PitchMen
Encyclopedia
PitchMen is a docudrama
television program
produced for the Discovery Channel
in the United States. The show followed infomercial
producers and talent Billy Mays
and Anthony "Sully" Sullivan as they attempted to sell various inventions through direct-response marketing. The series was narrated by Thom Beers
. Each episode typically focused on two different products.
and Anthony Sullivan being pitched different products by their inventors. Two products are then selected and are field tested with peoples' opinions gathered on the products. If successful in the field test, Billy and Sully would create an infomercial which is then produced and played in test market
s after which the inventors are notified of the amount of success that the commercial generated. For products that generated a successful level of consumer interest, high praise is given by Billy and Sully. For products that did not fare as well, the inventor is notified, and the future of the product is discussed briefly including the possibility of collaboration on tweaking the commercial for a later airing date.
It was unknown whether or not the series would continue following Mays' death on June 28, 2009. The Discovery Channel ran an all day marathon
of episodes on July 1 as a tribute, which concluded with the season finale, itself edited to end with a tribute to Mays. On July 9 a special tribute episode entitled "Pitchman: A Tribute to Billy Mays" aired with comments from friends, co-workers and family. The status of the second season was undecided until July 15, when a press-release was put out by Discovery to announce that the show would be renewed for a second season, with Mays' eponymous son taking his late father's place. The second season premiered on August 19, 2010 with solely Anthony Sullivan starring in commercials. Sully sometimes brings others to help him decide with product such as TeleBrands CEO AJ Khubani.
. The second season premiered on August 19, 2010. Starting September 2, 2010, Discovery Channel has removed Pitchmen from its regular Thursday night at 9pm slot without any explanation. However, new episodes returned to Discovery Channel beginning January 18, 2011 but with only Anthony Sullivan helming the show.
of PitchMen leading up to the show's season finale. Commercial breaks during the marathon included one of several brief montages saluting Mays. The channel's digital on-screen graphic
featured his photograph, along with the words Billy Mays Jr. 1958–2009.
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
produced for the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
in the United States. The show followed infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
producers and talent Billy Mays
Billy Mays
William Darrell "Billy" Mays, Jr. was an American television direct-response advertisement salesperson most notable for promoting OxiClean, Orange Glo, and other cleaning, home-based, and maintenance products on the Home Shopping Network, and through his company, Mays Promotions, Inc...
and Anthony "Sully" Sullivan as they attempted to sell various inventions through direct-response marketing. The series was narrated by Thom Beers
Thom Beers
Thom Beers is an American television producer and narrator/ voice over artist. Beers, a former producer and executive with Turner Broadcasting and Paramount Syndicated Television, has produced over 40 television series since the mid 1990s, most under the banner of his own production company formed...
. Each episode typically focused on two different products.
History
Each episode typically begins with Billy MaysBilly Mays
William Darrell "Billy" Mays, Jr. was an American television direct-response advertisement salesperson most notable for promoting OxiClean, Orange Glo, and other cleaning, home-based, and maintenance products on the Home Shopping Network, and through his company, Mays Promotions, Inc...
and Anthony Sullivan being pitched different products by their inventors. Two products are then selected and are field tested with peoples' opinions gathered on the products. If successful in the field test, Billy and Sully would create an infomercial which is then produced and played in test market
Test market
A test market, in the field of business and marketing, is a geographic region or demographic group used to gauge the viability of a product or service in the mass market prior to a wide scale roll-out...
s after which the inventors are notified of the amount of success that the commercial generated. For products that generated a successful level of consumer interest, high praise is given by Billy and Sully. For products that did not fare as well, the inventor is notified, and the future of the product is discussed briefly including the possibility of collaboration on tweaking the commercial for a later airing date.
It was unknown whether or not the series would continue following Mays' death on June 28, 2009. The Discovery Channel ran an all day marathon
Marathon (television)
In television, a marathon is typically the sequential broadcast of a single or a number of related television programs, most notably reflecting a theme....
of episodes on July 1 as a tribute, which concluded with the season finale, itself edited to end with a tribute to Mays. On July 9 a special tribute episode entitled "Pitchman: A Tribute to Billy Mays" aired with comments from friends, co-workers and family. The status of the second season was undecided until July 15, when a press-release was put out by Discovery to announce that the show would be renewed for a second season, with Mays' eponymous son taking his late father's place. The second season premiered on August 19, 2010 with solely Anthony Sullivan starring in commercials. Sully sometimes brings others to help him decide with product such as TeleBrands CEO AJ Khubani.
Season 1: 2009
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
Pitchman: A Tribute to Billy Mays
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
Season 2: 2010-2011
As of July 15, 2009, Discovery Channel announced they were renewing the show for a second season, with Mays' eponymous son Billy Mays III joining Anthony Sullivan and Thom BeersThom Beers
Thom Beers is an American television producer and narrator/ voice over artist. Beers, a former producer and executive with Turner Broadcasting and Paramount Syndicated Television, has produced over 40 television series since the mid 1990s, most under the banner of his own production company formed...
. The second season premiered on August 19, 2010. Starting September 2, 2010, Discovery Channel has removed Pitchmen from its regular Thursday night at 9pm slot without any explanation. However, new episodes returned to Discovery Channel beginning January 18, 2011 but with only Anthony Sullivan helming the show.
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
Billy Mays tribute marathon
On July 1, 2009, as a tribute to the late Billy Mays, the Discovery Channel aired an all-day marathonMarathon (television)
In television, a marathon is typically the sequential broadcast of a single or a number of related television programs, most notably reflecting a theme....
of PitchMen leading up to the show's season finale. Commercial breaks during the marathon included one of several brief montages saluting Mays. The channel's digital on-screen graphic
Digital on-screen graphic
A digital on-screen graphic is a watermark-like station logo that many television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen-area of their programs to identify the channel...
featured his photograph, along with the words Billy Mays Jr. 1958–2009.
See also
- List of products that Billy Mays pitched
- As seen on TV
- New product developmentNew product developmentIn business and engineering, new product development is the term used to describe the complete process of bringing a new product to market. A product is a set of benefits offered for exchange and can be tangible or intangible...
- Pitch People (1999 film)Pitch People (1999 film)Pitch People is a documentary film that focuses on the role the art of the "pitch" has played in society. It was produced in 1999 and includes interviews with many of the pitch industry's greatest salesmen, including Arnold Morris, Sandy Mason, Lester Morris, Wally Nash and Ed McMahon as well as a...