. Why is Wally Amos not rich? I wanted to make the best chocolate chip cookies possible. At the same time, he moved to New York City to live with his mother's sister, Della. They were saying I didnt even have the right to my own name, Amos said in Parade. In 1999, Keebler approached Amos to help promote Famous Amos, and he happily agreed. Amos said hes always been in business to make friends, not to sell treats. Amos! Around 1973, Amos decided to combine his salesmanship and baking abilities. Upon discharge from the service, Amos attended secretarial school, learning shorthand, typing, and accounting skills. Wally Amos created the first such store, on Sunset Boulevard. Having launched a modest cookie-making venture in Hawaii, Amos was legally forbidden to use his own name, the Famous Amos tag, or his likeness, to describe any of his future endeavors. 23 Feb. 2023 . [On-line] http://www.kelloggs.com (accessed on August 15, 2002). ", In the late afternoon, he visits a day care center for senior citizens. It honors a cookie. Black Enterprise (November 1992): p. 105. As a man who had made his living promoting other people as an agent, he used his background to come up with ways to sell cookies. The Cookie Never Crumbles: Inspirational Recipes for Everyday Living. U.S.A. "At the time, my career wasn't going too well. Over the next decade, Famous Amos expanded exponentially, growing into an international chain. Amos and his cookie empire enjoyed a decade of success. Mr. Amos was a rising star. Amos acknowledges making some really bad decisions, such as being too controlling and not listening to others who were advising him to do things differently. And Keebler was willing to let him use his name for his own business. and Formosa Ave., in front of a Brazilian restaurant, you might notice a square metal sign. He added that they were both conscientious churchgoers who regarded "anything that appeared to be fun, like dancing" as a sin. Ultimately, I started having cash flow problems. Debt mounted to $1.3 million and Uncle Noname filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1997, emerging just two months ago. He also has a daughter named Sarah with his third wife, Christine Harris. I'm not serious, but I'm responsible. He finally parted with the Famous Amos company in 1989. He has three sons and a daughter and lives in Hawaii. Barred from using his name in future cookie ventures, in 1992 Amos developed and marketed Uncle Noname (pronounced no-NAH-may) baked goods, the name being a play on his enforced anonymity. "It's interesting," he recalled in 1987 during a speech at the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, "because friends would see me and before even saying 'hello,' they would say, 'Hey man, where are my cookies?'". Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/trade-magazines/amos-wally. I'm happy to be back, and the people at Keebler are wonderful folks. Wally Amos was a walking, breathing brand who couldn't seem to cash in on his own success. . 23 Feb. 2023 . Culinary entrepreneur Wally Amos stands in front of the original Famous Amos store on Sunset Blvd. Amos continued writing, publishing his second book in 1988 (The Power in You: Ten Secret Ingredients for Inner Strength) and a third (The Man With No Name: Turn Lemons into Lemonade) in 1994. ." Never better!". Address: Office c/o Uncle Nonam Cookie Company, 984252 Pupuole St., Waipahu, HI 96797. Amos said he has since learned how much greater the success can be with a good team. Wally Amosentrepreneur, motivational speaker, and authorfounded the Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Company in 1975 selling bite-sized homemade chocolate chip cookies. However, he ran low on funds and returned to his entertainment industry Rolodex in search of backer. People wondered why Amos would choose to feature such a stereotype in his title. Returning to New York City, Amos went to college to become a secretary, and after graduating, took a mailroom clerk job with the William Morris Agency. His two factories were then making six tons of chocolate-chip cookies a week. . When his parents divorced, Wally was booted to Aunt Dellas in Harlem. The Famous Amos brand got backing from celebrity investors like Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy, who gave Amos $25,000 for his new business. After Amos discovered two young musicians named Paul Simon (1941-) and Art Garfunkel (1941-) and convinced them to sign with William Morris, he was promoted again and became their agent. Others were too big. [12], In 2014, an article in Fortune magazine lauded "The cookie comeback of 'Famous' Wally Amos" as Amos bought back his handmade cookies under a new name The Cookie Kahuna. It was the low point of my life, Amos recalled in Ebony. . In 1987, he also hosted a television series designed to teach others how to read, entitled Learn to Read, produced by Kentucky Educational Television and WXYZ-TV. It could be worth a few million in a couple of years. Amos had finally found a superstar worthy of his managementhis own gourmet