Wally Amos Biography
Wally Amos “Wallace “Wally” Amos”, Jr. is an American TV personality, entrepreneur, and author from Tallahassee, Florida. He is well known as the founder of the Famous Amos chocolate-chip cookie and The Cookie Kahuna gourmet cookie brands and was the host of the adult reading program.
Wally Amos Age
Amos was born on 1st of July 1936 Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. He is 82 years old as of 2018.
Wally Amos Family | Young
His parents divorced and he relocated to Manhattan, New York with his aunt, where he enrolled at the Food Trades Vocational High School. He developed his interest in cooking at a young age. It was from his aunt Della Bryant, who would bake cookies for him, that Amos later developed his chocolate chip cookie recipe. There is no much information about his family background.
Wally Amos Wife| Children
Amos married Christine Amos-Harri who helped him design the early merchandise and packaging for Famous Amos cookies. The pair has children one of them a musician Shawn Amos. Together with his family resides in Kailua, Hawaii, where he runs The Cookie Kahuna.
Wally Amos Education
He dropped out of high school to join the United States Air Force. He later served at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1954 to 1957. He as later earned his high school equivalency diploma before being honorably discharged from the military.
Wally Amos Career
After his four years in the U.S. Air Force, he got back to New York in 1957. He spent his years working in the stock room at Saks Fifth Avenue, and in the mailroom at the prestigious William Morris Agency. In 1962, following a number of promotions, he was the first black talent agent in the history of the William Morris Agency. Determined to make his mark by signing a blockbuster act, his tenacity was rewarded when he discovered the singing duo, Simon & Garfunkel. Over the next few years, he later headed the agency’s newly formed rock ‘n’ roll department, where he worked with Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, and Sam Cooke.
He later left William Morris and moved to Los Angeles, where he struggled to set up his own personal management company. Burdened with the debt of his failing business, Amos began to take comfort in baking chocolate chip cookies. Using a modified version of his Aunt Della’s recipe, he planned to open the first freestanding cookie store. With financial backing from singers like Gaye and an innovative marketing initiative, which included an extensive advertising campaign and a gala grand opening, the first Famous Amos cookie store opened on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1975. 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.
Together with his cookie empire, they enjoyed a decade of success. However, in 1985, mismanagement forced Amos to gradually sell off parts of his company. In 1988, a corporation called the Shansby Group purchased Famous Amos Cookies and successfully repositioned the brand image, changing it from a specialty item to a lower-priced product. In 1991, Amos attempted to launch another cookie company, which he called Wally Amos Presents Chip & Cookie. The Shansby Group sued Amos for violating an agreement that forbade him to use his name and likeness on the packaging of any food products. In 1998, the Keebler Company purchased the Famous Amos brand, and Amos resumed his role as the brand’s spokesperson.
He worked together with partners, including Famous Amos distributor Lou Avignone, to launch a muffin company now known as Uncle Wally’s Family of Muffins. The company produces various homemade-style and healthy muffins. He as well started a new cookie company, called Chip & Cookie—the “only company baking from pure, unadulterated Wally Amos recipes,” according to Amos’s website. Outside of his entrepreneurial work, Amos travels as a motivational speaker, advocating for ending illiteracy in the United States and working with organizations like Reading to Me International and the YMCA.
Wally Amos Net Worth
Аmоѕ hаѕ аn еѕtіmаtеd nеt wоrth оf $20 thоuѕаnd, he earns his mоѕt оf hіѕ іnсоmе wіth hіѕ арреаrаnсе аѕ а ТV реrѕоnаlіtу mаіnlу, аnd hе іѕ аlѕо асknоwlеdgеd аѕ а buѕіnеѕѕmаn аnd аuthоr. He as well еѕtаblіѕhеd ѕtоrе durіng thе уеаr 1975 tо whоlеѕаlе hіѕ сооkіеѕ wіthіn Lоѕ Аngеlеѕ. Durіng thе уеаr 1981, thіѕ ТV реrѕоnаlіtу hаѕ nоtеd арреаrаnсе іn аn еріѕоdе оf wеll-knоwn ТV ѕеrіеѕ, і.е., Тахі, ѕіgnіfуіng hіѕ іnсоmе rесеіvеd frоm арреаrаnсеѕ оn ТV.
Ніѕ соmраnу, like Fаmоuѕ Аmоѕ Соmраnу, wаѕ еѕѕеntіаllу ѕоld bу hіm, that earned him wеll frоm thаt аnd lаtеr hе ѕtаrtеd аfrеѕh соmраnу, і.е., Тhе Unсlе Nоnаmе’ѕ Сооkіе Соmраnу. Тhіѕ nеw соmраnу gоt lаtеr соnvеrtеd аѕ Unсlе Wаllу’ѕ Мuffіn Соmраnу. Оthеr thаn hіѕ wоrkѕ аѕ а ТV реrѕоnаlіtу, hе еаrnеd wеll bу bеіng аn аuthоr аnd аlѕо hе hаѕ wrіttеn аррrохіmаtеlу nіnе bооkѕ. Ву thе уеаr 1982, hе wаѕ gеnеrаtіng $12 mіllіоn іn thе fоrm оf рrоfіtѕ аnd thаt аmоunt іѕ еѕѕеntіаl $30 mіllіоn іn thе рrеѕеnt dау.
He as well іѕ оnе оf thоѕе сеlеbѕ whо turnеd fаmоuѕ bу hіѕ арреаrаnсе аѕ а ТV реrѕоnаlіtу аnd аѕ еntrерrеnеur mаіnlу. Ніѕ lоvе іn сооkіng trаnѕfоrmеd hіm аѕ bеіng аn оrіgіnаtоr оf “Fаmоuѕ Аmоѕ” tеrmеd сhосоlаtе сhір сооkіе еmblеm. Оthеr thаn hіѕ ѕkіllѕ аѕ а ТV реrѕоnаlіtу, hе іѕ еvеn ассоmрlіѕhеd аѕ аn аuthоr аnd wоrkеd аѕ hоѕt оf ѕеvеrаl ТV ѕеrіеѕ.
Wally Amos The Office
Amos appeared in the episode, Tallahassee, as well made a guest appearance and attempts to make a speech, but he soon figures out that he is just there because of the cookies.
Wally Amos Books
- Higher Than the Top Dave Thomas Orville Redenbacher Wally Amos Gayle Miller Bill Bowerman and 18 Others
- The Cookie Never Crumbles Inspirational Recipes for Everyday Living
- Live an Inspiring Life
- Be Positive
- The Power in You
- Watermelon Magic Seeds of Wisdom Slices of Life
- The Path to Success Is Paved with Positive Thinking How to Live a Joy-filled Life and Make Your Dreams Come True
- Be Positive Insights on How to Live an Inspiring and Joy-filled Life
- Wally Amos Presents Chip and Cookie the First Adventure
- Faith Inspirational Messages
- You Have the Power