Sign up for NewsOne's email newsletter! 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. It took me a while to work through that. Amos drew upon his religious faith and his inherent optimism to overcome this most humiliating setback. And was promptly sued. I want to tell people that if life hands them a lemon, they can turn it into lemonade. He added: Theres a lot of wisdom and spirituality in these cookies., For his part, Amos has become wiser and more spiritual himself. 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. He quit after two years, however, and joined the U.S. Air Force in 1953 where he earned his high school diploma equivalent. Within months, Amos had opened two more franchises on the West Coast, and New York-based department store Bloomingdale's had begun selling gourmet cookies. Reality was starting to catch up, wrote Michael Ryan in Parade. who always remained true to himself," worked in Tallahassee at the local gas company. At first Amos used the Nestle's recipe printed on the side of the chocolate-chip bag. When he decided to go into the cookie business, Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy were among his backers. However, in 1985, mismanagement forced Amos to gradually sell off parts of his company. Amos, Wally, and Leroy Robinson. Mr. Amos was a rising star. In 2002, he was traveling the world promoting Uncle Wally's muffinsand himselfsince he had become a sought after inspirational In 1987, he also hosted a television series designed to teach others how to read, entitled Learn to Read, produced by Kentucky Educational Television and WXYZ-TV. Born in Tallahassee, Fla., Amos moved to New York City at age 12 because of his parents divorce. As quoted in a Black Enterprise profile from November 1992, Amos said, "I knew I had the best product; all I needed to do was to convince the public of something I already knew.". [14], In 2020, Content Media Group released a documentary on the life of Wally Amos, The Great Cookie Comeback: reBaking Wally Amos. In addition to being proprietor of Chip & Cookie in Kailua, the former cookie king is now a muffin mogul. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit LAist.com/radio. Business Leader Profiles for Students. But hes hardly struggling. I was stupid, plain and simple. ." At one point, he lost his house. In 1999, Keebler approached Amos to help promote Famous Amos, and he happily agreed. He has a thing for baked goods, specifically, cookies. He is undiscourageable. We are very proud of our Famous Amos cookies and believe were producing high-quality, great-tasting product, she said. Will Orange County's Fledgling Clean Power Agency Survive? Amos never forgot those cookies. "Spoiled Famous Amos; Now He's the Muffin Man." But the reason is that theyve told themselves they cant. He had also started baking small chocolate chip cookies to give to clients and friends as a way of saying hello or thank you. Yet his legacy as a barrier-breaking entrepreneur remains. The father of four, he continues his work as a spokesperson for Literacy Volunteers of America, and one precent of pretax profits of Uncle Nonam cookies are donated to the support of Cities in Schools, a national dropout-prevention program of which he is a member of the board of directors. And what it says about the 'Land Back' movement. ''Certainly Wally Amos carries the namesake, so it was an obvious place to look'' for a spokesman, said Bruce Grieve, Keebler's vice president for new-business development. ". He frequently travels, giving motivational speeches or working on behalf of charities like Literacy Volunteers of America, of which he is spokesman. Besides cookies and muffins, promoting literacy is his passion. . window.__mirage2 = {petok:"DAWbIiPtfTtFzY4CfwZ6UTAwi.hV.E5y1C9rowz8sW8-86400-0"}; Grab a bag and show up and have cookies. I shaved my beard and stopped wearing hats.''. "They better take good care of it, 'cause they'll never get another one.". I realized that I could still be in the same situation 10 years from then., Amos borrowed $25,000 from Marvin Gaye, Helen Reddy and her husband Jeff Wald, and United Artists Records president Artie Mogull. After a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force, Amos returned to New York in 1957. Famous Amos was the real star of the brand, appearing on packaging and merchandise in his signature straw hat and embroidered cotton shirt. He used to hand out cookies with abandon. Ironically, Amoss tireless promotion of his cookies helped to fuel sales of them long after he left the companyeven when he suggested that they were no longer made from his recipe. It was from his aunt Della Bryant, who would bake cookies for him, that Amos later developed his chocolate chip cookie recipe.[1]. And he really, really cared about people.". . ''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. Amos, the former talent agent, became a star in his own right. Amos and his cookie empire enjoyed a decade of success. Kun kytt sivustojamme ja sovelluksiamme, kytmme, tarjotaksemme sivustomme ja sovelluksemme sinulle, todentaaksemme kyttjt, estksemme roskapostia ja vrinkytksi sek toteuttaaksemme tietoturvatoimia. (714) 645-1395 Amos has married three times, first in 1958. Leading American Businesses. He had enormous enthusiasm for his products, and he used his boundless energy and personal popularity to promote them. By the time the Bass Brothers of Fort Worth, Texas, came on the scene in 1985, the company founder was in serious financial trouble. Profits increased. "When Ray came to the studio, he told me the year we opened the store, in '75, was when he first moved to L.A. Amos, Wally, Eden-Lee Murray, and Neale Donald Walsch. People . Mr. Amos is happy to do his part. In 1967 Amos decided to leave William Morris to manage the career of South African trumpeter Hugh Masakela. Lower Lake: Aslan, 1994. It doesn't honor a movie star or a musician. Watermelon Magic: Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life. I enjoy making cookies, he told Ebony. Telephone: (816) 502-4000 "He just exuded light," his son says. Cookies made him famous, but Amos has his own take: I want to be known as a guy who cared about people. Perhaps Dennis Kimbro and Napoleon Hill of Black Enterprise said it best when describing Amos: "Some call him a promoter, others say he is a public relations wizardbut neither title adequately describes what he does best. What have you put in your dash?". Tietosuojakytnnstmme ja evstekytnnstmme voit lukea lis siit, miten kytmme henkiltietojasi. His store also became a haven for Hollywood hopefuls in what was then a rough area around Sunset Blvd. It was a huge honor and one he would never forget; yet it had come, ironically, after Amos had been forced to sell his company. Franchises followed. Theyve said I am a victim. The company, based in Shirley, N.Y., expects to produce 250 million muffins this year and 1 billion muffins annually by 2010. He found his "dream location" at the old House of Pies on the Sunset Strip and began to renovate it with an eye toward a March 1975 grand opening. Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Company. He began mixing up a new idea. Wallace "Wally" Amos, Jr. (born July 1, 1936) is an American television personality, entrepreneur, and author from Tallahassee, Florida. At the same time, he moved to New York City to live with his mother's sister, Della. Amos started baking to console himself, since cookies always made him feel better. Amos even appeared in Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1977 to 1981. His responsibilities were diminished to the point that he became no more than a spokesperson for the brand name. Encyclopedia.com. ." . Web site: http://www., Wallmoden, Amalie Sophie Marianne (17041765), Walpole, Horace William, 4th Earl of Orford, https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/amos-wally-1937, https://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/trade-magazines/amos-wally, https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/economics-magazines/amos-wally, Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Company. He is about to return to the cookie business. All Rights Reserved. I think its bordering on being fanatical.. I didn't have a good management team . LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. By 1985, Famous Amos reported a $300,000 loss on sales of $10 million. The historical marker in front of 7181 Sunset Blvd. Amos elevated a product that was seen as an everyday item into a gourmet experience, says Szewczyk. The man who created the Famous Amos cookie empire and eventually lost ownership of the company as well as the rights to use the catchy name is now running a modest cookie shop in Hawaii. Returning to New York City, Amos went to college to become a secretary, and after graduating, took a mailroom clerk job with the William Morris Agency. When Wally tried to start a new companyWally Amos Presents: Chip & Cookiea federal judge told him hed sold away the rights to use his name. "He would bring them with him to pitch meetings, the recording studio, to the soundstages, to executives' offices," his son Shawn explains. In 1985, Amos sold a majority stake to Bass Brothers Enterprises for $1.1 million. The Cookie Never Crumbles: Inspirational Recipes for Everyday Living. The Famous Amos Story: The Face That Launched a Thousand Chips. Like our content? How much did Wally Amos sell his company for? Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies, as seen in an alternate universe. By the time Amos started his own LA talent agency, his roster was chockablock with sixties swagger: Diana Ross & the Supremes, Sam Cook, and Simon & Garfunkel were all friends. In 1951 Amos moved in with his mother and grandmother, who had also moved to Manhattan. My heart left the company in 1985, Amos told Forbes. He brought them to meetings and gatherings, always getting enthusiastic praise. It is now facing changing demographics and gentrification. As an. Amos is also the author of four books: the autobiographical volume The Famous Amos Story: The Face That Launched a Thousand Chips (1983), the motivational work The Power in You: Ten Secret Ingredients for Inner Strength (1988), The Man with No Name (1994), and Watermelon Magic: Seeds of Wisdom. In 1998, the Keebler Company purchased the Famous Amos brand, and Amos resumed his role as the brand's spokesperson. Having your face or company named after you, you cant take that to the bank. "Amos! Over the next few years, Amos headed the agency's newly formed rock 'n' roll department, where he worked with Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke. He was a pretty brilliant marketer. "He was a fun, positive personality. 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. "My dad is a master showman," Shawn says. 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. He represented musicians such as The Temptations, Sam Cooke, and Marvin Gaye. If I can eat it, I can sell it.. Keebler acquired the brand last year, becoming its fifth owner. A Famous Cookie And a Face to Match; How Wally Amos Got His Hand And His Name Back in the Game, https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/03/business/famous-cookie-face-match-wally-amos-got-his-hand-his-name-back-game.html. Amosby then, on his third wife, kid, and cookie company, began selling self-help. I thought, if you could just get Saddam Hussein and George Bush together over a bowl of cookies and milk, they'd solve this thing. Why did Wally Amos lose his company? 1996: Uncle Noname released line of low-fat baked goods. They cant. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. After spending several years in New York City, Amos dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Air Force, where he earned his G.E.D. And so Wally, relentlessly optimistic, raised a little cash from Marvin Gaye and a few other friends and set up shop. A Spirit Magazine reporter who visited Wally in 2013 nonetheless found the 77 year old in good spirits. He has a net worth of $20,000. I'm especially glad that Famous Amos Cookies are now in the hands of people who love, live, and breathe great-tasting cookies." . As an agent, he signed .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Simon & Garfunkel and headed the agency's rock 'n' roll department. Contemporary Black Biography. [10][failed verification] A Famous Amos distributor at the time, Lou Avignone, heard Amos on a local radio talk show and, inspired by Amos' story of his early business success with Famous Amos and his spirit, contacted Amos with the idea for starting a new business. I believe, along with many others, that you must first ask for what you want before you can have it. I think it's more than a fetish. He created a massive global brandFamous Amos Cookiesand then lost it all.vMost cookie lovers don't know he hasn't been part of that company for almost 30 years.It was a devastating loss, but one he takes full responsibility for.