Congrats on actaully getting in and pitchin your ideas! You are very lucky to be near an audition! Iwish they would've come to nashville...

Bakespeople represent!

Mar-y! Mar-y! Mar-y!

Do you think the whole process is worth it? I am planning on attending Atlanta. Do you have any tips? Thanks so much.

"Worth it" is a hard question -- it was for me because I was most interested in meeting other inventors and seeing the scene. Getting on the show was a far-fetched bonus, and having one of my inventions picked up is not even really in my daydreams. The judges were nice, the other contestents were interesting, so it was worth it for me.

Tips (n.b.: you don't know if these are tips from a successful or unsuccessful applicant):

1) Practice your pitch! I did it with the 500+ other inventors but you may want to do it with family or even by your self. This meant I didn't forget as much when I pitched to them and was a lot less nervous, so it was more fun!

2) Use simple visuals -- I wouldn't have wanted to hassle with a PowerPoint or something -- paper was perfect for me -- but it definitely made it easier for me to get more into those 2 minutes.

3) Bring something to read or do, like playing cards, a book, or whatever. I brought my lap top and there was WiFi, so that was good for me. I was also very glad to have my pens and paper so I could draw to amuse myself. You might also want some snacks, depending on what's close by. They did seem to let the kids go earlier in the day, so that was good, because they would have been bored out of their goards.

A few of us where thinking that we could have rented a room in the hotel where the auditions were held, and by the time we had split the cost 5 ways or whatever, it wouldn't have cost that much and we definitely would have been more comfortable. We could have taken shifts in the waiting area and called the rest when our numbers got close. But this depends in part on finding 5 people you'd like to hang out with in a hotel room for 10 hours. Still, if I had to do it over again, this is one thing I'd definitely consider, and if I had a bunch of money, I'd definitely get myself a room.

Good luck, and have fun!

Thanks so much for your help. Maybe we will both see each other on the show. By the way- my name is Mary too. Hmmmmm, maybe there's something about Mary.

MARY...YOU'RE AWESOME! Now that I know more about the process, I'm not as nervous. Some other message boards are saying not to audition because of the consent they make you sign. I'm checking the AI website each day to see if they have posted the hotel in ATL yet. They still haven't posted the place in Denver, I think, and it's next week! Any other nuggets of info would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Aw -- thanks! -- OK here's one more tip -- odds are you don't need it if you're busily preparing yourself by reading message boards and googling -- but a lot of people hadn't filled out an individual form for each of their inventions. Don't forget to do that! They had extra forms for us there, and you'll have plenty of time to do them in line, but I saw that some people were really slowed down by not having done them, and it slowed us down when we came up with our team invention while in line.

On the consent form: If you're a serious inventor, the kind who invests a bunch of money and time and you really think you might have something, then you should probably get an attorney to look at it. But again, for me, it's not that big a deal. I'm so totally not quitting my day job to sell Scrunci Undies.

My son and I flew down from Seattle for the San Francisco audition. My biggest concern was getting in near the front of the line and not the presentation itself. As mentioned above the judges were nice but I wonder how they were at the end of a long high energy day. (Anybody know when it ended and how many got in?)Was it worth it? You bet. What an oportunity! Guarantees? None! And as far as protecting you're rights I, personnally, would not have been comfortable going in without having a patent. If you don't have a patent be sure you have a lab notebook of your development from day one with witness signatures. This is not bullet proof by any means but it does give you a measure of protection. A good resource for all inventors starting out is "Patent It Yourself" by David Pressman. I highly recommend that you go in with some friends if you buy it due to the cost ($60 in 1997) but also because you'll want someone to take it off your hands for a while. It can be mind numbing. Well laid out detailed info. Chapter 3 covers the documentation that is crucial from the get go. It will also give you a much better feel for the patent process and your knowledge will allow you to deal with a patent lawyer on more even ground. Also, for those who don't know, you can go on line and do your own preliminary search for prior art. www.uspto.gov (United States Patent & Trademark Office)will allow you to get a feel for the "unobviousness" of your idea and may save you some time and money. And on the other hand it may say you have a shot. Knowledge is power! Educate yourself about the process and improve your chances.

Enjoy the journey!

Hello,

I have a quick question. If I pitch two ideas, will I have two minutes each, or is it two minutes total.

Thanks

Two total -- otherwise they'd be there for days. They didn't keep the strictest time, but I wouldn't count on it. After you present for two minutes, then they talk to you about the invention and yourself, that's the time to bring in any backstory and details.

How strict is the 2 minute limit? I don't seem to be able to express my idea on less than 4 minutes. Is someone going to cut me off half way through?

I wouldn't count on them giving you longer, but they were not too strict with me (there didn't seem to be anyone assigned to keeping time, but I could be wrong). The main thing is, though, in my opinion, you really want to be thinking about your "elevator pitch" -- the best way to get someone interested in even the first 30 seconds, or the first sentence. Have you tried using visuals of some kind? Also, the more time you take to pitch, the less time they will have for their questions and any time you are presenting to an audience, I think they will find the answers to their questions more compelling that what you think it mose important. To me, four minutes seems like kind of a long time. But you really shouldn't take me as any kind of authority, and they did not cut me off.

I plan on flying to Atlanta from Texas to audition for the American Inventor. How come the location for the audition has not been posted? There is nothing like flying in 10 days and not knowing what to expect or WHERE to go to audition. Anyone have suggestions? It will be costly to fly out.... do you think it will be packed out?
Thanks,

All I can say is ... GOOD LUCK!

I auditioned in Chicago. I believe the best estimation of the American Inventor show, is that it is 'show business'. They don't actually care about our rights to our ideas, and give 'ZERO' guarnatees that your stuff won't be taken if we audition without a 'PATENT'. By the way, our agreement (signed) states that we are NOT to show our product anywhere prior to the show, otherwise, we will be disqualified from the contest. Numerous people left when they realized that their ideas would not be protected for them, and may not be patentable, once it was disclosed to the public. I sugguest that anyone who is planning on auditioning, at least get a patent application IN so you hold a 'patent-pending'. It could make all the difference in the world if big business wants to produce your product! All-in-all, I think it will all be in good fun. I guess I feel "So what if I'm 'HUMILIATED' on national/internaltional television. At least I can say I WAS THERE." (teehee). We are your true blue Americans, wanting to share our nerdy thought processes with you. What better entertainment is there... I mean really. I bet you say at least ONCE, I thought of that TOO! Or, what a Great Idea!

Im going to Atlanta from Michigan. Did you really have to wait in line for 12 hours??? I can't imangine. What time did you arrive? It says not before 6:am. Is that true? I would love some information. Did some people not even get in? How late did it run? So glad to have some answers. Good luck to all.

My blog entries on my audition answer your questions, but in any case, the wait was 12 hours, but much of it was in hotel rooms, and not in line. I believe that everyone who arrived before the cut off time of 8 am (??) was seen. I was seen at 7:30 pm and there were a few people after me. They may have refined their process by now, however -- I think I read somewhere that they weren't expecting as many people as showed up.

Regarding patent issues: Good points. I really haven't paid much attention to my legal rights in this process, but I agree that those who take their inventions seriously should. Given that I've blogged all my inventions, it may well be that I am already disqualified, and I may find my ability to obtain a patent for air freshening skunks is compromised ... *sigh*

We showed up at the hotel for the SF audition at 5 a.m. and ended up playing cat and mouse with staff who wouldn't let us line up early. There were already about 10 people there at the time and by 6 a.m. another 20-30 had shown up. Eventually we were 21st in line, excluding the kids, and ended up giving our presentation by about 11 a.m. It sucked getting up early but it was nice walking out the door prior to noon.

As far as your rights go: it's up to you to care. If you have a good idea and no protection somebody will be glad to take it off your hands for free. It may be TV but it's also business and nobody loves you.

please see Janie's good comments here also (scroll down -- she commented on my semi-old entry with an account of her experiences as an applicant).

I love hearing about other people's experiences, and I gather other people do, too, so thanks, and keep them coming!

I attended the New York event.
I arrived at 4.30 and there were 2 people ahead of me. The person at the head of the line had been there for 20 hours. The parking police came by and he had to move his car just as we were let into the building at 6am.
I was finished with my presentation by 9.30

It was really cold in NY.

Michael

I just auditioned today in Washington DC. I can't believe it, but I was FIRST in line!!!