cookies. Then he hollers: " "Bye-bye, I'm out the door, you can look now!' Amos began selling shares of the business to outsiders; he also tried to launch new products such as chocolate sodas, which did not work out. He attended classes there and worked also as a stockroom clerk at Saks Fifth Avenue department store until 1961. At one point, he lost his house. Keebler also gave Amos another gift: the use of his name and face. Fax: (847) 803-1186 Two sales later, the new owners added shelf-stable ingredients and repositioned the cookies as an affordable brand, prompting its famous founder to depart. If at 54, Amos enjoys being an apostle of cheer, he has led a serious life. With the company propped up, it sold Famous Amos to President Baking for $61 million in 1992. ''I was in Salt Lake City doing some promotion and I discovered that day that my house had been auctioned off,'' he recalled. Around the time Wally lost ownership in his company, his career took perhaps its most remarkable turn. Wally Amos's most famous creation, Famous Amos cookies. In the back of his mind, however, he considered the idea of selling his cookies. Faced with the prospect of losing his business, Amos sold the controlling share to the Bass Brothers of Fort Worth, Texas for $1.1 million. The man who once called himself the face that launched a thousand chips told Parade magazine of his new company: Its still methe best Wally Amos I can be., Amoss self-professed love affair with the chocolate chip cookie began in his childhood. Kimbro, Dennis, and Napoleon Hill. The Famous Amos Cookie Company was born. Growing up poor in the segregated South, he faced adult responsibilities at an early age. He worked dilligently, eventually becoming manager of the supply department at the ritzy store. Amos and his cookie empire enjoyed a decade of success. "I encourage parents to read aloud to children at least from birth to 6 years old. Amos ultimately advanced to the position of a full-time William Morris talent agent where he contributed to the careers of such entertainers as Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Diana Ross, Sam Cooke, and Marvin Gaye. The man who created the Famous Amos cookie empire and eventually lost ownership of the company as well as the rights to use the catchy name is now running a modest cookie shop in Hawaii. Astrological Sign: Cancer. But ''it was a shocker at first.'' Current Biography Yearbook. However, in 1985, mismanagement forced Amos to gradually sell off parts of his company. "The Cookie" got the full star treatment. Check out a post by digital creator, @talk2pops, highlighting Wally Amos story below: What Happened To Wendy Williams? Yet Amos grew tired of showbiz and being Amos headed the rock 'n' roll department, where he signed Simon and Garfunkel and worked with Motown megastars The Supremes, Diana Ross, Sam Cooke and Dionne Warwick. Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 Public Company, 550 Business Center Drive Outside of his entrepreneurial work, Amos travels as a motivational speaker, advocating for ending illiteracy in the United States and working with organizations like Read to Me International and the YMCA. Today, Famous Amos is an international brand you can find in most grocery stores. Fax: (503) 627-2406 He retained a position on the board of directors but was relieved of day-to-day responsibilities in the company. I wanted to do something that really had quality. "Amos! Muhammad Ali came by one year, and, you know, it was a whole thing.". Thought is everything, love is everything. Why did Wally Amos lose his company? Lower Lake, CA: Aslan Publishing, 1994. As Amos told Diane Toops of Food Processing magazine, "It took me a while to catch up with my name. In 1998, the Keebler Company purchased the Famous Amos brand, and Amos resumed his role as the brand's spokesperson. Vintage Photos Of Black History Being Made In America, Your email will be shared with newsone.com and subject to its, Rickey Smiley Gives First Interview Since Son Brandon Died Of Suspected Drug Overdose, Death After Surgery Much More Likely For Senior Black Men Compared To White Peers, Study Suggests, Rapper Juvenile Teams Up With Urban South Brewery To Launch His Own Hard Iced Tea, The Story Of Wally Amos: From His Great Success To Tragic Downfall. He was happy to be back in the center of the brand he started, but he also had a hard time accepting the fact that at the end of the day, he was just a paid spokesperson.. He's the agent that has cookies on him. . Film and television stars, pop singers, and politicians all professed a craving for Famous Amos cookies. In 1986, President Reagan presented him with one of the first Awards of Entrepreneurial Excellence. an agent and by 1974, he was looking for something new. . I enjoy making cookies, he told Ebony. He signed South African trumpet player Hugh Masekela and moved to Los Angeles, convinced that he could create an entertainment empire. The store sells five varieties of bite-sized cookies for $9.89 a pound, similar to the ones he first sold at the Famous Amos store in Hollywood 30 years ago. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. A Famous Cookie And a Face to Match; How Wally Amos Got His Hand And His Name Back in the Game, https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/03/business/famous-cookie-face-match-wally-amos-got-his-hand-his-name-back-game.html. How Did Famous Amos Lose His Company In the late 1980s, Famous Amos ran into trouble when sales of his cookies began to decline. In 1986, Amos was given an Entrepreneurial Excellence Award by President Ronald Reagan (1911-) in appreciation of his remarkable American success story. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/amos-wally-1937, "Amos, Wally 1937 "Amos, Wally In 1989, yet another group of investors dismissed Amos from the company he had founded. Over the next several years, Famous Amos was bought and sold a number of times. Andy Warhol came and they had cookies and milk and champagne. He had enormous enthusiasm for his products, and he used his boundless energy and personal popularity to promote them. ." "In the lower right hand corner there was a William Morris logo, and in the other corner was an A&M Records logo that showed that the cookie had a record deal. In 2002, he was traveling the world promoting Uncle Wally's muffinsand himselfsince he had become a sought after inspirational Fine, 1988. But hes hardly struggling. And so Wally, relentlessly optimistic, raised a little cash from Marvin Gaye and a few other friends and set up shop. Famous Amos's distinctive packaging became almost as famous as the cookies themselves: every brown bag featured a smiling Wally Amos, dressed in a straw Panama hat and a decorated white shirt. He decided to take a chance with his cookies. That's not a bad pitch.''. He served at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1954 until 1957. Encyclopedia.com. However, in 1985, mismanagement forced Amos to gradually sell off parts of his company. Despite the company's poor financial history, and the fact that Uncle Wally's muffins have not become the huge hit with consumers that Famous Amos cookies once were, the business had modest revenues of about $3 million last year and the product is winning fans, Mr. Avignone said. Wallace Amos, Jr. was born in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1936. He created a massive global brand.Famous Amos Cookies.and then lost it all.vMost cookie lovers don't. This time, having learned from his previous business errors, Amos has employed a professional management team to run the dollars-and-cents end of the company. Shortly before graduation, Amos dropped out of high school to join the United States Air Force. WALLY AMOS IS IN THE CHEER business these days, on the lecture circuit, giving motivational talks, telling people, "You're a special person." but as a child he had an innate spirit and gift to. Telephone: (816) 502-4000 When he sold Famous Amos in 1985, Wally Amos lost more than a company. On March 10, 1975, Amos took the advice of some friends, and with $25,000 from singers Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy, [4] he opened a cookie store at 7181 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, in Los Angeles, California, naming it "Famous Amos". Your tax-deductible financial support keeps our stories free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. Within months, Amos had opened two more franchises on the West Coast, and New York-based department store Bloomingdale's had begun selling gourmet cookies. And he really, really cared about people.". "Amos, Wally The cookies were an immediate sensation; 2,500 people to his stores opening party. In the mid-1990s, Amos worked with partners, including Famous Amos distributor Lou Avignone, to launch a muffin company now known as Uncle Wally's Family of Muffins. Ever the optimist, he views the experience as yet another reminder of the power of faith and positive thinking. I'm not in the cookie business anymore.". That something was baking cookies. His stern mother was full of life. Amos began to spread the love around, not only to friends but to business associates in the entertainment business. However, he faced financial setbacks and lost ownership of his company. He had no money to advertise, so he became the new company's showman, passing cookies out on the streets, delivering them to friends, and taking them everywhere he went. He lived with an aunt, Della Bryant, who taught him how to make chocolate chip cookies. Always the survivor, Amos started a new company in 1992, this time selling freshly baked muffins and cakes. He has written 10 books,[6] many of which have a self-help theme, including The Cookie Never Crumbles[7] and The Power in You. In 1992, President Baking Company bought Famous Amos for $61 millionmore than 55 times what Wally Amos sold his controlling stake for just a few years earlier. Kellogg, like Keebler, was a billion-dollar company known for its quality and outstanding products. Amos said the Famous Amos cookies sold today by Kellogg Co. are unlike