The Sharks all passed on the opportunity. Amos remained on the companys board as vice-chairman, but he became increasingly dismayed as the venture was sold to one investment group after another. For several years, life was very good for Amos. Its like comparing a Rolls Royce with a Volkswagen, he said. It doesn't honor a movie star or a musician. That's not what I want to do. The narrative he established was that he was a talent manager who spent his whole life identifying and discovering new talent and the next big act that he discovered, that he was going to dedicate his career to, was 'The Cookie.'". A Famous Cookie And a Face to Match; How Wally Amos Got His Hand And By 2002, when Keebler and Famous Amos were bought by the Kellogg Company (see entry), Amos was unconcerned. Working in the business in Los Angeles was frustrating, and Amos was nearly always in debt. Whatever Happened To The Cookie Kahuna After Shark Tank? - Looper.com For an entrepreneur who was down on his luck it was almost too good a deal to pass up. ''Somehow or another caramel coloring had been added and I don't know why that was,'' the 63-year-old Mr. Amos said, the lines in his forehead becoming more pronounced. Wally Amos - Famous Amos, Family & Age - Biography "Amos, Wally Born in tallahassee, florida, wally amos lived a childhood that was not always stable and trouble free. an agent and by 1974, he was looking for something new. Two sales later, the new owners added shelf-stable ingredients and repositioned the cookies as an affordable brand, prompting its famous founder to depart. He has pitched the cookies at a food-marketing trade show in Chicago, and has been appearing at supermarkets, shaking the hand of shoppers who still recognize him. Famous amos oatmeal raisin | Updated January 2023 That was the whole schtick.". The day-to-day operations of the company required more money than it could generate.. "He had great instincts about story, and he had great instincts about how to make people feel good," Shawn says. He later said of the experience, "We certainly had no monetary wealth, but Aunt Della's home was always rich in the principles and qualities vital to a childs upbringing. Amos envisioned his cookies in luxury retail stores over the usual local supermarket. Chicago: Nightingale-Conant, 1988. . Amos doesn't even own his own name anymore. "It's not the same formula. Yet his legacy as a barrier-breaking entrepreneur remains. Amos uprooted his second wife and newborn son and moved to Californiaand then Masakela dropped him. "The picture went with the company," he says. Wally was the only child in a loveless and impoverished Tallahassee marriage. What Did People Eat On LA's Beaches 100 Years Ago? 14647. However, in 1985, mismanagement forced Amos to gradually sell off parts of his company. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1996, abandoned cookies and went into muffins at the suggestion of Amos business partner, Lou Avignone. At school, he claimed that he had developed an intense desire to become successful and to make money. The cruelest blow of all fell in the early 1990s, when the cookie man was struggling to keep his home from foreclosure. Wally Amos is a salesman who uses flair, hype, and showmanship to convey his message.". Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. ", While "The Cookie" was supposedly the star, Amos's kindness and goodwill helped make Famous Amos successful. Still, Amos said, he had confidence that he could make his way in the world. He is about to return to the cookie business. With this remark, made by Amos after he sold his cookie business, Amos turned to the new passion in his lifelecturing on inspirational issues. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1986. [On-line] http://www.famous-amos.com (accessed on August 15, 2002). In a world of mass-produced food products, Amos seemingly hit upon the universal "soul food": the American home-style chocolate-chip cookie. "I would team up with others to build a self-contained, music-oriented entertainment company that handled recording, music publishing and personal talent management," Amos recalled in his book, The Cookie Never Crumbles. I'm especially glad that Famous Amos Cookies are now in the hands of people who love, live, and breathe great-tasting cookies." I was like a kid in a candy store!". http://www.GreatCookieComeback.com Wally Amos was the King of the Cookie Kingdom. . "He was a fun, positive personality. His company had lost millions of dollars for several consecutive years. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit LAist.com/radio. In his book, Man With No Name: Turn Lemons Into Lemonade, Amos explains how he lost Famous Amos even before it was sold it off for $63 million to a Taiwanese company in 1991. Fax: (503) 627-2406 When he sold Famous Amos in 1985, Wally . The cookies were an immediate sensation; 2,500 people to his stores opening party. In addition to being proprietor of Chip & Cookie in Kailua, the former cookie king is now a muffin mogul. He started in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency and in 1962 became the first Black talent agent in their history. Around this time, in 1970, Amos, frustrated both personally and professionally, began to soothe his nerves by making cookies like his Aunt Della had done. In 1992, President Baking Company bought Famous Amos for $61 millionmore than 55 times what Wally Amos sold his controlling stake for just a few years earlier. He began baking cookies using his Aunt Dellas recipe. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Though his cookies were popular and his name was respected, Amos was feeling a cash-flow pinch. In addition, Amos believed that the company would return the cookies that bore his name back to their original quality. However, in 1985, mismanagement forced Amos to gradually sell off parts of his company. By 1967, Amos decided to strike out on his own. Keebler also gave Amos another gift: the use of his name and face. [5] The company began to expand, and eventually, Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies could be found on supermarket shelves across the United States. Amosby then, on his third wife, kid, and cookie company, began selling self-help. (Photo: Chava Sanchez/LAist; Illustration: Elina Shatkin/LAist). Pollack, Judann. He was happy to be back in the center of the brand he started, but he also had a hard time accepting the fact that at the end of the day, he was just a paid spokesperson.. "Never been better, man! 1986: Won President's Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence. This