I arrived at the facility at 3:50am, and stood out in the COLD until 5:00am. They let us in at five, but they didnt start until about 9:40am though. The experience was pretty good, and I met some interesting inventors. The judges said they liked both of my inventions. Hopefully I will get a call back.

Take care

Great information. I preprared all week and did have to copy and paste screenshots of the stupid form in order to type it out. I DO have a patent and a great, marketable product (I am just about to manufacture) that would be great for retail. With so many people who knows how I would have done, but at the last minute I decided to bag the show. If you read the consent form closely, as did my attorney, you DO NOT want to sign it as an aspiring inventor OR patent holder. Even with a patent there are no guarantees to property rights, as stated in "I see no reason why rights cannot be completely signed over to the Producer." I have too much time invested in this to give it to a Hollywood schmuck. And for the comments about defamation, I could lose my job if Simon decides to badmouth me on public TV. Too much risk, very little reward. No thanks.

And another few things...this is a TV show, ABC is not in the product manufacturing business. One thing that seemed odd is that you have NO idea who the "sponsors" are! So suddenly, they have 3000 people sign over their ideas for FREE!!! Show or no show, the "sponsors" have 3000 possible new products to market, but not mine. Also, because it IS television, I would hazard a guess that some 8-yr-old kid will go all the way, gets more viewers. I just can't help but think of the TV "marketability" angle overpowering the product side. I started then doing the math and as a finalist $50K is not worth the risk. $1M yes, but again, longshot and unless you are the profile they are looking for, impossible. I really hope those folks that are serious are careful and I too recommend a self-acquired patent. Good luck!

In the creation of a product the idea and the patent are only 5% of the total value. Visibility and the ability to execute the product vision into a sale is 95% of the path. An aspiring inventor OR patent holder WOULD WANT to sign the agreement in order to get visibility, have fun, and have product realized. I doubt I will evey buy a product invented by people that do not risk exposure! I do recommend a self-acquired patent, however, there will always be risk in invention.

Thanks for all the great comments. Im off to Atlanta from Michigan tommorow. A little scarry with all the leagel babble stuff. I have no patent or prototype, but of course a great idea. he he don't we all... I can't beleive how early you started the day. Im planning on 5:30 am and hope GA is not cold. It was 1 degrees and we have about 8 inches of snow here. Im sure Atlanta will feel warm. Well good luck to all. Did they say call backs would be a week or two after the GA show?

I think I'm inclined to agree with Bradford that publicity is priceless.

I can't believe we have the first person line line commenting here -- you should get a t-shirt or something for that!

We were told in San Francisco that call backs would be in 6-8 weeks, and I don't know if other locations are getting notices that they'll hear from them sooner (that is, if the call back schedule is absolute or relative). Anyone from the other locations want to comment?

When I heard about this program and "Made in the USA" I said it was about time opportunities like this came along for the small inventor. The give and take on message boards like this is priceless and I believe many small, possibly first time inventors, are learning more about the process. It is not easy and is usually quite costly but, if you truly believe in your idea then go after it. You also need to understand that the odds are stacked against you. The author of "Patent it Yourself" states that "... less than one out of ten patented inventions make any money for their owners..." (pg 4/2 6th ed.) Notice he says "any money".If you ask anyone involved in selling new products they'll tell you the idea is the easy part. Marketing is where it's at (remember the Pet Rock?) and that is where Bradford's comments above are so important.It's all about exposure and this show has the potential for exposure around the world. But if you are going to get in the game protect yourself. This country awards patents on a first to conceive basis and this where maintaining a lab notebook of your idea from the start,continuing throughout development; signed,dated and WITNESSED is so critical. A Provisional Patent is on a similar level as the notebook, basically documenting conception of the idea.The next level of protection is Patent Pending and then being awarded a Patent. Forget about becoming rich with your idea, educate youself about all aspects of the process and remain objective. It's like climbing Everest without oxygen. It's almost impossible but it can be done so enjoy the journey and you will set yourself apart from those not willing to take a risk.
And if you just want to be on TV then have a good time.

I drove down from Philly and auditioned in DC on December 11th and was number 8 in line of around 300 people. I arrived around 5am and I'm very glad I did. The security was extemely tight as we were only 1 block away from the White House.

My judges were Daniel Soiseth (Producer) and Don Kelly (Commissioner of the U.S. Patent and Trade Mark Office) and some unknown woman. They were very nice and Dan seemed to really like my idea. Although he may have been like that to everyone it made me feel pretty good.

I doubt that my idea had much chance of winning considering the thousands of applicants but if I get the exposure on TV it could be well worth the effort.

Despite the difficulty of getting up early and waiting in line for hours I really enjoyed the experience. I was nervous going in but I felt great about it afterward.

I love that ABC is attempting this show but I wonder if the complex legal issues of patents and ownership will be handled in a fair manner.

Your chances of getting your product to maket on this show are surely better than those late night 800 number TV inventor infomercial companies.

I noticed that they cancelled the Austin, TX auditions. Maybe they have more than enough people already.

Good luck to all who applied.
Mike

This is the best message board for AI. The people I had look over the contact said there is no way they would sign it. Have you guys heard about The History Channel's invention "quest"? Check out thier website. How did ATL auditions go? I was talked out of going and was bummed out all day today thinking that I wanted to be there (and I live in ATL so it would've been easy to go). If the show's a hit, it'll probably be back next year. I can't wait to see how this whole thing shakes out. GREAT COMMENTS FROM ALL...KEEP 'EM COMING!!

I agree, this link is awesome. I have also created a link, that will hopefully chronicle my experience with AI auditions, and anything that may happen beyond it. Thanks to Mary to be the first on the web to really give an idea of what was going on with auditions. It helped me a lot in NY. And, frankly, I wonder why more people in NY hadn't thought about surfingt the web for info. It always amazes me.

I also believe I have a great product. It has a patent. And I've had that patent for over 10 years now because it is VERY expensive to go it alone, produce a product, then market it etc. The truth is, an idea is only as good as who gets to see it. Yes, the contract sucked a bit. But, the way I read it, you maintain rights until you make the final 8 cut. And which point, the eposure itself is worth the risk. And... even if you don't make it past that point, the producers have the right to license your product. Here's the big question. For how much? What percent? That was not disclosed, but would have to be at some point before you make it to the final 8. At which point, the legality of the document makes it very difficult to understand if you can opt out of making it to the final 8 if you don't like the deal.

Either way, for me at least, I haven't had the time or money to take my idea beyond the patent stage. And I actually have a few connections in the advertising/marketing world that you would think could help. Truth is, nobody want to take an idea. They want a finished, marketable, and somwhat proven product. That means upfront money, and risk. That's why I took a shot at AI. And why I hope I make it on the show. Hopefully, if things work out, you'll see my product and I'll write about it on the below blog. And it will be linked on theworldssmartest.com

So here's to everyone who understand the risks, and is willing to put their idea out there and give it a shot. And here's to those who have an amazing idea and have what it takes to bring it to market on their own. Just... don't spend your life savings on any idea until you've done a little down and dirty research amongst friends, family. And then a desktop patent search (which anyone can do for free) at uspto.org. good luck.

http://americaninventor.blogspot.com/

I just got back from the Atlanta audition.

Drove up Tuesday from Florida and stayed across the street from Turner field. Drove around the city that evening to make sure I could find everything the next morning, like parking and the America's Mart. Parked in bldg 2 and walked around to see where they were holding auditions. It was right in front and really easy to find.

I went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the night going over my pitch. Got up at 4:45am, got ready, and checked out by 5:30. It took me 5 minutes to drive into the city at that hour and I parked in bldg 2. It was a little chilly (and I'm from Florida) so I decided to wait until 6am before venturing out, even though the security guard told me the night before they were expecting a large turnout. I was really worried that we'd be standing outside in the cold. At 6 I walked to bldg 1 and found the first waiting area. It was inside, out of the weather, and would hold several hundred people easily.

They were handing out numbered raffle tickets that represented your place in line, that way you could wander around, go to Starbucks, use the bathroom, etc. I was 5419 and they started counting at around 5340 so that made me about 79th in line for registration. They didn't start registration until around 8 am and once they did it took another couple hours to get to the registration people. Before that they had the crowd cheer and yell Atlanta a few times while the cameras rolled.

Registration was simple. They took you papers, took your picture, and presented you with a numbered wristband that would be your contestant number for as long as you remained in the competition. After that it was more waiting. There were lots of interesting devices hidden under towels, tin foil, and people's coats. And of course there were also lots of nice people, and lots of curiosity about what would happen next.

