In sales.
Peter Bieler’s 1996 account reports $11 million in sales and $3 million in net profit by 1986.
THE TELEBRANDS HISTORY
An idea can change
the everyday.
And sometimes, an industry.
From a college entrepreneur’s first advertisement to household names and national retail shelves. Explore the people, turning points and practical ingenuity behind more than four decades of Telebrands.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ARCHIVE
A history you can see.
01 / THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BEGINNING
Start small.
See further.
1983—1987Telebrands began with AJ Khubani’s willingness to put an idea in front of a customer.
In college, AJ invested a $2,500 student loan in Chrysler. By 1983, the investment had grown to $20,000. He repaid the loan and used investment proceeds to start Telebrands. A print advertisement for a $10 radio became an early lesson in taking an idea to market.1
The university’s account of the beginning ↗AmberVision: from television to the shelf.
The 1987 AmberVision sunglasses campaign became an early breakthrough. In his later Response interview, AJ recalled an initial 200-piece retail order at Herman’s Sporting Goods followed by a 20,000-piece reorder just days later. A modest opening revealed a much bigger opportunity.
AmberVision eventually sold more than 20 million units.2 The connection between a compelling demonstration and retail availability would become central to the Telebrands story.3
AJ’s published account · September 2013 ↗A BUSINESS TAKES SHAPE / 1983–1995
From a college beginning
to a national business.
Published historical accounts trace the early scale of Telebrands.
In sales.
The same book describes the company reaching $60 million in sales by 1990.
In annual revenue.
Steven Dworman’s introduction to an interview set in 1995 describes Telebrands at this scale.4
A DEFINING BUSINESS LESSON / 2000
Resilience.
Then renewal.
Telebrands’ history includes a difficult chapter. In 2000, the company entered Chapter 11. AJ recalls emerging in approximately three months and spending the following five years fulfilling a negotiated repayment arrangement with vendors.
He credits enduring business relationships and renewed focus with helping the company rebuild. PedEgg, Pocket Hose and Star Shower would become defining products of the years that followed.5
02 / HELPING BUILD A RETAIL CATEGORY
A demonstration on screen.
A familiar sign in stores.
AJ’s red-and-white “As Seen on TV” logo gave shoppers a way to recognize products they had seen demonstrated. Telebrands then developed a dedicated retail format: a recognizable shopping area, a coordinated assortment and a buyer responsible for the program.
The story begins at Jamesway in 1990 and reaches Walmart in 1993. Firsthand accounts from former Jamesway executive Angelo Bianco and Telebrands sales leader Andy Khubani document the people, proposals and execution behind those milestones.
Jamesway: Angelo Bianco’s account ↗Walmart: Andy Khubani’s account ↗THE TELEBRANDS PRODUCT RECORD
285Hit products6EXPERIENCE BUILT ONE PRODUCT AT A TIME
A long history
of finding what resonates.
The October 2026 record identifies 285 hit products6 across decades of Telebrands product building. It reflects a history of bringing useful ideas to consumers through direct sales and retail.
Behind that record is AJ’s career body of work: more than 1,500 television commercials for more than 1,500 different products.7
JAMESWAY / THE FIRST TELEBRANDS-LED RETAIL SECTION / 1990
Creating a destination
for As Seen on TV.8
Telebrands created Jamesway’s first dedicated As Seen on TV section in 1990, giving shoppers a place to find the products they recognized from television.
The idea combined AJ Khubani’s vision for taking television-advertised products into stores with the merchandising strategy developed and presented by his brother, Anand “Andy” Khubani, then Telebrands’ VP of Sales. Andy proposed a prominent shopping area, coordinated buying and an assortment of successful TV products from Telebrands and other suppliers. He offered to lead product selection and merchandising as the category captain.
Jamesway became the first retailer to implement this Telebrands-led format, according to Andy’s October 2026 account. Angelo Bianco, Jamesway’s Vice President of Hardlines from 1978–1990, also recalls Telebrands bringing the concept and playing a central role in assembling the assortment and implementing the program.
By mid-October, Jamesway’s first dedicated As Seen on TV section had launched in approximately 100 stores. Four-foot endcaps in front of the hardware department brought television-promoted products together in a clearly identified shopping area.
Bianco recalls more than $400,000 in customer purchases in less than two months, from approximately mid-October to early December 1990. The program offers an early example of Telebrands connecting product recognition, merchandising and retail availability.
“the first dedicated As Seen on TV section I had encountered at any retailer in the United States.”
THE ORIGINAL ASSORTMENT
Four products.
A recognizable idea.
- AmberVision sunglasses
- Cat and Mouse Watch
- Whisper 2000 hearing device
- Dental White
Bianco names these four Telebrands products in the launch assortment. This Whisper 2000 advertisement, preserved in the Fairfield office, brings one of those early products back into view.
WALMART / CREATING A DEDICATED AS SEEN ON TV PROGRAM / 1993
From Jamesway
to Walmart.11
Telebrands helped create Walmart’s dedicated As Seen on TV shopping destination in 1993, bringing together product assortment, prominent store placement and an assigned buyer.
