Hundreds of prospective “Shark Tank” contestants, pulling along props, prototypes and moral support, waited in line at Rivers Casino Portsmouth on Friday morning to answer the reality TV show’s casting call.
The casting call, the first step in the audition process for appearing on the show, attracted both Hampton Roads residents and entrepreneurs from several states away. A team of ‘Shark Tank’ casting producers heard one-minute pitches from the attendees while taking notes and asking questions.
Attendees were vying for a chance to pitch their ideas on television in front of “sharks” like billionaire Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner and Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary, with the hopes of a shark investing in their business for an ownership share.
Sporting flag bandanas and bright red jumpsuits, Hampton’s Marching Elites drill team waited in line with souped-up, gold-adorned custom beach bicycles. Drill master and founder Mark Cooper said the team wanted to pitch the bikes, made by a California company. He said a portion of sales from the bikes, which go for $1,400-$1,800, would support the drill team.
“We’re bringing the West Coast flavor to the East Coast,” Cooper said.
Richmond resident and set designer Lisa Sikes put her experience to use, designing a working miniature bathtub and shower to show off her hanging rinsing cup product. Called The Schuppy, Sikes said the cup makes it easy to rinse soap, hair and other materials off the shower surface and down the drain. Because the cup hangs upside down, it doesn’t attract stagnant water or grow mildew.
Across the event hall, Robert Gagnon and his family donned lei necklaces and matching T-shirts for their Palm Treats bakery business. Gagnon said the company’s fruit-flavored Hawaiian snack cakes are a unique creation.
“I was born in Honolulu and this is a recipe my mom brought back from the islands,” Gagnon said. “She took a cooking class from a Hawaiian lady out there. This is truly one-of-a-kind.”
After the casting crew hears the pitches, they will talk about the applications with the executive producers, who will ultimately decide who advances, said Mindy Zemrak, the show’s supervising casting producer. She said around 130-150 pitches are usually filmed, with around 40-50 not airing on television. Filming for this season will begin in mid-June.
One Hampton Roads business has already been featured on the show. The women behind Mango Mangeaux, a restaurant in Hampton’s Phoebus neighborhood, . Lakesha Brown-Renfro and her two business partners pitched the brand’s mango preserves to the sharks.
“We didn’t get a deal, but we had a remarkable time,” Brown-Renfro said.
For example, Brown-Renfro said she was able to obtain valuable knowledge about the cost of packaging the preserves from O’Leary. The process was intimidating, she said, as the sharks were very serious. But, she said the trio won them over with their smiles and excitement.
Even though the partners walked away without an investor, Brown-Renfro said the appearance catapulted their business to another level. After the episode aired, she said Mango Mangeaux received 15,000 orders in just 48 hours, earning $300,000 — much more than the $70,000 they were asking from the investors.
Brown-Renfro said those pitching should be passionate, optimistic and excited about their products and ideas.
“So even though the sharks said ‘No,’ the viewers saw something different,” she said.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com