It was a little humorous to watch the roving eyes and guarded secrecy people had on their faces. There was a writer from Wired magazine trying to get people to explain their inventions AND MOST DID!! The things people to for press. Because of this I overheard several interesting ideas, some of them even marketable, but nothing really earth shaking.

There were lots of people there at every stage of inventing. People that had patented products they were already actively producing and marketing, people who had prototypes but no funding, people who just had ideas, and people who didn't even really have ideas, they just wanted to be on television. Some of the people with finished products actually left before registering once they read the contract more carefully (they came not knowing they would basically be giving away rights to their product if they progressed far enough.)

While waiting we talked to Tony, an obviously important, quasi-bouncer looking guy who was an assistant producer or something. He answered some of our questions (the ones he could) and skirted the rest.

Acording to Tony none of the initial multi-city auditions were meant to be aired, they are purely a screening process to get the thousands down to about a hundred or so. The hundred would be contacted in 6-8 weeks to let them know they've made it to the Regionals. Portions of the Regionals would be aired and that's where we'll hear "congratulations, you're going to Hollywood" and the hundred will become 30ish.

Once in LA the thirtyish would be further narrowed (and Tony said there would be some "twists" although he was tight lipped with details). The thirtyish would then become nine. At that point America would take over with the voting, but because ABC/Disney would then own the rights to the nine they weren't terribly concerned with who won overall. Tony didn't say that, I did, but he made it clear that the goal was meant to be a win-win situation where the network would benefit from owning the ideas but that the other eight inventors would also stand to profit just as some of the runner up Idols did. He also said that unlike Idol, where there was a great deal of popularity contest going on, the goal for Inventor was to retain / eliminate people based solely on the merit of their ideas. The network wanted everyone to do well, and wasn't out to humiliate or destroy anyone for entertainment value. He was very genuine.

Right around noontime they called four consecutive wristband numbers into waiting area three, one of which was my number. I was a little worried that I'd be pitching right before lunch when the judge(s) were hungry, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. I thought about bringing a sandwich as a bribe, but decided that might not be prudent.

I sat in area three going over the pitch in my head, but only had about 60 seconds because they called my name and told me to go into one of the rooms first. Apparently they had split the judges into their own rooms so that there was one judge per room, that way they could get through everyone faster (the Texas audition had been cancelled, plus this was the last audition for the show, so they expected a large turnout.)

My room had a man sitting in the middle, an assistant with a laptop to his right, a camera man, and a table and chair for me to sit at. If someone introduced my judge I missed it (I was pretty nervous) so I just sat and waited while he read through my invention packet which described my idea. He eventually raised his eyebrows, looked up, and said "wow, this really sounds great, let's hear more about it." His tone was extremely friendly and it felt very informal. I had pictured them standing us in front of a backdrop and grilling us as they did on Idol, but this was nothing like that, so it threw me off a little. Maybe that comes later.

I basically dropped the pitch I had spent hours memorizing the night before and just winged it. I knew I would do that, I'm most comfortable presenting that way at work. I froze up a little in the middle and apologized for being nervous. He was very nice, prompting me with questions which succeeded in getting me rolling again. I had presence of mind enough to cover all the important points and answer all his questions. I was very satisfied that I had communicated the idea completely. After auditioning some of the other inventors had commented how their judge(s) had "glassed over" at the two minute mark. I saw no glassy looks and even noticed that I had the attention of the cameraman and the assistant. After three or four minutes I finished and almost thought I saw disappointment on their faces that there wasn't more. His final comments were that this was a "really great idea, a big idea" that he "totally got it" and saw tremendous potential. He then thanked me very genuinely for coming to the audition (actually I think he thanked me again once or twice on my way out of the room.)

Whether the judges are making a concerted effort to be very positive to everyone, or whether my idea really was as good as I believe it to be, I left walking on air.

I'm very hopeful that I'll at least get a call back for the Regionals, but if not that's okay. It was a really neat experience and I don't regret at all spending the time or money to travel to Atlanta to participate. The way I figure, if something happens, great! If not then I still have my day job, and I'm not banking my future on this. I really have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so... as long as they'll have me I'll just continue to have fun!

Speculation on the "Bell Curve"

As with almost everything I'm guessing that the distribution of inventors and ideas will fall into a bell curve. There will be a small group of total nuts and/or bad ideas, a large group of mediocre ideas, a large group of good ideas, and a small group of potential winners.

I'm also guessing that since portions of the Regionals are to be aired they will pick a few people from across the bell curve to retain entertainment value, but make sure most or all of the potential winners are included in the 100. During the process where they weed the 100 down to 30 they will eliminate those not in the top ideas. This elimination process will probably be the first third of the show and the most humorous.

Once they have their 30 they will throw in a few twists like they did on Idol, possibly pairing people up or creating invention teams to tackle problems. The producers still hold the power of elimination at that point so they still have ultimate control over who stays and who leaves. This will probably be the middle third of the show and be fairly emotional and high pressure.

The final part of the show will be the 30 slimming down to the 9, the money, the development of the inventions, infomercials, and America voting. This will be the last third and the most stressful, exciting, and rewarding.

Even if I don't make it to the next step I can guarantee that I'll be glued to ABC for this series. The promise of kooky inventions and kookier inventors, following their progress, seeing the final nine best ideas in the country, and seeing the real American dream come true will be thrilling. Not the American dream of fame or pop stardom, but the American dream of invention, innovation, perspiration, and personal success.

Man, I can't wait!

Great info Darren on ATL. I also just got back and thought it was a fun experience. Wow, there were som funny ones there. I was there at 5:30 and in the building by 5:30. I was number 348, and done by 10:00 am. It was very nice, considering I thought I would be there for 12 hours or more. I think they got more organized along the way.

I too had only one judge ( the lady with curly hair) Did anyone remember her name? Steinberg or something. She was nice, but I was a wreck. Very nervous and also just decided to wing it all and ended up not even coverning 80% of my info. I wish I could do it again!

Tony said that they would have about 300 or so call backs for regionals. Im sure they will have a few crazy's, afterall this is show biz! I loved meeting everyone and can't wait to hear if anyone gets a call. Lets keep this site up and thanks to MARY for her great board. I also heard 6-8 weeks but they would be mid to end Jan for regionals.

Good luck to all!

great summation. my experience was very, very similar, except NYC was a bit colder. I also had about 4 minutes to present. They genuinely seemed to like my idea, and I think you're correct in your "bell curve" theory. I got the same basic topline info from one of the PAs on the show. Although, everything was very guarded and I'm not really sure how much truly knew.

Now, it's a waiting game. I had heard we could hear something before the end of the year, if you hear anything at all. I can't wait to read the first post of people saying they got the call, and they made it. I wonder if they'll fly all 100 regional finalists to LA for auditions or if they'll do an East Coast West Coast sort of thing.

For what it's worth, if anyone from AI is reading this, I hope the twists they do go beyond just the basic inventions each contestant presented. I would love to see them put each inventor to the test to come up with something else, on the spot, that is marketable. I think there's an opportunity not to just find one great invention, but to create an "american inventor" that becomes marketable beyond the single product. That's the reality TV show angle I'm interested in seeing how they play up. I mean, who knows, if you make it all the way, you make have the pleasure of showing up on the Surreal world someday - lol.

Good luck to all. Keep up the conversation. And never stop inventing.

I too went to Wednesday's Atlanta audition. And I don't have too much to say to what Darren posts above.

I was raffle ticket number 5438, so I guess that made me 98th in line. I ended up with number 1907, let's hope it ends up being lucky for me.

I am trying to establish a on-line community with the inventors of American Inventor. I have a blog and am collecting email addresses. Please drop in and join the group.

http://mousetrapsclub.blogspot.com/

Of course I will keep checking in on the blog.

Mary, I love the way you think. I definately want to talk to you about my sitcom pilot/concept "Mouse Traps".

Steve

I was also in Atlanta, just behind Maria. It was nice to know someone when I got there. Thanks to you Mary. I drove up from Florida. Its funny, besides all the legal business everyone is talking about, I thought the whole process was a blast. I had so much fun talking about my invention. They seemed to like it, but thats the way everyone felt. I am just glad I took a risk and will not beat myself up for not going, though I have no desire to be on TV. I will be very anxious to see if anyone here gets called back. Good luck to everyone and I will be checking this blog frequently to see what happens.
Mary

I also think it would be very interesting to see the contestants participate in challenges and try to come up with solutions and inventions on the spot, however, I specifically asked and Tony assured me that people would make it to the finals based solely on the merit of their idea. He said there would be twists but wouldn't go any further than that.