Andy Khubani’s firsthand account traces how the concept reached Walmart. Representing Telebrands, he presented a way to turn the demand created by television advertising into a clearly organized place to shop. The program built on the company’s earlier sales of individual products to Walmart and Sam’s Club.
THE IDEA ON THE STORE FLOOR
A recognizable place to shop.
A Walmart As Seen on TV department, featuring the red-and-white logo created by AJ Khubani.12
MAY 1993 / THE INTRODUCTION
A conversation with Bill Fields.
At the IMRA conference, Andy discussed the program’s success with Walmart Chief Merchant Bill Fields. Fields invited him to present the concept in Bentonville.
JUNE 1993 / THE PROPOSAL
A dedicated section. A designated buyer.
Andy recalls presenting to Fields and four senior merchants. Fields brought Clifford Young, the buyer for Department 82, Impulse Merchandising, into the discussion to work on the program.
FOURTH QUARTER 1993 / THE EXECUTION
Turning the concept into a retail program.
Andy worked with Young to develop the assortment and promotional features for that year’s fourth quarter. The dedicated As Seen on TV section operated within Walmart’s existing impulse merchandising business.
A retail idea that traveled.
Andy recalls expanding the program over the five years following Jamesway to retailers including Walmart, Target, Kmart, Caldor, Venture, Ames, Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy and Rite Aid. He distinguishes dedicated sections with designated buyers from other buying arrangements: Caldor and Walgreens were exceptions to that dedicated-section format in his account of this period.
He credits AJ with the vision of taking direct-response TV products to retail, creating successful television-advertised items and the red-and-white As Seen on TV logo. Andy led the development and execution of the dedicated retail format on Telebrands’ behalf.
Framed cover from the Fairfield office collection. Select the image for a larger view.
03 / THIRTY YEARS. A COVER STORY.
A company that helped
shape its industry.13
Thomas Haire’s anniversary profile traced Telebrands’ development from individual hits to product lines and a lasting retail presence. His description of the company under AJ’s leadership captured its wider impact:
“led the As Seen On TV revolution at retail.”
Thomas Haire · Response · September 2013
Read “It Was 30 Years Ago Today…” · archived article ↗THE WORK BEHIND THE BREAKTHROUGHS
Instinct.
Testing.
A team that delivers.
In a conversation set in 1995 and published in Steven Dworman’s 2004 book, $12 Billion of Inside Marketing Secrets, AJ describes the transition from writing advertisements and shipping orders himself to building an organization.
Earn the opportunity.
AJ recalls repeated retailer approaches before AmberVision secured its opening.
Learn from the response.
He describes using results from earlier print campaigns to inform decisions about new ones.
Build beyond one person.
His account emphasizes people, systems, distribution and delegation, and credits his brother Andy’s contribution to retail growth.14
04 / PEDEGG’S COMPANYWIDE MILESTONE
40 million units.
Over $400M in consumer retail sales.15
Read the companywide source & scope ↗A SEPARATE CHAPTER / WALGREENS IN 2008
A remarkable week at the retail counter.
Mother’s Day sales week · Seven days ending May 13, 2008
A former buyer’s firsthand account.
Dustin Sullivan, Walgreens’ Category Manager for As Seen on TV from 2007–2010, recalls PedEgg ranking No. 1 by retail sales dollars among front-of-store, self-service merchandise for that week, excluding pharmacy.
In his recollection, it surpassed single-serve Snickers bars and 20-ounce Coca-Cola. A practical foot-care idea had become a remarkable moment on the retail shelf.
Watch AJ demonstrate PedEgg on The View ↗THE FULL YEAR / CALENDAR 2008
The scale behind the milestone.
Sullivan also recalls approximately $40 million in consumer sales and 4 million units at Walgreens during calendar 2008. These are approximate point-of-sale figures for the full year.18
Explore PedEgg’s annual sales story ↗- Consumer retail sales
- ≈$40M
- Units sold to customers
- ≈4M
05 / A STAR SHOWER HOLIDAY MILESTONE
A holiday hit.
A photograph with a story.
The week Star Shower reached No. 1.
By retail sales dollars · Walmart U.S. stores
November 21–27, 2015 · Walmart Week 43
Joe Grady, the Walmart vice president overseeing Department 82 in 2015, recalls Star Shower ranking first by retail sales dollars during the week encompassing Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Bananas ranked second.
The photograph celebrates that memorable chapter: Joe and Griffin hold Star Shower, while AJ holds a bunch of bananas.
06 / PASSING POSSIBILITY FORWARD
The next great idea
can come from anyone.
Telebrands’ history also includes the people whose ideas were still taking shape: independent inventors, student teams and entrepreneurs finding their first opportunity.
FROM THE FAIRFIELD OFFICE / CREATIVE HERITAGE
Make the idea clear.
Make it memorable.
The red “As Seen on TV” identity, prominent product names and visual demonstrations recur throughout these historical advertisements.
Blue Max by AmberVision
A framed sunglasses campaign featuring Joe Namath.
Miracle Thaw
A before-and-after demonstration carried from television to the product presentation.
Silver Lightning
A framed campaign featuring Robin Leach, with the demonstration arranged in three steps.
