Hundreds plunge into Pittsburgh's first 'Shark Tank' open casting call

Scott Fassinger opened his patio umbrella one morning to a surprise.

A bat had flown up into it during the night, gotten trapped, and came rushing out at him when he popped open the closed umbrella.

“And I thought, I don't want that to happen to anyone else,” Fassinger, 49, of Lower Burrell said.

So Fassinger invented the Brella Boot, a triangular piece of mesh material with velcro that attaches to the bottom of a patio umbrella and keeps birds, bats, bees and other critters from climbing inside.

“Also it keeps the wind from turning it into a missile,” Fassinger said.

The Brella Boot was one of more than 300 ideas, products and companies a casting team from the ABC show “Shark Tank” expected to hear about Wednesday during an open casting call at Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh's North Shore. It was the show's first casting call in Pittsburgh, and the first step in a long process for entrepreneurs vying for a chance to pitch to and perhaps receive funding from one of the show's “sharks.”

“I'm sure we're going to see great stuff today,” said Mindy Zemrak, supervising casting producer of “Shark Tank.”

Fassinger, an engineer at US Steel, was one of the first people in line Wednesday morning. Behind him snaked a line of people carrying all sorts of props, prototypes, pasteboards, samples, models and more. Rick Reynolds had a guitar draped across his body.

The former aerospace engineer at US Airways designed a guitar that is 35 percent lighter with materials used in airplanes. Reynolds, 56, of Moon said his Aero 3 Guitars play and sound just like a solid body Fender or Les Paul. But don't ask him to play.

“I've never played a guitar in my life,” Reynolds said. “Still don't.”

People in line were full of nerves and excitement. “Shark Tank” staff handed out numbered wrist bands and told the higher numbers to return later in the day. Pitches started at 10 a.m. and were expected to run through 5 p.m. Everyone who received a wrist band would be allowed to pitch.

“I'm trying to stay calm,” said Karen Mosholder. “My friends and family keep sending me texts with funny photos.”

Mosholder, 57, of Stoystown, is a bee keeper. She started BumbleBerry Farms, a line of honey-based creams and spreads about three years ago. Mosholder has since moved BumbleBerry Farms out of her garage and into a facility in Somerset. She hires moms with young children who can set their own hours to help her make the spreads. She hopes the show will like her story and the taste of her spreads and give her the money she needs to expand.

LaShanda Cunningham, 43, and Heather Pirowski, 42, said they hoped the show could help them expand as well. The pair drove from Indianapolis to pitch their company, Fearless Nation. They started the company after noticing that T-shirts and polos printed or embroidered with corporate logos and worn as uniforms or at company events often didn't fit a woman's style or body. Fearless Nation makes blank dresses — with pockets — cardigans, accessories and other clothing for women that companies can put their logos on.

“Options like this don't come to Indiana,” Pirowski said.

After waiting in line and getting a wrist band, groups of entrepreneurs were led upstairs to a series of conference rooms. After more waiting, they were finally given one minute, give or take a little, to pitch to a member of the casting crew for “Shark Tank.” None of the sharks, including Mt. Lebanon native Mark Cuban, were there.

Up to four pitches happened at four different tables simultaneously. After the pitch, crew members asked questions, like how much money they would be seeking.

Zemrak said the crew tried to keep the atmosphere calm. She wanted people to be comfortable and to have the best chance to get their story out. She said talking about the backstory to your product or what you had to sacrifice to make it possible was more important than facts and figures about the size of the market or potential for growth.

“Show your passion and your energy today,” Zemrak told the first group of entrepreneurs before they started pitching.

But Aaron Novak was still nervous. Novak and Katie Simmons drove to Pittsburgh from Akron, Ohio, to pitch Whiskertin Lighting, a custom lighting business Novak started a few years ago.

Simmons, 36, wore a bright light bulb costume while Novak, 40, talked about the company. He has worked in HVAC for decades and one day took home a scrap piece of duct work from a job site, fashioned it into a light and posted it on Facebook.

“Everybody was like really stoked on it,” Novak said. “It's kind of a business that started in my basement that's getting there.”

Novak knew the chances of getting on “Shark Tank” are slim. Zemrak said the show receives 40,000 applications each season and maybe only 90 to 100 make it on the show.

“I think I have a different product and I have this cute little light bulb here,” Novak said. “So hopefully it's going to grab the eye of the sharks and they're going to want to get lit.”