Personally, I'm assuming that means they won't eliminate people with awesome ideas just because they couldn't come up with a new invention on the spot. Instead I'm guessing that the twists might be along the lines of putting an inventor into a boardroom to head up a group of R&D people to further develop that inventor's own idea. That way you give them a challenge and see how they handle themselves, yet they are not asked to do anything they wouldn't already need to do to make their invention a success. That's really what the $50k would be for, or developing an infomercial, etc. All challenges and tasks that the inventor would need to do for their own idea anyway, yet challenging and things the public would be interested in watching.

The only other "twist" I can think of that might be even more interesting would be if one inventor was put in charge of developing certain aspects of another inventor's idea, like marketing, testing, critqueing. Although, to me that would seem to present some problems like inventors sabotaging each other or later claiming they had a part in the development of someone else's product and therefore a stake in the profits.

I obviously don't know for sure, and to be honest I hate to speculate because I think it will be alot more fun to just sit back and see what happens!

Oh, and as for the 100... or the 300... or whatever it is that go to the regionals... Tony said "about 100" but wasn't clear whether that meant 100 from each city or 100 from all cities combined or what. I assumed it was combined because if it was 100 from each then they're looking at another audition of 600-800 that would need to be narrowed down to 30ish for hollywood. Maybe it's 300 like Maria said but that's all cities combined? That sounds reasonable.

Hey! thanks for the thanks, and for sharing all your experiences! It just goes to show, even those of us who are protective of our inventions are still willing to help one another out ...

I agree that it would be super fun to hear from someone who got called in, but I wonder what kind of gag they put on you once you become a truly chosen one? (You can tell I haven't read the contract as closely as some of you :)

Darren -- wonderful, detailed account -- loved reading it -- thanks.

I'll look forward to future posts on http://americaninventor.blogspot.com, inventman!

Steve -- the TV show sounds great -- I love the title, "mouse trap club"

I think I'd better do a blog entry with a round up of the various inventor blogs out there, eh?

I wonder if the curly haired "Steinburg" was the lovely Ms. Bronstein? (scroll down a bit).

Curly haired blonde woman was Liz Bronstein. I had the pleasure of auditioning for her.

Thoughts on the "Bell Curve Distribution" comment. After attending the Chicago audition I'd have to disagree with what would normally be sound reasoning. Meaning, we must add the I just want to be on TV people to the "totaly nutty" croud. I saw lots of show biz wannabes in Chicago. I also saw lots of (to be kind) less than promising ideas.

I estimated the Chicago croud at about 400. From that its safe to knock off 150 as friends or family. That leaves 250. We know that roughly 1-100 patents make money. This means that it's likely (and let's be very conservative)that only 10 ideas merit serious consideration.

The real X-factor lies in demographics required to produce an interesting show. Are they,(for example)interested in having a laugh at the expense of some contestants? Or perhaps, do they need X-n of kids, women or ethnic minorities? If any of these things are true, would they willingly scrap the roughly 80 good ideas to meet said requirements?

Yes, I agree about the "I just want to be on tv" people... I saw several in Atlanta. I also saw several of those less than promising ideas you talked about. Those things were part of what made it all so much fun.

Not sure those estimates are accurate about the number of viable, money making patents that showed up for auditions though. I have a feeling the intimidation factor of being on tv might have deterred some inventors with less confidence in their ideas. Although, could be the wanna be on tv folks make up for that, so you could be right on with your estimate. We'll know in a few weeks.

As for the producers trading good ideas for entertainment value I highly doubt it. I think top inventions offer more money making potential than advertising or merchandising revenue. I find it hard to believe that ABC/Disney would have developed a contract that provided them rights to the top 9 most promising inventions in the country and then throw 80% of those opportunities away for a couple rating points.

I auditioned in Denver. Denver had app. 260-280 people auditioning (according to the local paper). Yesterday's paper had an article about a guy who was also interviewed for the paper on the day of the auditions (Dec. 1st). The article went on to say how he had gotten a call back on Dec. 14th from somebody from AI. They had asked him more about his background. Asked him to fill more forms and asked/told him they were going to do a background check on him. It did not say that he was selected to move to the regionals. His product is all-terrain rollerblades of sort. It was shown on a picture.

Sounds like they do a background check and require additional forms before you get an actual "callback" for the regionals. Makes sense. If there are a limited number of Regional slots they're not going to want to fill them with inelligible people and have to go back and refill them later, they're going to want to verify elligibility prior to saying "yes, you're in the regionals."

It's also promising they're starting the process as quickly as two weeks after the auditions. If that holds true (or comes close) for the other auditions then Atlanta folks could be starting to hear things as early as next Wednesday.

One thought though... lots of folks auditioned prior to Denver... why haven't we heard about any of them being contacted for background checks, forms, or actual callbacks? Could it be that once you're contacted that's the point where you're required to start keeping quiet so nobody knows for sure who's in and who's out? Maybe this person from Denver let it slip but shouldn't have? Curious.

I had sort of assumed that some people would have been contacted by now and would be under a gag order or something because it doesn't make sense for them to leave all that follow up on people for the very last minute -- so maybe he let something slip, or maybe we will start hearing from more people who were contacted, or maybe he did a really bad job filling out the forms! :) Here's the article

The BBC has a show called "Dragon's Den" where people with inventions and business ideas pitch their ideas to a panel of potential investors. This may be the inspiration for American Inventor since Simon Cowell is from the UK. It may also hint to the expected twist. Here's the URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dragonsden/

I thought about the same thing about this guy in Denver, maybe he didn't fill out his paperwork correctly!!! Or maybe he was working somewhere while he came up with the invention that could be a problem. Who knows?

Hi all. It's Janie again. I love this blog. Thanks, everyone for all of your comments, insights, experiences, and general information. And thanks, Mary, for starting this venue for all of us who are frustrated with the waiting!

I was not aware of the "regional" thing. Guess I just assumed the winners would go straight to California.

The hardest thing about this is the waiting. One's life is put on hold. I just cannot imagine that there are so many people who would be available for the required amount of time to go through the whole process. I am retired and supplement my income with a photo restoration business out of my home, or I would never be able to take the time off work.

I hope they let us know when all of the call-backs are complete so the rest of us can go back to our normal lives. I can just see me now, still waiting for a call-back in March!!! Wishful thinking, I know, but "wouldn't it be loverly!"

Good luck, everyone. I hope to see some of the names in the show that I have seen on this blog. And "Hi" to the AI employee who has the assignment of monitoring our ramblings!

Janie

Hi All,

I like this blog. Thank you all for your insights. I was called back yesterday, less than two weeks from my NY audition. They just called and verified my address to FedEx me a package with yet another ton of paperwork.

Good luck to you all!

Hope to see you there,

Slav

Hey, I got my call from AI. Next round is under way. Keep those phone lines free. Good Luck to all you wonderful inventors.

kris

Congrats!!! Way cool!!!

Looks like callbacks are happening roughly two weeks after a city.

I was Atlanta (and the holidays may slow things down a few days) so... I won't start freaking out until another week goes by :-)

Thanks for keeping us posted!

Congrats Kris,

Since I did my audition in Chicago, Guess it means I'm out. Good luck and kick some butt!

I did the Hollywood audition dressed as Uncle Fester from the Addams Family. I think I had a real good idea. I had a very good time at the
audition. I wonder did anyone get called from
the Hollywood audition ?

Good luck!!!

I also got a callback earlier this week and would love to hear from others that got called with any general info they feel comfortable sharing about their inventions or what they were told about how the process will work from here.

My invention is a patent pending product that's already on the market, although on a very small scale. I was actually somewhat surprised to get the call because I figured they were probably looking for product ideas earlier in the process. Now I'm not sure if they really prefer products that are that far along or if they're just selecting a wide variety, from initial concepts to small scale production products.

I was told they're calling back a small group (I'm guessing maybe 10 to 40) from each city to get more info on and then they'll shorten the list further (not sure to how many) before another audition round starting mid Jan.

I'd love to share more, especially about my invention, but I still haven't received their package yet and I'm not sure if it includes some type of gag order, although this wasn't mentioned in the phone call. I'll definitely post more info to help others later if I don't advance any further.

And thanks for providing this great forum Mary - I'm sure it's appreciated by all fellow AI Hopefuls that find it. I'd love to see your traffic statistics for this page lately!

