Finding The Next Great Inventor On The Airwaves

Inventors get ripped off way more than you think. So we wanted to create a safe haven for them.

That, Akos Jankura explained to me, is the core idea behind My Cool Inventions, a talk radio program that he co-hosts with John Cremeans. The format of the show is pretty simple: the hosts bring on five new inventors a week who talk about their products. As they talk about the product, the two hosts also share some thoughts and insights for the inventor to improve his product and/or business strategy.

They have pretty strong credentials to do so. Both men are decades-long veterans of the home shopping industry and infomercials, between them racking up millions in sales. Jankura has also invented and successfully marketed several products.

We know what it takes to sell a product. We know what it takes to demo a product. We know what it takes to have it somewhere and make money with it, said Cremeans on a recent broadcast.

After talking about the invention for a few minutes, the show then allows the inventor to give a 60 second pitch for his product to the audience, who can then vote online or by text to give a thumbs up or thumbs down to the idea. Once a month, the duo gives away a marketing package worth $20,000 to an inventor selected by the audience.

Its kind of like a huge focus group, said Jankura. And its brutally honest.

The show has a strong audience that, according to Jankura, includes retailers and catalogers. During the live broadcasts, there are 50-70,000 radio listeners, according to Arbitron, along with an additional 25,000 audience members who are listening online.

John Cremeans showing off one of the products featured on the show.

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Finding The Next Great Inventor On The Airwaves