Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan

Billy Mays Passes Away - We'll All Miss Him

Billy Mays
With his jet-black beard and commanding voice, Billy Mays quickly hit critical mass as a pop culture icon and became a household name as one of the most recognizable pitchmen on television. From his very beginnings — hawking products on the Atlantic City boardwalk — it was clear that Billy had a natural talent for "pitching."  Thanks to the mentoring he received from some of the legends of pitching, Billy began crafting a unique style that would soon garner wide recognition in his extremely competitive business. Traveling the world from home-shows to state and county fairs, he became a consistent money-maker as he continued to hone his constantly evolving skills.  

On one fateful day at Billy's hometown's home and garden show, his booth was placed adjacent to a fellow pitchman in need of some assistance with a faulty microphone. Instead of letting his competitor sink or swim with his broken mic, Billy did the right thing and let him borrow one of his extras. The rival seller turned out to be the inventor of Orange Glo, Oxi-Clean and Kaboom!, three cleaning products that Mays would later help propel to huge success and worldwide renown.  

The two kept in touch for many years, until 1996, when Billy was invited to pitch Orange Glo on live television via the Home Shopping Network. The results were an astounding viewer response and a total sell-out. It was apparent that Billy was onto something special, so he continued to pitch various products on live TV with equal and greater success. 

From Home Shopping, the next obvious step was direct-response marketing, which would become an integral part of his impressive repertoire. Billy's long-form, 30-minute infomercials soon began to air frequently alongside other short-form spots, ranging from 30 seconds to 2 minutes in duration. Billy’s catchy rhyming and — loud — straight-to-the-point approach to the medium showed his unique and definitive knack for branding products that would, in turn, make him the go-to pitchman for any invention in need.  

Anthony Sullivan
With his British accent and flamboyant style, Anthony Sullivan is a bankable, trusted name in the world of infomercials. As the pitchman for the No. 1-ranked Swivel Sweeper and many more problem-solving products, he is a spokesperson with international appeal. Anthony knows no borders or boundaries, and pitches can be seen all over the globe representing a wide variety of consumer products that save people time and money and make life a little easier. 

“As Seen on TV” is a phrase that fits him well. Anthony has hosted infomercials for Swivel Sweeper, One Sweep, Taplight, Foodsaver, Stick Up Bulb, Magikan, First Alert Instant Alarm and the Smart Chopper, and he’s known for his witty one-liners, captivating demonstrations and passion for problem-solving products. Anthony has sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products in over 60 countries in less than a decade.

But scratch just below the surface and you’ll see that Anthony is not only one of the world’s best on-camera product front-men. He also has a producing, writing and directing resume that — were he in the music business — Quincy Jones would be proud to call his own.