I got a call back and have the next round of paperwork. They send you a 30+ page package with background questions, such as: have you ever been brought in by the police for questioning, have you ever been in a porn movie or had nude pictures posted on the Internet, have you ever had a restraining order issued against you, etc. They also ask for 8-10 references and prior addresses and employers. They are trying to weed out anyone who would embarrass the show. There is not discussion of confidentiality and they ask that you be available to travel for 1 to 4 days in late January.

Wow... excited to hear things are happening for people. I auditioned in NYC so if anything happens, I guess it'll happen soon. Anyone else from NYC hear anything yet other than Slav? Good luck to all those who make it, and to those who don't, good luck as well with still trying to make your inventions a reality. Happy Holidays all!

Hello to all. I was at the Atlanta auditions. Came away with real positive feedback from the judge I presented to (like everyone else here says). No doubt there were a lot of good ideas presented.



Al Hopeful - I also presented a product that is in limited production. Glad to hear they've contacted you. I was afraid they wouldn't give serious consideration to inventions that were as far along as ours.



Steve - I believe I met you at the auditions. You had the "fly on a string" as part of your demo ;-). I had the AcCueShot Billiard Training Device.



Good luck to all. I'll be sure to post if I hear anything from AI.

Hi everyone and good luck!

I auditioned in NY, I got a call beack in 2 weeks!
You will be seeing me on the tube!

I auditioned in NY. I haven't heard back and at this point I don't think I will.WHAT CONCERNS ME MOST is....When will they disclose the royalty percentage for the finalists who do not win the million but the network takes the idea. It's not stated in the 1st agreement. If you sign the next agreement without confirming the % can they virtually give you NOTHING? (EX:".01"%) I'm just asking! By the way Mary... If not for your site I'd be waiting to hear from them for another 4 weeks. Way to go!Thanks and have a very Merry Christmas.

I wished I had found this site before I went to DC's audition. My experience with the audition seems to be different from everyone else. I had three inventions, one winning a previous contest so you'll know they had a good chance to be viable. Maybe because of me going in right before the judges lunch or because they had misplaced my application and invention forms, at least one of the judges was less than pleasant. I wrongly expected to get two minutes to pitch each invention, my fault. One judge hurried me along saying that she "got it" when I started the demonstration and for me to move on to the next product. That one judge didn't have anything positive to say about any of my products though one of the other two judges said they were good ideas. Timing is important and I think my number was up at the wrong time. An inventor with what I thought was a humorous idea with no market merit went in before me and told me later that the judges told her that her idea was genius. Maybe I should reconsider my products' real value. Otherwise, the 9 hour wait in line and all the people around me in line along with the AI employees were awesome. Has anyone from the DC audition been called?

Miller said "When will they disclose the royalty percentage for the finalists who do not win the million but the network takes the idea?"

Probably when you become one of the nine. But, it may be more of a negotiation than a disclosure. Each idea will be worth a different amount and carry the potential for more or less profit revenue generation, so the royalties for each idea will probably be different %'s.

Miller said "If you sign the next agreement without confirming the % can they virtually give you NOTHING? (EX: .01%)"

No, they can't give you ANY % they want unless it says that in some agreement you sign. It has to either specify a number or else something that says you agree to accept any number they give you later. If it fails to mention anything about the % at all then they can't hold you to any specific % later. Again, it's my guess they won't go near the royalties until you're one of the nine and then there may be room for negotiation.

Heck, maybe that's part of the challenge to help weed the thirty down to nine? See who's willing to take less royalties? Or maybe you'll need to do all the calculations for royalties and then see if the panel likes your numbers? Those with the best looking numbers stay?

Hello Mary, and to everyone here. This is a great site! My name is Mary also... So I'll log in as Mary2.

I and my fiancé Robert, auditioned in Washington DC. (Our patent is granted, so I can tell you that our invention is an interchangeable guitar. We call it the Chameleon Guitar, and if you want to see it, please feel free to check it out. It’s at www.chameleon-guitars.com.)

Our experience in DC was a good one. It’s kind of hard to hide a guitar case, and we enjoyed sharing our invention with many other inventors. Of course, we also saw some other great inventions, but not knowing the status of their patents, we must keep them to ourselves.

We also enjoy helping other inventors. Robert works with 3D drawing packages, and I work in a machine shop, and have access to a CNC Milling Machine. If anyone wants assistance with drawing, or machining/prototyping… just let us know. My experience has been that most people/inventors don’t have access to these resources, and to go to a large corporation, costs a small fortune. We are in this together. And we have no problem with confidentiality agreements.

We auditioned in front of Daniel Soiseth and Liz Bronstein. They seemed very interested. We were prepared to pitch our guitar in the 2-minute time slot they said each team would have. After the pitch, they wanted a closer look, and asked few questions. Then they moved on to more personal questions, other hobbies and interests. We never felt rushed, and I think we were with them for about 10 minutes or so. We left with that warm and fuzzy feeling, but after reading your other letters, a lot of other people got that same feeling.

We haven’t heard anything yet, but the additional paper work, (background check, employment history, references, etc…), that was posted by: Jim on December 23rd, was already in our packet. We filled ours out ahead of time.

Congratulations to Slav, Kris, AI Hopeful, Jim, Alan Sims, (and any one I missed), on your callbacks from ABC!

We wish everyone the best of luck, and if we can help anyone, just let us know.

We will let you know if we hear anything.

I'm still waiting to hear from the Atlanta auditions. Is it too early or should I have already received a call?

I agree, and truly hope it is the case. But if what Jim said is accurate, that they asked his availability for end of January, then I imagine they have truly started the process of initial callbacks.
That said, they could easily do a background check on anyone they were interested in, and my initial packet included employment history info etc. So, I'm keeping up the hope that the process is ongoing, or perhaps simply a New Year miracle will come my way. For what it's worth, I believe I have a highly marketable invention - that can actually be produced at a decent profit margin. It already has a patent - but I have not had the money to explore all the permeatations that my patent covers, each of which lends itself to a different marketplace. It also has the buzzfactor - it's a permeatation of something Woody Harrelson (of Cheers) and Peter Farrelly (director) invented a long while ago. That's something I didn't have time to mention in my 4 minute presentation - or how I burned my entire savings at the time on getting the patent. Now I wonder if I should have mentioned those things. Buzz and financial hardship - makes for a good story. Of course, I'm also spoke to people at the show who had dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars on their inventions and/or to out loans against their homes to fund their ideas, and have never recovered - much more dire than my situatiton was. Anyway, enough of the rambling, here's to the New Year and new inventions.

AI LA Applicant questioned whether the call backs that people are getting are real or whether they are just contacting people with incomplete forms. The calls are real. I got a voicemail from a producer four weeks after my San Francisco audition. When I called back, I was congratulated on making the next round and was told that a package of additional question would be coming.

The questionnaire came with a return FedEx envelope. The cover letter starts “Congratulations on making it to the next step on American Inventor.” The package, entitled “American Inventor Participant Background Questionnaire Form” is 25 pages long and asks you to include a copy of your birth certificate, and driver’s license. It has sections on “Litigation History”, “Law Enforcement Contact”, “Military Background”, “Alcohol / Drug Usage History”, “References”, “Education Background”, “Residency History”, “Employment / Business History”, “Psychological / Medical History”, “Motor Vehicle History”, “Internet Questions” and “Other”.. The final line of the letter says that finalists need to be available for up to 4 days at the end of January. I believe that they are trying to weed out anyone who might embarrass the show after they are on the air, for example a stalker or convicted felon.

My guess at the process is that they send this form out to 150-200. Maybe 20-30 say they are no longer interested and another 20 or 30 fail the background checks. They then do a patentability search on the top 75 for so and about half fail. They take the remainder to final interviews.

Thank you for the news and congratulations on making the next step. I'm also glad to hear it took about 4 weeks. That could mean they're still calling NY people. We auditioned December 7th. And I agree, I think they'll wait to do deeper patent searches until they weed people out. Although, anyone can quickly and easily do a basic patent search for free at uspto.org to see if the idea is already taken. So that could also help weed people out quickly. Good luck. I'll be following the blog. And still holding out hope I'll be called.

I auditioned in DC on 12/11 and got the callback 9 days later. From the postings of confirmed callbacks, it sounds to me like maybe they waited longer on the earlier rounds and less on the later ones. Not sure about Atlanta's timeframe though.

