WOW! If you have watched The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, then you know what a powerhouse the man is. And, yes ladies, he is as good looking in person as he is on TV! He is genuinely interested in helping people become encouraged to fallow their dreams. I say that because I used to wonder if he was really about being a celebrity or helping people. It’s still TV and drama helps the ratings, so I found that there was some typical embellishment of numbers and stories, but at the end of the day, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I have been on numerous television programs for my success, Ananda Lewis, Dr. Phil and others, but Donny, YOU are number one!

Got some good news for you inventors who missed the American Inventor audition casting calls. Season 2 of PBS’ Everyday Edisons is starting their casting calls around the country. Their first casting call is in Atlanta Saturday, January 12th. They’ll be going to one city per month in these places: San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, and Boston.

My opinion on the show . . . for the inventor, it’s better than American Inventor. American Inventor was primarily a show for entertainment. Some of the inventors they passed were good, but many were passed only because they’d be good entertainment. Everyday Edisons seems like it actually wants to help the inventors more. And remember, people don’t watch PBS for entertainment, they watch it for education. So Everyday Edisons the show is geared around educating people how inventors go from idea to product.

If you need to know how you should prepare and what to expect, read some of our previous posts about the American Inventor auditions we went to earlier this year. Look for the ideatango representative there and sign up for our gift card giveaway. Or take a picture with our famous (or infamous) light bulb hat to have your picture posted on ideatango.com.

Stay on top of all the latest events for inventors and product developers, check out the ideatango inventor calendar. There we list upcoming events, trade shows, and things you should be paying attention to!

For anyone that subscribes to Inventors Digest - which is a must read for any inventor - be sure to look at Doug Hall’s article. Doug Hall, one of the celebrity judges on the first season of ABC’s American Inventor spoke about his experience as being one of the judges. Unfortunately for participants on the first season, Doug was picked to be the Simon Cowell-like “jerk” on the show.
In this article he confesses quite a bit about the show. For those of you who read our posts from a month back, we traveled across the country, following the American Inventor auditions to various cities. One of the things we mentioned on an earlier post was that inventors who participate in the show must remember one thing, AMERICAN INVENTOR IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. In the article, the author says, and I quote “As Hall reminds us, reality television isn’t reality - it’s entertainment. So if you inventors didn’t believe us, then at least believe a published author.

Oh yea, we launched an invitation-only version of our website, IdeaTango.com Beta. Congratulations!! Since you’re reading this, you’re automatically invited to join in. You can, register, post inventions, and request product ideas for FREE for a limited time. Check it out and let us know what you think. As we’ve said before, ideatango is designed for you.

Bryan Daigle

After going to ABC’s American Inventor auditions in Los Angeles and San Francisco, we’d like to fill all you aspiring inventors out there with some juicy details.

First, we’d like to remind everyone that American Inventor is for entertainment only. So although you may have a marketable invention, that doesn’t matter. I met plenty of people who had good inventions but were rejected. So our advice is two pronged, first, you might as well audition because it’s good practice. However, be realistic in that only 1 out of 200 people will be selected to be filmed on TV and get past the first day of interviews. If you’re rejected, keep your head up and remind yourself that the American Inventor judges are in the entertainment business, not the product development business. In fact, several people were chosen to go forward based on their eccentric personality alone, not based on the quality of their invention.

If you would like to get past the first day of interviews, here is what we’d recommend. Have an interesting story to tell. The judges loooove people with stories (i.e. veterans, firemen, teachers). If your an accountant (or other similarly boring profession), create an interesting story about how you come up with your invention. And unfortunately like much of the business world, show-offs get more attention. So if you have a knack for being in front of people, exploit it. If you’re not one to make a scene, you better learn how in order to get past the first rounds.

Probably one of the best things about auditioning is that you get to meet fellow inventors who have been in your shoes, have experienced your pain, and who you can keep in touch with for ongoing support.

We wish you all the best of luck. Whether you make it or not, you should definitely consider using ideatango.com to promote your inventions.

Look for us at the New York and Houston auditions. We’ll be there handing out snacks, stickers, and enrolling inventors in our grand opening drawing for Brookstone gift certificates.

Bryan Daigle

View Pictures from American Inventor auditions…