Originally published in Newsday https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/joy-mangano-americas-big-deal-usa-network-1.50249239

Famed Long Island entrepreneur Joy Mangango will give inventors a chance to sell their products live on air in “America’s Big Deal,” an upcoming USA Network reality-TV show.

The cable network’s parent company, NBCUniversal, announced that the series, featuring the Brooklyn-born and Huntington-raised Mangano, a longtime resident of the Smithtown hamlet of St. James, is set to premiere this fall.

“I am so excited to be working with USA & NBCU, and [producer and Manhasset native] Tony DiSanto and crew!” Mangano, 65, whose many signature products include the Miracle Mop and the Memory Cloud Pillow, wrote on social media. “This is beyond a project… it’s a mission!”

The series allows inventors nationwide to pitch their wares in real time through NBCUniversal Checkout, as they compete for the opportunity to sign a distribution deal with an unspecified major retailer. Live sales numbers will determine which of the competing inventors move forward on the show.

The application form at JoyMangano.com asks for product specifics but also for “the story behind your invention … What is [your] personal story? … How was your business impacted by the pandemic and what would this opportunity mean to you?”

Applicants must have a finished product and, if possible but not required, documentation of

sales to indicate customer response. Product categories range from food and beverage to technology, toys and games, hardware and tools, apparel, pets and several others.

The show will not accept submissions for firearms, fuel additives, gambling- or tobacco-related products, genuine furs or sexual aids.