To keep up this discussion (Thanks again Mary!), I'd love to hear more comments on what people think the rest of the show will entail and how it will be judged. I doubt they will make license negotiations part of the challenge (although it's an interesting thought Darren) but I do hope they consider profit potential for all involved a significant judgment factor. I also doubt they'll have the inventors come up with new inventions since their primary objective will be to make money off the selected inventions, which will only be enhanced by maximizing their exposure on the show.

I would guess the show challenges will be more along the lines of focus group testing of the product or sales trials in a retail setting. Or perhaps they will showcase professional evaluations of the products regarding design, manufacturability, profitability, etc.

The judging for the next round goes through the end of January. If you do not hear by February 1st you have not made it to the next round. I found this out by simply emailing questions@americaninventor.tv and that is what I was told in response to the email.
So for those of you who are wondering the callbacks have begun and will continue through January. Good Luck to all.

A question to any one- How can the judging for the next round go all the way through the end of January if it's being stated in the package to be ready up to four days in January?

Hello All,

This is a question to any inventor who has already been called back after the initial audition: How long after you receive your call does the "packet" arrive. Also, for those called back from the NY auditions--have you received your "packet"? Was it delivered FedEx?
I was called back on 12/21 but the packet has not come yet.

kris

Great site! I was at the NYC audition on Dec. 7, and don't know if I should be depressed, or go along with the idea that the calls are for potential "next round" contestants with incomplete apps...
However, why would they tell us that it would be 6 to 8 weeks after the FINAL audition city for the callbacks to start?

If the people who say that they got call backs are "just kidding" - then shame on you!

Like most other inventors, I have put lots of time (5 years), lost a lot of sleep 'cause I got an idea in the middle of the night., and basically put my soul into this thing!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed...I know I have an invention that will have wide appeal. I just hope that the NY audition call backs are in fact 6 to 8 weeks after Atlanta.

Good luck to all of you honest inventors!

To answer Kris's question,
I got my call thursday before Christmas and got the package monday after christmas.

The call came exactly 2 weeks after the audition.
The paper work is for criminal background check and to make sure you are a decent person.

Good Luck to all!
This is gonna be a blast!
AL S.

This might sound silly, but... for those who have received a callback, could you let us know where/when the call came in? During the day? On your cellphone? At home? Dinner time? Just curious :-)

Regarding Al from LA auditions post

I recived my call at 4:00pm EST, on my home/ business line.

Just curious?? How many of you creative genius's are left handed like you are supposed to be?

AL S

Why not share your links? We are all looking for more information, rite? I'll start....

http://www.sirlinksalot.net/americaninventor.html

http://www.intelproplaw.com/Forum/Forum.cgi?board=patent_other;action=display;num=1131034001;start=15

http://www.realitytvmagazine.com/blog/2005/10/simon_cowells_a.html#more

http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2005/11/american_inventor_reality_tv_m.html

http://www.wingdipper.com/american-inventor.html

http://www.jimmybed.com/

http://www.addapole.com/

A call back item - http://prowww.com/snowsling/buy.htm

http://www.i-boards.com/ics/messages.asp?MsgID=680739&ThreadID=70316

http://www.trangleball.com/

http://www.marysgreatideas.com/archives/2005/11/my_american_inv_1.html

http://americaninventor.blogspot.com/

http://www.chameleon-guitars.com/

http://www.accueshot.com/

(A call back) http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_3317338

Uncle Stan

Thanks, Uncle Stan -- that's a great idea! I'm taking the liberty of reposting the material you supplied with the urls as active links ... Other inventors should feel free to include active links, too ... if my spam filter stops you, let me know. (With that said, I reserve the right to remove inappropriate links :)

• http://www.sirlinksalot.net

  
  

• www.intelproplaw.com
• Reality TV Magazine coverage
• Make Magazine coverage
• Wingdipper's experience




• Jimmy Bed




• Add A Pole




• A call back item - Snow Sling
• ICS Discussion Board
• Trangle Ball




• Mary's Great Ideas




• An American Inventor Blog




• Chameleon Guitars
• Accue Shot
• (A call back) Denver Post account of AllTerraSkates callback
  

To Al S:

Well, I'm left handed...Anyone other inventor's that visit this site?

Hello,

Me and my husband drove down to Chicago from Detroit. I went for some of the same reasons as other Inventors. I wanted to meet someone like myself also to hear someone say that I have a good idea. I got both and I must say it was a wonderful experience and I'm so proud of myself for doing it. We got there at about 6pm Saturday and drove around and caught some good sights. We planned on sleeping in the car due to little money but my husband decided to move some money around on one of our bills. So we got a room and I spent most of the night wondering about the next day. When we got there at 5am we didn't see anybody and when we drove back around I took a chance and went upstairs and other people were lining up. So I ran down stairs and told my husband to go park because they were lining up. I was finished at about 11:30 and I came out feeling good about the pitch, they didn't stick to the 2min time limited. They were very nice and I noticed alot of people messed up on there pitches. One lady said she had to start over two times and on man said when they started asking him for informations about his product he knew they didn't understand that how far off the response from the judges were. Anyway, good luck to all and hopefully we will see each other in the Spring.

Another good idea from Mary's website, to provide our links.
www.gearmax.com

I noticed that you listed all the URL's in a column. Another "great idea". I just wanted to correct your spelling on my product."There is NO "i" in TRANGLEBALL. It is a team sport. Thanks

Thanks go to Uncle Stan for the great idea of providing the links -- and I fixed my typo on Trangleball -- so sorry to have missed that!

Well,
I've not gotten a call back and I really never expected one since I don't think my product (sandbox play boat) is the sort of thing they're looking for. Here's my web site: www.sandboxplayboat.com.
However the audition process was fun and I'm already brainstorming ideas for next season.
Good luck to all who got the call.
Mike C.

Here's my theory on the callbacks: They've already made the initial callbacks for all cities (except perhaps Atlanta) but depending on how many inventors pass/fail the background checks they may need to make more. Therefore, they don't want to say the first cut is done in case it really isn't.

I expect those from the first callback list that have already returned the information package (which they asked to get back ASAP) will start to hear if they qualified for the next audition round later this week. It will have to at least be by the end of next week if they stick to the stated schedule. Hopefully someone will post about it as soon as those calls start going out. I definitely will if I'm lucky enough.

As for Scott Schroeder's PR, one side of me says good for him. I'm actually dying to do the same thing because it could really help increase exposure of my product but at this point I've only told family and friends. I'm hesitant in case it's a turn-off to AI. I also think it may be somewhat of a stretch to use the callback for publicity when it alone doesn't even mean you'll make the show. As Jim stated above, the letter says you've made it to the "next step", which in my mind is not the same as making it to the "second round" as Scott reports. Of course, he may have already heard more from them than I have. The flip side is that the publicity would be much better leveraged now than later if I don't make it any further - who will really care then if I got the callback but nothing else? I'm curious to hear what others think about this. It seems there are only a few that have revealed themselves or their inventions. Comments?

Also, to comment on AI LA's post, there's nothing wrong with "Shotgun PR" in my opinion - it's not really that hard and it works. In case this helps any fellow inventors, all you need is something "newsworthy" to report and a well-written press release, and a service like PRWeb.com will take care of the rest. I did one release through them last June that still comes up over 100 times when you google my product name, and I still get website visits directly from it.

Great blog.
Here's another theory if anyone wants to research it. The thought is that AI has only called back inventions that have been patented. The producers like the idea and also know its ownable so there's no fuzzy legal involved. All the other great ideas
with either provisional patents or none at all would need to be researched to some degree before they can be included in the show. Those could not be turned around in 9 days like some that we've heard about.
Thoughts?
We haven't heard and still feel good about hearing something within the first 10 days of Jan. After that, we're afraid it's a no-go.
Good luck everyone.
DNA

Mary,

Great job with the website. Thank you.

As most of you, I am hoping for a call back. Some of you may know of my product,
The Body Wash System tm. I was one of the winners of last years ABC Primetime Live (Home Shopping Network) product search contest, and sold out my product on HSN. At this point I am hoping to get into the Retail Market and what I have learned from that experience is there is no publicity like TV and it opens up new doors especially the priceless publicity that could be generated from a show such as American Inventor.

I also want to add that your product will go as far as your belief in it. Never give up. Alot of us may not be picked for the show, but I feel many of us will make it on our own.

I have one partner, and we have accomplished this all on our own with no outside help. My partner is a good friend and talented Machinist. During my invention process I have made some great friends and have been given some great advice.