More historical product advertising
Ice It!
An example of the company’s historical portable-drinkware advertising.
Slice O Matic
A visual sequence showing the product in use.22
THE STORY CONTINUES
Built on experience.
Still looking ahead.
Today’s Telebrands portfolio carries that curiosity into the home, garden, personal care and everyday life.
Notes & sources
- The founding of TelebrandsView supporting record ↗↩
- AmberVision cumulative salesView supporting record ↗↩
- AmberVision cumulative salesAmberVision eventually sold more than 20 million units. That founder-reported cumulative milestone came over time; it is not a single-year figure.View supporting record ↗ The connection between a compelling demonstration and retail availability would become central to the Telebrands story.↩
- From a college beginning to a national business.Historical figures from This Business Has Legs (1996), p. 137, and $12 Billion of Inside Marketing Secrets (2004), p. 174. These are the authors’ published accounts, not independently audited statements or current annual revenue. View supporting record ↗↩
- Resilience. Then renewal.AJ’s retrospective account; court and repayment records were not supplied for this website. No claim is made that every original obligation was paid in full. View supporting record ↗↩
- Definition of a hit product
A hit is a product that exceeded $1 million in cumulative retail sales to consumers, directly or through retailers. The 285 hit products are from the founder-approved historical record dated October 16, 2026. The count is not independently audited and is not an advertising-award total or a list of products currently sold. Record and attribution ↗
↩1 ↩2 - Television commercial recordThe product list is founder-approved; the commercial and distinct-product counts are AJ’s career estimates, with cataloging in progress. These figures are not independently audited and are not counts of advertising awards. View supporting record ↗↩
- Jamesway retail program
Source & scope. Bianco’s September 13 and Andy Khubani’s October 14, 2026 firsthand statements, published with attribution and permission. Bianco also led Hardware Distributor Inc., the Jamesway subsidiary that implemented the program. The “first” assessment reflects the retailers known to him. Sales are recalled consumer purchases; original sales records were no longer available to Bianco.
Read the account & historical context ↗↩ - Angelo Bianco’s Jamesway accountAngelo Bianco · Jamesway Vice President of Hardlines, 1978–1990
From his September 13, 2026 statement. Bianco says he knew of no earlier comparable department.↩ - Photograph or illustration: Historical Whisper 2000 advertisingHistorical Whisper 2000 advertising; date not confirmed. This is an archival product display, not a photograph of the 1990 Jamesway installation. Pictured claims are historical.↩
- Walmart retail program
Source & scope. Anand “Andy” Khubani’s October 14, 2026 statement, published with his permission. Andy served at Telebrands from 1990–1997, first as VP of Sales and later in executive sales leadership. The chronology reflects his personal participation and recollection.
Read Andy’s account & historical context ↗↩ - Walmart department photograph
Photograph supplied and identified by AJ.
Photograph date and store location unconfirmed. This image illustrates the retail format; it is not presented as a photograph of the 1993 launch.
Retouched for presentation: the column and attached items were removed, with merchandise and surrounding surfaces reconstructed.
Photograph & editing notes ↗↩ - A company that helped shape its industry.The historical examples here reflect AJ’s published interview account.↩
- Earn the opportunity.Selected paraphrases of AJ’s interview, pp. 174–195 in the supplied copy. The book was published in 2004; the conversation is set in 1995. The dollar figure belongs to the book’s title.↩
- 40 million units. Over $400M in consumer retail sales.A cumulative companywide milestone reported by founder and CEO AJ Khubani, October 2026.↩
- Photograph or illustration: PedEgg’s Walgreens retail milestone · IllustrationIllustration of the milestone recalled by former Walgreens category manager Dustin Sullivan. Product imagery is illustrative; the podium does not show sales proportions or rankings for the other products. Read the firsthand account ↗↩
- PedEgg ranking measureThe ranking was by retail sales dollars, not a confirmed ranking by units sold.↩
- PedEgg at WalgreensSource & scope
Sullivan’s firsthand recollection, shared with permission in September 2026. He recalls reviewing the weekly item-sales report; this is not an official Walgreens confirmation or an independently verified result.
Read the dated account & sales definitions ↗↩ - Photograph or illustration: From left: Joe Grady, AJ Khubani and Griffin SorensonFrom left: Joe Grady, AJ Khubani and Griffin Sorenson. Walmart, December 2015, according to AJ’s account. Photograph and identifications from AJ’s personal archive.↩
- The week Star Shower reached No. 1.Grady’s personal recollection, confirmed September 25, 2026 and quoted with permission. This is not an official Walmart statement or an independently audited sales report. The sales period was in November; AJ dates the photograph to December.↩
- From Princeton classrooms to manufacturing.After many offerings, AJ personally accompanied selected student teams on educational manufacturing visits to China, fully funded by AJ and/or Telebrands. Professor Daniel M. Nosenchuck’s statement documents this contribution; precise trip and student totals remain under review.↩
- Make the idea clear. Make it memorable.Historical advertising shown as company heritage. Dates are not confirmed; pictured offers, product claims and celebrity appearances are not presented as current.↩