Tune in to the As Seen on TV Network Blog as we LiveBlog! the adventures of Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan in another episode of Discovery Channel’s, “PitchMen!” Tonight’s episode includes the Grabit and, a product that can be found on As Seen on TV Network, Tool Band-It.

What Is Tool Band-It?

Have a looksee as the product is pitched by none other than Billy Mays himself.

PitchMen, “Tool Guys,” Episode facts:
Channel: Discovery
Original Air Date: 2009/05/20
Time: 10:00pm EDT and again at 1:00am EDT

Product #1: Grabit
Inventor: Ivan Desaulniers

Product #2: Tool Band-It
Inventor: Mike Shurm

Here We Go

The show starts with its product pitch choices section.

Tool Band-It is part of the choices. Which one will they pick?  Mark Shurm’s Tool Band-It. Off Shurm goes to Tampa.
Tool Band-It - lightweight, magnetic arm band. Made for jobs in confined spaces - cars, crawl spaces…

This is the part of the story where we learn that Shurm is risking a lot. He’s a Purchasing Manager for a restaurant chain in San Diego. Shurm got the idea while working on a door jam with his dad and got upset that his dad kept putting the nails in his mouth. Necessity being the mother of invention…
Discovery animation explaining the powerful magnets that power the Tool Band-It. Discovery Channel makes everything look cool.

Tool Band-It investment: ~250k and “every spare moment.”

Billy’s testing it. Billy - The Tool Band-It holds metal tools but doesn’t hold metal tools to the tools on the band.

Sully, “So why do you need us?” Shurm’s answer: lack of time n resources to grow it further.

Billy n Sully put their heads together. Sully likes it. Billy’s unusually quiet which seems to often mean he’s supportive n rooting for the idea. They both like how that it’s a finished product and ready to go. They want to test it.

The other product. Grabit. I’ve used it before. It pulls out stripped screws. Billy Mays has his set designers testing it out.

The set designers appreciate it. Billy’s sold.

Commercial Break :10 after

Grabit:  Ivan Desaulniers has spent ~2 million dollars patenting the idea and lost 1 million dollar in bad product because the prototype wasn’t properly tested. The secound round has been tested to the hill:  geometry, heat testing. Another 10 years of testing and $13 million dollars went into the second prototype. If the Grabit fails, the company goes down.

Comic relief section:  Billy’s gonna try to fix Sully’s boat so they can move it so the workers can fix the dock lift and test the Tool Band-It. Looks like Billy needs a Tool Band-It.

“We can row it faster than this,” Sully.

Sure enough, Billy fixed the boat.

The workers use the Tool Band-It while Billy n Sully go boating around. I think the workers hope they get to keep the Tool Band-It. They say they’d spend about $30 for one of these.

Billy n Sully callled Shurm to tell him they love the Tool Band-It.

“Quit your day job,” says Billy.

Commercial Break :21 after

Desaulniers uses 20 machines to make the little Grabit. Wow. $110,000 a machine. The process is intense. Discovery Channel doesn’t need animations to make this look cool. ~ $16 million dollars spent on the little bit - for want of a nail, or crowbar (as a co-worker points out)…

As if the the Grabit deal isn’t complex enough, AJ Khubani n TeleBRANDS wants in on the action. After negotiations, a marketing company and two infomercial giants, AND Billy Mays is working Grabit.

Sully says that “everybody on the planet except me,” is on the Grabit project.

Shooting conflicts:  Sully says Billy double-booked. Billy says he didn’t double book Grabbit n Tool Band-It. DOH!

Billy won’t apologize so Sully thinks revenge. Wait, there’s 2 Billys. What’s that about?

Commercial Break :32 after

We’re back. (Had to take a couple seconds to watch the Cubs get shut out a second straight night in St. Louis. GRRRRR. Oh. Soto walked. It ain’t over yet)

Tool Band-It n Shurm has found a company to help out:  Vertical Branding. You’d know Vertical Branding from such products as Billy May’s ZorbEEZ! They’re trying to decide the right “Wow” sell for the commercial. All sides are at odds. Sully has 12 hours to come up with Wow for the commercial.

Commercial shoot time:  2 things missing from the shoot:  1) the Wow idea. 2) Anthony Sullivan, aka the director. It is amazing how many products are shot at Sully’s house. Sully’s got a head-spinning flu. Billy’s having fun.

“When I look bad I put makeup on,” Billy Mays.

Shurm would be upset, but h@ll, Mike Shurm has Billy Mays pitching the product. Unfortunately, the shoot is going slow. Still now WOW. Talk about working without a net.

Commercial Break :41 after

(for prosperity’s sake, the Cubs scraped around a run in the top of the 9th. Runners are now at first n third. 2 outs. Reed Johnson is up, facing an uphill battle working back from an 0-2 count. We think he’s wearing a Tool Band-It. Nasty slider just got him. Cards win 2-1. Thanks for indulging me. Commercial Break is almost done.)

Recap. Tool Band-It is still without Sully and the Wow factor. Sully sounds hungover. Billy’s even throwing in his “World Famous Hercules Hook,” into the Tool Band-It offer.

Billy Mays is off to the Grabit shoot. The shooter is a rival to Anthony Sullivan.

“Forget all that time on Focus Groups. Just spend a little money on TV and you’ll get your answer,” Billy Mays.

Billy n Sully are back working on Tool Band-It. Sully still thinks it needs a “Wow,” demo. Sully thinks of a “heavy weight.” Should have said something a couple days ago. They’ve pulled out the freeweights to see what works.

“Do you know how much 25 lbs. weighs?” Billy.

“25 lbs.,” Sully.

They’re reshooting with the 25 lbs. freeweight. The Tool Band-It holding the 25 lbs. free weight is actually pretty cool.

Back to the Grabit edits. The inventor thinks the commercial can do better.

Commercial Break :52 after

The Grabit commercial got completely reshot and redited. AJ Khubani n TELEBrands ran the TV Test. Results:  poor. DeSaulniers looks devistated. Khubani suggests a reshoot because he believes in the product and the need. DeSaulniers thinks the shape of the economy has a lot to do with it. Khubani n TELEBrands is fronting all the money for the TV commercials and want to do it again. Retail sales for the Grabit also confirm that the product should end up doing well.

Tool Band-IT Results:  Shurm is trying to not to get too high, not get too low. It’s sorta anticlimatic for us because you can find Tool Band-It on As Seen on TV Network so you know the outcome. Shurm looks like Andy Dick’s older brother, but in a humble enough way where you can still get can get behind his story. Tool Band-It hit 3.5 - 1 on its add buy and should make about $700k a week! Nice job, Shurm.

Way to go Mike. Way to go, Ivan!

See you next week as we LiveBlog! another episode of PitchMen.

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