This site is a wonderful start in building those contacts, because like I mentioned before, many of you will make it on your own whether you are picked for the show or not.

I am not claiming to be an expert in this field but I do have experience and can offer advice to any of you looking for it, because I feel I can learn from all of you as well.

Our website is www.bodywashsystems.com

Good Luck to all of you.

DNA writes,"Here's another theory if anyone wants to research it. The thought is that AI has only called back inventions that have been patented. The producers like the idea and also know its ownable so there's no fuzzy legal involved".

I thought about the same thing. I only went in with an idea and a drawing/"model". And that's because my invention is a recently thought of and I hadn't been able to proceed further with it. However I thought this is by far the best idea I have come up with, and is marketable and should be very popular. Everyone I talked about this to (not that many though) said they couldn't believe it isn't out there yet. I believe it's only a matter of time until it will be - whether by me or by somebody else. I did a patent search and research and have not come up with anything similar. So, who knows. I will proceed on by myself if I do not hear back from AI - which is what I think. I just hope nobody beats me to it.
Also, I thought that maybe because I haven't spent that much money on this (that seemed to be one of the questions I heard them ask frequently) that was a drawback for the invention + me. BTW I'm left-handed too!
Good luck to those who make it further.

I can confirm that DNA's hypothesis is not valid: I received a callback and only have a provisional. Good luck to all, callbacks or not, and thanks for the site, Mary!

Happy New Year!!!
Congrats to all with a call back. You've got another number # and yet more of a wait. But at least you're further along than I. I auditioned in Atlanta, one of the very last ones, there may have been 5 or 6 after me. I had thought by going to the last audition, the wait for a call back would have been more bearable. If they had done all the call backs in one time frame, perhaps the 3rd week of Jan, that may have been true. I jump everytime the phone rings. I know this question has been asked before, but has anyone gotten a call back from the Atlanta casting calls. My invention is patented, and like many others, and lot of time, money, and part of myself invested in it. Getting the patented, looking back now, seemed easy.....getting to market is another story. I had a wonderful time in Atlanta, met a lot of nice people with great ideals. A special hello to Jim and Joe from North Carolina, and Bill from New York. The Blues Club was a good call. If the calls backs.....are based on whether or not I'm left handed, I've wasted my time auditioning. Not only am I not left handed, I'm also a blonde. TEE HEE
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!

Hi all.
FYI, I've created another American Inventor discussion forum on Tribe.net if anyone is interested in joining. http://tribes.tribe.net/americaninventor
or http://www.tribe.net
Membership is free.
Thanks,
Mike C.

I believe it was 254.

Has anyone received a callback for a juvenile product?

I was number 1819 (about #19 seen) in ATL. No call back yet. Im not a lefty or holding my breath for a call. I just had an idea and rough drawing of my item. I think they wanted people with things farther along.

Maybe they had so many great ideas, that they didn't even need those of us from ATL.....

CONGRATS to all with a call back, keep up posted and good luck to you all.

Loved the links and the encouragement to keep pushing. My project is a newborn and some of you have been working on it for 10+ years. That makes me feel better. Maybe I won't give up!

I think maybe we're all giving the producers too much credit--like they have a good system or plan for how to handle the call backs that we can't figure out. This type of show has never been done before so maybe they're just kinda winging it as they go. I hope not. With all the 2000 or so applicants it must be overwhelming for them.

I agree with Mike C., I think many may be giving the producers too much credit. For those who are waiting by the phone for the call back, keep in mind that the selection criteria is based on the producers' reasons and needs, not necessarily the real market value or success potential of your new product. Stay enthused and hopeful, sure, but you may want to be careful not to let this contest alone shape your perception of your idea. You guessed it, I haven't received a call back.

It seems like most of the items I have discovered that have received callbacks are practical items rather than "fun" or "luxury" items. Has anyone received a callback who has a non-practical item? Just curious...

Update: I just watched the piece on Extra! where Simon Cowell appears and promotes AI. He stated that he was putting up the one million personally. They showed several inventors with their inventions. Some abit kooky, but then again this is entertainment television. Hearing Simon talk about the show was so exciting....I just didn't like the way some of the inventors were presented....as if they were just plain old nutty. I am a serious inventor, but I can't help but think "what in the world are we in for." I do not want to be humiliated on national TV. Maybe the publicity will be worth it. I don't know.

kris

Hi kris,

Was I on that piece that you saw on Extra ?
I dressed as Uncle Fester from the Addams Family and I had a six light bulbs in my mouth.

Good Luck everyone

Uncle Fester

Wow! I'm really sorry I didn't think to TiVo that! It sounds fascinating.

I just thought I'd let people know that if you don't have a Typekey log in, and don't see your comment posted here immediately, it's because I'm away from my computer or something and haven't had a chance to review "approve" your comment. I don't screen for content from real people, but you wouldn't believe the amount of automated comment spam blogs get, some of it really disgusting. :(

If you would like to speed up the process of having your comments posted, you can register for a free typekey account (when you go to post a comment, it will give you a link to do so, or you can use the link above). It's a legitimate, free service, and not a spam generator (see what google has to say about typekey + spam". When you go to comment, it will give you the option of logging in -- a quick process that I myself use to comment on my own blog! :) Then, your comments will be posted automagically, without my screening them first.

Anyway, I see that some of you have already registered at Typekey, and you are also free to continue commenting anonymously or however you like -- I just wanted to explain the process a bit for those who are commenting here, and mention this option.

Thanks -- this is really fascinating stuff, and I hope you'll keep it coming!

Hello, I also saw the piece on Extra, and I was so excited to know I was a part of that. I'm also amazed that my dreams or thoughts "if you will". Got me that far, this was my plan for a career until reality set in. But, to finally get a chance with a well known company, (whether it be good or bad)it has to be better than dealing with unknown shady companies that can up and
disappear. If you keep your business "tight" this company can not hide and will have to answere one way or the other. For me, chances like these don't come everyday and I don't have the money to go any farther than I have. I know I will be happy that my device is out there helping save peoples lives. That will be fine with me!! Oh Yeah, I haven't got a call back and I attended the Chicago audition.

Mary, great blog. I'm still waiting to see if anyone had heard from the Atlanta audition. I check this site regularly usually about 10 times a day.

Still waiting and watching the phone.

Lisa

Someone told me that they recently saw me on E News but it must have been EXTRA. Does anyone remember seeing an Asian guy presenting a revolutionary new laptop computer case on the show?

Thanks.

Has anyone else from N.Y get a call back besides Al? I attended in N.Y. No call back as of yet.

Hi all, I auditioned in Hollywood and just received a call back yesterday. AI told me the package will be overnighted today, so I'm expecting the'next round' paperwork forms tomorrow.

A question to all of you advancing forward, are we suppose to blog about stuff at this juncture, or it's is quite period? I actually would like to blog about this experience, but wanted to know about any restrictions and such. Also, someone mentioned regionals? And others suggested there will be 100 people. So is that like 100 per region? or from accross the country. Has anyone told you where/when the next round is?

If it's only 100 left overall, hten I assume we'll have to fly to Hollywodd or something. Any ways, I'm rather excited and looking forward to the next step.

Has anyone else from atlanta received a call?

Kelly, first congrats, and are you patented, pending or concept?

Yacko, congrats for your callback.
In this article on the "Make" website (Mary has it linked above) written after the LA auditions it says "The producers of the show said that out of the 400 in LA, they'll call back around 100."
So that makes me think they will call back 100 or so from each venue. Good luck.

Yeah Kelly & Yacko!!!

Congrats to you both and Im glad to hear a fellow
ATL was called. Did either of you feel you would get a call or that your audition went well?

i recieved a call back last night at 10:30 p.m. from liz bronstein and she told me , congrats you"ve made it to the next round. i said are you kiddin me she said no ,we want you to come to california for the next round, im still waiting for fed-ex but it was last night, i auditioned in n.y. dec7th(233) and it was cold there but loaded with hot and fresh ideas.
i feel truly blessed and will do my best to win and make all inspiring inventors proud , here comes my product hollywood!! bless you all E.T.

Woo-hoo! A call from Ms. Bronstein herself! Somehow your account of the call is made all the more exciting with these details ... Congratulations!!

Hello Everyone,

My brother and sister in law just rec'd a phone call from AI. They auditioned in Atlanta. They are going to Hollywood!!!

Good Luck!!!!

Apparently I passed the background check because I got a call today and am headed to LA as well. I was told a "few hundred" were going there and to wear the same thing I wore the first time. Once again, best of luck to all, callback or not.