his cookies, which had lots of chocolate, real butter and pure vanilla extract. In 1992, from his base in Hawaii, he launched a new business. The senior Wallace Amos, whom his son once described as a "good person . "When she baked cookies and shared them, she was expressing her love for me and the rest of the family." But since the name was copyrighted by the original company Wally can no longer use the name " Famous Amos ". Hollywood tastemakers began to take notice: Id go to meetings with record company or movie people and bring along some cookies, and pretty soon everybody was asking for them, Amos told The New York Times in 1975. The Power in You: Ten Secret Ingredients for Inner Strength. He later dropped out of high school to join the Air Force before working as a mailroom clerk at the William Morris Agency, where he became a talent agent, working with The Supremes, Simon & Garfunkel and Marvin Gaye before borrowing $25,000 to launch his cookie business. In 1975, he opened the first Famous Amos store. Now, under terms of his deal with Keebler, he has regained the right to use his name and he sells the muffins as Uncle Wally's. Somebody did something to me that paralyzed me for life. If you believe that, youll never move forward.. He wrote up a business plan and approached some of his famous friends including singers Helen Reddy (1941-) and Marvin Gaye, who each contributed to his start-up funds. "It's not the same formula. The cookies will once again be handmade. But the reason is that theyve told themselves they cant. How he lost his money: Amos started a cookie business after deciding to leave his cushy job as a talent manager for the William Morris Agency in New York in 1975. ''The first couple of years after I left Famous Amos, I didn't even make cookies anymore, and I used to always make cookies at home. At school, he claimed that he had developed an intense desire to become successful and to make money. Working in the business in Los Angeles was frustrating, and Amos was nearly always in debt. They come in the flavors original chocolate chip, chocolate chip with pecans and butterscotch with macadamia nuts. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit LAist.com/radio. "Not just once" -says Amos, grinning and pausing to clap his hands sharply twice -"but two times! When you walked into the cookie store, the door to the kitchen had a star on it, because that was the dressing room for 'The Cookie.' Reflecting on his changing fortunes in Parade, Amos concluded: When you say I will with conviction, magic begins to happen. His store also became a haven for Hollywood hopefuls in what was then a rough area around Sunset Blvd. Amos and his cookie empire enjoyed a decade of success. Hard as it is to imagine in the '90s, there was a time in America when there was no shop devoted solely to chocolate chip cookies. In its first month of business, Nonam reported $33,000 in sales. "When I began to bake them myself, it became my own creative project for the hour or so it took to mix the batter and pop 'em in the oven," Amos writes in The Power in You. "He just exuded light," his son says. "He's the white sheep of the family. They cant. Although he was hired to work in the mail room and to do some janitorial work, Amos got noticed by the upper management because he was willing to do things that were not part of his job description. 17678; December 20, 1993, pp. Keebler acquired the brand last year, becoming its fifth owner. But later in life, due to financial troubles, Wally had to sell his cookie company. Kansas City, Missouri 64141-6627 This is also how Toll House brand cookies got their start. What of the man who started it all? Almost overnight the effervescent Amos became a minor celebrity, both for the quality of his product and his enthusiasm for its promotion. Amos has advocated literacy and helped thousands of adults learn to read. Keebler Company. Ebony, September 1979, pp. But Wally Amos isn't one to fret over the loss of his name or his company. Amos is a popular motivational speaker who has used his celebrity status to promote literacy and to support drop-out prevention programs. When Wally Amos first developed Famous Amos cookies in 1975, the brand became one of the most unlikely success stories in food history. As an. In Current Biography Yearbook, Amos reported that his grandmother treated him "with a very tender and understanding kind of love." By then, competition in the high-priced cookie business had intensified, and Uncle Noname could not keep up. Amos appeared in the October 6, 2016 episode of the American television show Shark Tank seeking $50,000 funding for 20% equity of his company "Cookie Kahuna". Wally Amos was born on July 1, 1936, in Tallahassee, Florida. What Did People Eat On LA's Beaches 100 Years Ago? And even though he has no ownership in Famous Amos and is making Uncle Wally's his priority, he acknowledges that his first company is still in his blood. In the early 1960s Amos took a job in the mail room at the William Morris Talent Agency. She loved to cook, and