Pop-Culturalist.com

Joy Mangano and Scott Evans are helping small business owners break through with their new series America’s Big Deal.

The first-of-its-kind shopping competition invites entrepreneurs from across the country to sell their ready-made products live on-air to home viewers in real-time through One Platform Commerce @ NBCU. Each week, entrepreneurs take the stage for a bold and innovative product pitch and the person with the highest dollar sales at the end of the night will win the chance to strike a life-changing deal with one of the show’s retail giants.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Joy and Scott about America’s Big Deal.

PC: Scott, you’ve shared in previous interviews that you’ve been working toward this moment since the third grade. What has it meant to you to be a part of America’s Big Deal? How do you hope your story inspires others?
Scott: That’s a great question. I remember the day Joy called about the show wanting to share with me her intention—the pillar and the core of the show being about uplifting small businesses. We got emotional on that call because we talk about this all the time: about having been in pursuit of this kind of career since the third grade. You don’t always have opportunities that come about that feel like a direct answer to your prayer. Throughout the year and a half—almost two years now—that we’ve been living through this COVID experience, I’ve been wanting to be a part of something and to work on something that was going to encourage people and shine a light on people who have decided “We are going to win. We’re going to come out on top.”

That, in a lot of ways, mirrors my own perspective about my own life. No matter what the circumstances may look like around me, I’ve decided today is going to be a victory. I don’t know how that victory’s going to come about, but it’s going to start with my mindset. It’s going to start with my intention and how I deal with everyone I encounter today. Joy was an easy “yes” because she had that in herself. She exemplifies and walks that walk every day.

PC: Joy, you’ve had incredible success throughout your career. Who or what has had the biggest influence on your journey?
Joy: Well, success is not a point, it’s a path. The biggest influence has been everybody who is out there. When I think about a product, I dream about how it’s going to help somebody. Are they going to hold it comfortably? I think about every little detail. Hence, America’s Big Deal. It was really my time in life to give back. I know what it feels like to be trying to break through. In the times that we’ve had the last year and a half, it’s almost been impossible for most of these people. My inspiration is the opportunity to give back and surround myself with these kinds of people. Scott is just not out there with them live. He’s there as support. He’s there as a guide. People who are watching can feel how electric this is and how nothing like this has really existed before.

Scott: Ever.

Joy: We have entrepreneurs getting the chance of a lifetime. We have viewers that become the buyers and through their purchases pick a winner. We have retailers that are traditionally competitors coming together for a common mission. It’s such a beautiful thing, I can’t tell you. We stand proud every time the show airs. We’re only halfway through the season.

PC: What’s been the standout moment for each of you this season and why?
Joy: The standout moment is every time one of them gets up there and does a presentation. It’s amazing. It’s not a presentation because it can’t be one. It’s amazing the degree to which we’re able to really showcase a product. I’ve been doing this for over thirty years. This show takes it to a whole other level so that the viewer has the opportunity to break through just watching and be motivated to say, “I saw all of that. I have to have that product.” There are four breakthrough moments in every show.

Scott: That’s real. I have several. One is how RJ walked onto that stage at nineteen years old and did what he did—not only winning America’s Big Deal, but also choosing the offer that wasn’t necessarily the highest dollar amount but that had the guidance and the mentorship and had really connected with the success of his story. I really dug that.

But there was also a moment in that same episode where we had an entrepreneur who had suffered from agoraphobia. I don’t know if you know what agoraphobia is, but it’s like when you have this apprehension and fear of leaving your home. The house that you live in is your safe space. This woman drove from Texas to New Jersey to stand on that stage in a room full of people and in front of thousands and thousands of homes across the country and said, “I’m going to give it my all.” She really did. She showed up not only for the show but for herself. I was inspired by that for sure.

Joy: You hit it on the head. Those stories are stand-up. But everyone has a similar story that’s incredible. Aunt Flora, 75 years old, and her husband there was the cutest thing ever.

Scott: And then they decided, “You know what? This proper thing isn’t working. We’re going to wing it. We’re just going to wing it and whatever happens, baby. It happens.”

Joy: Look at that. You just never know what’s going to happen on America’s Big Deal.

Scott: True story. That’s what it should be called: You Never Know What’s Going to Happen on America’s Big Deal.

Joy: We’re going to rename it. [laughs]

PC: Joy, what has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned on your journey that you’d want to share with the next generation?
Scott: Yeah, what’s that baton moment?

Joy: That’s simple. First of all, if you believe this is your passion—that what you’re doing is your passion—a project is not just a product. It’s a service. It can be anything. But you have so many platforms and avenues to reach the consumer. The consumer is so smart. Now, you can take whatever you’re doing and find different ways to reach them and build it from there. It’s a much different process than when I started thirty years ago. The opportunities are endless. Look at America’s Big Deal. If I had a platform like that, my career would be one-third the length. There are so many creative ways to get your voice out there, and you should utilize all of them. I believe the consumer needs to find you everywhere, if you can do that.

Scott: That’s great advice. You’re the bomb. No, seriously. Because people don’t give you the secrets to their success. People hold on to that. It’s the sauce that they don’t want to share. It’s why I can’t get my aunt’s gumbo recipe right. She doesn’t want to share, not until she goes. She wrote it on index cards somewhere.

Joy: Oh, she’s hiding it.

Scott: She’s hiding it. But the fact that you do that every single episode—you let people in on the secret sauce—is one of the reasons why our show feels magical. All of the titans have that same energy and that intention. It’s a really cool thing to watch.

Joy: Absolutely. We’re helping these small businesses navigate their way into becoming nationwide retailers. That’s a very tough transition to make. Other companies want to mentor these companies through the process and help it make sense to them—whether it be financially or in their ability to produce. All those things. They’ve got their backs. It’s a beautiful thing.

PC: Scott, early on in your career you founded a nonprofit, Fight the Wackness. It’s a mission to help fast-track youth. How has your work with the organization prepared you for America’s Big Deal?
Scott: It’s so funny that you asked a question about Fight the Wackness. We started this organization, 501 (c)(3), a federally recognized nonprofit, when I was twenty-two. I remember experiencing and believing in that success. I wasn’t even experiencing the success that I’m experiencing now, but I had a kernel of it then. I was working for the Pacers. I believed that one of the secrets to the sauce was exposing people as early as possible to portions of their dreams. I wanted to help them build the foundation of what their life could look like and what their dreams could look like. I was in the third grade when I booked playing a young Reggie Miller versus a young Larry Bird for the player intro videos for the Indiana Pacers.

That’s the thing that led me to this. Fight the Wackness was about creating opportunities for young people to connect with their dreams and goals as early as possible. It’s a pillar of mine. It’s a core principle of mine—a mentorship and the opportunity for youth to experience their dreams. Joy is the example. She’s literally a shining example of what your life can be should you decide to get clear about what you offer and then go about the business of getting it done.

Joy: I didn’t even know this about Scott. But when you surround yourself with light, bright people, and people that take their life principles and apply them to whatever they do in business or in their careers or anything, I believe that’s all one set of principles. Gone are the days where people used to say, “Well, it’s business.” That’s gone. This is why I love you so much.

Make sure to follow Joy (Twitter/Instagram) and Scott (Twitter/Instagram). Watch America’s Big Deal every Thursday at 9/8c on USA Network.