We were in Atlanta and got our call today, 1/6/06. See you all in LA. We were number 43 in line, got to the venue at 5:45 a.m. It was a great honor for us to meet such wonderful people. Ilene Davis stood up in the meeting area and introduced her self and asked to meet everyone. I went around and met the girls with the colored salt, the trekker, the man with 22 inventions, the man with the attache case that looked like a bomb but was the heat a/c regulator. We will be in LA on the first of Feb. Lets get together. Best wishes, to all, Bob Socks

I got a voicemail from AI tonight at 6 PM!!!!

I just blogged about the scant details on my front page ... (www.marysgreatideas.com or click on the link at the top of the page -- actually, after all that, I could have just re-typed my entry :) I'm assuming most of you are just here for the comments section on this entry, but I had to put this news somewhere where my friends would see it ...

I was in San Francisco, something like number 541? (I've forgotten by now, but we slept in ...) and I'm right handed, and have silly (not practical or good-for-humanity) inventions that probably have more entertainment value than anything else .... But, YAYY!! I'm so glad I'll get to meet you folks in person and won't have to be left out of the next part of the party!!! (or, at least, I hope so ... I cover the other possibilities in my front page post ...)

I got called at 3:00 PM today and was informed that a package is being sent to me!!!
I am happy for all those who have got called.
I am also very happy for you Mary and I will
be happy to see everyone in LA.

Good Luck

Uncle Fester

That's great that so many people are getting callbacks now. I was wondering if anyone who made a baby or new mom related product were called back. Before our NY audition we had read that there had been a lot of baby related inventions. We are excited about our stroller accessory but are not sure if the producers are interested in this category.
Best of luck everyone!
Adi

I was #18 in Atlanta, still waiting. Are they going in numerical order? If so, I will keep my day job.

Good Luck to everyone who has gotten their call-backs.

Paul

Huzzah!! Uncle Fester will be in the house!!!

On the buzz point -- you guys created the buzz, I just created the blog, and it's been fascinating all the way through. :) bzzzzz bzzzz bzzzz.

I'm getting more and more paranoid that they may have just called to ask me to close the comments here, though. Except it was the casting department, not the legal department. We'll see! Better false hope than no hope at all!

I donno about the numerical order issue -- I was one of the last at SF, but SF was one of the first sites, so I don't see why they'd do it that way. Arne suggested they may be going in last name order (I'm a "W"), but I don't see how they could be that organized. I suspect it's just random. Or, just speaking for my own ideas, it's possible I got a late call because I was not a "shoo-in" and/or have more entertainment than practical value.

Hi, and congrats to the recent call backs and good luck with many blessings. I wanted to know if anyone auditioned that had a product that they attempted to patent, unsuccessfully. The reason I asked is because I did and when I couldn't raise the money my lawyer advised me to try to get someone to license my device, but you have one year once you show your device to another party to submit your patent app. Well, needless to say that year came and went, even though I have binding agreements with these 2 compaines. I'm wondering if they find that my device my be useless because they might not be patantable or are they even trying to patant a product. Then agian they said that your product has to be able to be put on the retail stores in 6 months and we all should know you can't get a patent in 6 months but then again you can still file for one. I think I'm solving my own problems. Well, anyway if anyone in my same sitution got a call back please post them. Thanks!!! nervously waiting.

"... I was wondering if anyone who made a baby or new mom related product were called back. Before our NY audition we had read that there had been a lot of baby related inventions. We are excited about our stroller accessory but are not sure if the producers are interested in this category."
Adi

I also had a new mom/stroller related product. In Denver I was the only one in with a stroller, as far as I could see. I was one of the first ones seen #4 in line. Also I noticed only one child inventor(well teen, I think he is around 14)- he was interviewed and cameras focused on him more than to others. His invention was some kind of cooling fan for dogs that ride in cars. Don't know if he as received a call back.
Another theory: maybe the 1st callbacks have been received by people with patents, whether pending or provisional since there is less research to do for the producers (or whoever is doing the researching). And the later calls are coming to others with no patent etc. Just a thought.

It looks like the AI producers have been busy making calls the last couple of days. I am not sure if they are making the initial calls to NY and Atlanta (and some earlier cities) or if these are second calls for people who were already called once. I got a call a couple of weeks ago and sent back my background info but have not heard anything since then. Did those who got the call yesterday send in background packets and is this is a second call or the first?

Also, when do they want you to go to LA? I was told initially it would be the last week of January for 1 to 4 days, but they did not say where.

Has anyone gotten a call this weekend?

(Woah! Now that's a logo! ... a bit bright, perhaps, but you can't deny it's flashy! I moved some images around a little bit since some people gently hinted they might like looking at something other than my gourmet lipstick illustration :)

I still haven't heard back from the voicemail that I left Ben and Bianca last night -- I figured I'd wait until Monday to try again -- even casting personnel deserve a weekend off, I guess ...

Congrats to all second round callbacks, especially Mary herself!!! We all love you! And I'm sure most of us are hoping that you're just being paranoid Mary. It wouldn't make any sense for AI to even try stopping this blog. If they wanted certain things kept quiet they would have let people know in the callbacks or paperwork. I do think they'll eventually gag selected contestants but maybe not until they get to the round of 30, or maybe just the final 9.

Rita may be on to something because my invention is patent pending and I was in the earlier callback group. I'm also now wondering if maybe they're just doing things in stages(could there be more than 2?) for the sake of processing efficiency. There's a lot of work going on with so many background checks, calls, and arrangements involved and they're probably easier to handle if spread out over time.

I'm also still waiting for the second call, like Bill, and am really hoping that doesn't mean I was disqualified by the background check. Is there anyone else here that already sent their background info and is still waiting for the second call? If so, I'd also love to know where you first auditioned in case they're following some order.

According to my count the number of people on
this blog that recieved a callback are about 25
and climbing. If only 100 make it to Hollywood
we are at 25%. If there are a few hundred the
numbers change. At least now we have some numbers
to work with.

Good luck everyone.

Uncle Fester

I got a call to go to the next round on 1-7-06. I auditioned in LA. I think I was #26 or so....in line. My product was just an idea no patent or patent pending. Anyways I'm excited to be part of this show. Good luck to everyone.

Went to Atlanta #73. Does anybody out there get a callback that has a patentable invention, that does not have a patent? If so, are you pending or not. We have three patents pending for our future product. I am wondering if it takes longer if they have to do a worldwide search of their own to see if the coast is clear. Love to hear responses. -Robert from Gainesville Florida

I received a call Friday night and was told I will be flown to L.A. on the 29th. Yippee!!!!!
Packet should come tomorrow.

"I do think they'll eventually gag selected contestants but maybe not until they get to the round of 30, or maybe just the final 9."

Interesting - I'm going to LA and was told the field would be narrowed to 40 in the next round (then subsequently 9, 3, 1). Anyone else get info on next stages or the total number going to LA? Cheers, all.

Does anyone know what is going to happen in LA? Are we going to pitch our ideas to a larger group or do one-on-one interviews or something else? I am just curious what preparation we need to make.

I have made it to the third round of American Inventor after excellent results on my background check and reference checks. So Now I fly to Los Angeles on the 25th and stay for a couple days where I will meet the other four judges I haven't met yet. They are putting up my airfare and hotel arrangements for two nights in LA. Apparently I am a finalist for the next round of screening. I look forward to seeing all the great people that are making this succesful and I hope and pray that america will choose my inventions so I can go on to make really great things for our society.
Cheers,

Scott Schroeder
Inventor
Footgear Suspension Devices
720.560.1909

PS - and yes no press after today...it is supposed to be a surprise.

An era has come to an end -- No more commenting on American Inventor here ... and I'm going to turn off comments so we won't be tempted! (I may even have to remove prior comments -- I'll check on that)

People who are interested in talking about the show might check out this forum which Mike C. created, but the advice I'd give to AI hopefuls is to re-read the confidentiality clauses of the agreements we signed ...

I myself was gently read the riot act -- it was nicely done, and I think the person I spoke to wasn't familiar with this site, so it was just general information, and of course I specifically asked about blogging -- but it was explained to me that we all signed confidentiality agreements that do apply to this kind of thing, and the more we reveal here, the less exciting it will be to watch on TV ... If you have questions about the format of what people will be doing in LA, I'd suggest talking to the person who gave you a call or emailing the show.

This has been fascinating to read, thanks for sharing all your experiences, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you all, on TV or otherwise!!

-- Mary