she lavished the youngster with her special chocolate chip cookies. But he has been chastened by failure, acknowledging that in some respects he walked into a trap awaiting many entrepreneurs. I deal in love." But it was her recipes for life that sustain me to this day," he states on his website. And what it says about the 'Land Back' movement. The message was, before you even turn the page, taste the cookies.". In March of 1975, Wally Amos launched The Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Store in Los Angeles. "He had a big block party for the opening of the store and every year at Christmas he'd have a big block party," Shawn recalls. By then, Amos had grown tired of the endless hustle of the entertainment industry and the riches that had never materialized. "On the front cover there was a picture of The Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie," he writes in The Cookie Never Crumbles. "March 10, 1975," he says. The Man With No Name: Turn Lemons into Lemonade. Watermelon was a food that had taken on a negative meaning since all African Americans were assumed to be especially fond of it. mitataksemme sivustojemme ja sovellustemme kyttsi. He eventually returned to Famous Amos as a "director of cookie fun," and travels the country lecturing on how to overcome misfortune and concentrate on the positive aspects of life. I'll call you Famous Amos." His fourth and longest marriage had collapsed, as had his business, with $108,000 in unpaid rent, but Wally was not deterred. Amos struggled to keep up with the brands rapid growth. His title choice, however, raised some eyebrows. Encyclopedia.com. http://www.GreatCookieComeback.com Wally Amos was the King of the Cookie Kingdom. ''I'd lost the company really because I didn't use to listen to people a lot because I was Famous Amos,'' the founder now acknowledges. I shaved my beard and stopped wearing hats.''. "I would team up with others to build a self-contained, music-oriented entertainment company that handled recording, music publishing and personal talent management," Amos recalled in his book, The Cookie Never Crumbles. He turns to the on-lookers. The Famous Amos cookie company is an American cultural icon. He wasnt a businessman. Now he says simply, "No, no cookies. Fax: (714) 722-4261 After the breakup of the family, he was sent to live with his Aunt Della in New York City. Kellogg spokeswoman Kris Charles said the company has not significantly changed the original recipe when it acquired Famous Amos in 2001, as part of Keebler. He'd come to the store all the time and my dad would give him free cookies. In 1999, Amos signed a deal with the new owner of Famous Amos, Keebler, to act as spokesperson. https://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/trade-magazines/amos-wally, "Amos, Wally He had an impressive client list, which included Simon and Garfunkel, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye (1939-1984), Sam Cooke (1935-1964), Dionne Warwick (1940-), and Diana Ross (1944-). and bake, and it was she who gave Wally Amos his first chocolate chip cookie. The muffins, for instance, are a leading brand in Pathmark supermarkets in the New York area and are available nationally in stores like Costco warehouse clubs and Edwards supermarkets. You have to focus on what you can do, he said. was originally published on The store opened on March 9, 1975, on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Formosa Avenue in Los Angeles. Cookies were a hobby to relieve stress, says his son Shawn Amos, musician, and author of Cookies & Milk. As quoted in a Black Enterprise profile from November 1992, Amos said, "I knew I had the best product; all I needed to do was to convince the public of something I already knew.". The historical marker in front of 7181 Sunset Blvd. [2] He earned his high school equivalency diploma[3] before being honorably discharged from the military. globalgrind.com, 'Dilbert' Comic Creator Calls Black People A 'Hate Group,' Urges Segregation So Whites Can 'Escape', Bernie Mac Show Star Camille Winbush Is Not Ashamed Of Joining OnlyFans, Kyle Rittenhouse Faces 2nd Civil Lawsuit, Continues To Beg For Money From His Supporters, Ben Stein's 'Aunt Jemima' Rant Is A Master Class On White Privilege, Why Did tWitch Kill Himself? All Rights Reserved. Mismanagement, Sloppy Hiring Practices, Lack Of Transparency. In his autobiography, The Famous Amos Story, Amos said that his parents rarely laughed and seldom displayed affection toward him. Instead, he started thinking of ways to promote his business. Cookie included baked goods, storybooks and a variety of merchandise. He has also authored ten books. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"DAWbIiPtfTtFzY4CfwZ6UTAwi.hV.E5y1C9rowz8sW8-86400-0"}; "I'm not concerned with whether people appreciate me or not. Famous Amos was the real star of the brand, appearing on packaging and merchandise in his signature straw hat and embroidered cotton shirt. Amos and his cookie empire enjoyed a decade of success. The Uncle Nonam (pronounced No-NAHH-may) Cookie Company specializes in five varieties of gourmet cookies. Within months, Amos had opened two more West Coast franchises, and the New York-based Bloomingdale's department store had begun selling the gourmet cookies. The new owners came in and I was outside looking in.". He also devoted much of his time and money to promoting literacy and hosted the PBS show Learn to Read. Between visits to the rooms of patients (none of whom seem quite sure who the ebullient, kazoo-blowing guy is), Amos takes a pit stop. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. In 1986 Amos was named recipient of one of president Ronald Reagans first Awards for Entrepreneurial Excellence. Having made millions with his gourmet cookies, Amos seemed to be riding highhe bought a beautiful home in Hawaii and spent untold nights flying across the country promoting his cookies. New York: D. I. Amos doesn't even own his own name anymore. How much did Wally Amos sell his company for? And it was filled with the aroma of her delicious chocolate chip cookies." . "I am in the people business, not the cookie business . Chicago: Nightingale-Conant, 1988. Telephone: (503) 627-7111 Encyclopedia.com. In 1988 the company lost $2.5 million, and the Shansby Group purchased it for $3 million. When Wally tried to start a new companyWally Amos Presents: Chip & Cookiea federal judge told him hed sold away the rights to use his name. . He is about to return to the cookie business. By 1977, when Wally moved to Hawaii with his family, Famous Amos had added two baking and manufacturing facilities and additional stores around Los Angeles and its first in Hawaii. He just wanted people to have fun. This was comfort food at its best. From the beginning, he had a whole myth and lore around the store. I'm especially glad that Famous Amos Cookies are now in the hands of people who love, live, and breathe great-tasting cookies." 548; May 1983, p. 53. He opened a small shop on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, and began making mass quantities with the same recipe hed used in his own kitchen. But Amos became restless and dropped out of school just months before graduation, signing up for the U.S. Air Force in 1953. ''An entrepreneur has an enormously high energy level and has a very low attention span typically,'' said Paul Karofsky, executive director of the Center for Family Business at Northeastern University. kehittksemme ja parantaaksemme palveluitamme sek tuotteitamme. To create buzz for his concept, he developed a backstory for "The Cookie," putting his years in show business to expert use. "Profiting Through Self-Reliance." Yet with such phenomenal success came mistakes. It was from his aunt Della Bryant, who would bake cookies for him, that Amos later developed his chocolate chip cookie recipe.[1]. The Famous Amos Cookie Company was the first premium chocolate chip cookie. Amos said: "We were made to think, to be curious, to seek solutions, and not add to problems." He said yes on the condition that they craft the recipe closer to the original. "He had a headshot made of 'The Cookie,'" Shawn says. He also worked as a talent agent and discovered Simon & Garfunkel. McCollough, Kathy. Wally Amos's Net Worth is $20,000 As of now, Wally Amos has a net worth of merely $20,000. Serious people start wars, man. For an entrepreneur who was down on his luck it was almost too good a deal to pass up. Famous Amos eventually became a household name, as did Wally Amos. Amos's promo packet and boundless enthusiasm were enough to convince entertainment industry friends, including singer Helen Reddy, her husband, producer Jeff Wald (another product of the William Morris mailroom) and record executive Artie Mogull to invest in the venture. But this wasn't Wally Amos's greatest creation. His rise serves as the most infamous cautionary tale for aspiring entrepreneurs. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. In 1957, he returned to New York and joined the William Morris Agency, where he worked his way up from the mailroom to become the first black talent agent in the industry. Yet his legacy as a barrier-breaking entrepreneur remains. With this remark, made by Amos after he sold his cookie business, Amos turned to the new passion in his lifelecturing on inspirational issues. 1983, Reprint. "Famous Amos" went with the company, too. After years of bouncing from one owner to the next, Famous Amos would be part of a cookie empire with well developed national distribution methods. But he made a lot of bad decisions, his son says. Or it was God lighting up my life at that moment.. who always remained true to himself," worked in Tallahassee at the local gas company. "The cookies' reputation began to grow as my contacts multiplied," he recalled in his book, The Power in You. Business Leader Profiles for Students. ''We can dramatically increase distribution of the brand and that is everything from building its presence in convenience stores, mass merchandisers, obviously grocery stores and drugstores,'' Mr. Grieve of Keebler said.