simple, affectionate act had lasting consequences in the life of the young boy, who eventually went on to make his living from fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. [On-line] http://www.keebler.com (accessed on August 15, 2002). Most recently, he appeared on Shark Tank at age 80 pitching The Cookie Kahuna, a business that eventually failed. Amos appeared in the October 6, 2016 episode of the American television show Shark Tank seeking $50,000 funding for 20% equity of his company "Cookie Kahuna". Born in Tallahassee, Fla., Amos moved to New York City at age 12 because of his parents divorce. Hard as it is to imagine in the '90s, there was a time in America when there was no shop devoted solely to chocolate chip cookies. He was Simon & Garfunkel's first agent, he booked the Supremes' first tour. All Rights Reserved. ''In quicksand, if you start flailing all about and panicking with each movement you go in deeper, but if you just stay calm and look about, chances are you'll see a twig or something you can reach to pull yourself out. Applegate, Jane. At one point, he lost his house. ", Famous Amos opened on March 10, 1975, as a small, father-and-son operation, "He and I were together," Shawn says. But. We are very proud of our Famous Amos cookies and believe were producing high-quality, great-tasting product, she said. He later dropped out of high school to join the Air Force before working as a mailroom clerk at the William Morris Agency, where he became a talent agent, working with The Supremes, Simon & Garfunkel and Marvin Gaye before borrowing $25,000 to launch his cookie business. The Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Company was officially born in March 1975 at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Formosa Avenue in Los Angeles. "They call me Famous Amos. Success came swiftly as The Famous Amos Cookie Company sold $300,000 worth of cookies in its first year and was making $12 million in revenue by 1982. Culinary entrepreneur Wally Amos stands in front of the original Famous Amos store on Sunset Blvd. People . That year, Wally Amos launched Wally Amos Presents hazelnut cookies. But this wasn't Wally Amos's greatest creation. To Wally, setbacks were burnt cookiessacrifices on the alter of carelessness. In nine books, hundreds of speeches, and countless baking metaphors, Wally pours half-full glasses. Andy Warhol came and they had cookies and milk and champagne. He picks up a big bag of just-purchased cookies, bearing the famous Famous Amos logo and a picture of Amos himself, grinning and wearing a straw hat and colorful shirt. "I don't take things seriously," he says. Besides cookies and muffins, promoting literacy is his passion. The man who once called himself the face that launched a thousand chips told Parade magazine of his new company: Its still methe best Wally Amos I can be., Amoss self-professed love affair with the chocolate chip cookie began in his childhood. Amos even appeared in Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1977 to 1981. . Amos, who turned 71 this month, is co-founder and shareholder of Uncle Wallys Muffin Co., whose products are found in 5,000 stores nationwide, including Costco and Wal-Mart. Wally Amos will always be famous, even though he cant call himself that anymore. Its part of my philosophy, Amos explained in Parade. Leading American Businesses. The year Wally stopped selling cookies, he shaved his beard and stopped wearing hats. Wally Amos No Longer 'Famous Amos,' But He'S Back in The Chips Keeping the famous in Famous Amos, the entrepreneur made guest appearances on hit TV shows like The Jeffersons and Taxi. But he made a lot of bad decisions, his son says. In 1957, he returned to New York and joined the William Morris Agency, where he worked his way up from the mailroom to become the first black talent agent in the industry. Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 There's no darkness, there's no subterfuge there. The grand opening was a star-studded gala with over 1,500 people in attendance. He started in New York, then relocated to Los Angeles, California, nearer the show business capital of Hollywood. African American entrepreneur Wally Amos founded the Famous Amos cookie brand. Hindsight being what it is, Mr. Amos is now able to reflect philosophically on the low points. Amos never forgot those cookies. globalgrind.com, 'Dilbert' Comic Creator Calls Black People A 'Hate Group,' Urges Segregation So Whites Can 'Escape', Bernie Mac Show Star Camille Winbush Is Not Ashamed Of Joining OnlyFans, Kyle Rittenhouse Faces 2nd Civil Lawsuit, Continues To Beg For Money From His Supporters, Ben Stein's 'Aunt Jemima' Rant Is A Master Class On White Privilege, Why Did tWitch Kill Himself? I shaved my beard and stopped wearing hats.''. And though few people knew it, Mr. Amos's personal affairs were in such disarray that during the worst of it, he was 15 months behind on the mortgage for his house in Hawaii. Then he landed a job in the mailroom at the New York offices of talent agency William Morris. Thanks to his amazing promoting ability, he grew the company from $300,000 revenue in the first year to $12 million by 1982. ''We can dramatically increase distribution of the brand and that is everything from building its presence in convenience stores, mass merchandisers, obviously grocery stores and drugstores,'' Mr. Grieve of Keebler said. Did cookie kahuna go out of business? Explained by Sharing Culture Commitment kept moving me on from one point to the next. One aspect of Wally Amoss life remains consistent from one era to the next, however: his dedication to his product. In 1988 the company lost $2.5 million, and the Shansby Group purchased it for $3 million. A cookie from Famous Amos became a status symbol and its flagship store became a stop on the Hollywood scene, dazzling staid establishment figures like Stanley G. Robertson of the Los Angeles Sentinel. He reckons Chip & Cookie will shortly be as ubiquitous as the Cabbage Patch Doll was. "He's the white sheep of the family. People wondered why Amos would choose to feature such a stereotype in his title. I deal in love." By 1980 Amoss trademark Panama hat and shirt were inducted into the Smithsonian Institutions Collection of Business Americana. After about a decade of success, mismanagement forced Amos to start selling off parts of his company. Voit muokata valintojasi milloin tahansa napsauttamalla tietosuojan hallintapaneelin linkki sivustoissamme ja sovelluksissamme. That year the Shansby Group purchased Famous Amos for $3 million.