After an article about the Teal Camper appeared on the gizmag.com web site in May, things have been jumping on the Teal website. Once other blogs and websites picked up on the gizmag.com story, Teal’s website went from an average of 100 visitors a day to over 4,000, introducing a lot of new people to Larry Drake’s innovative modular camper, which we introduced to many of you last November.
(image courtesy Teal Camper)
Several of the readers contacted Drake, encouraging him to submit an application to the ABC reality show “Shark Tank”, in an effort to take Teal to the next level. “Shark Tank” is a reality show where budding entrepreneurs pitch their ideas and products to a panel of millionaire investors in the hopes one of them will “bite” and invest in the contestant’s venture.

Drake thought about it, but since he figured his chances were slim, he gave up on the idea. That is, until a producer at “Shark Tank” contacted him after reading about Teal from the gizmag.com story. Upon agreeing to review the requirements, Drake determined they were more interested in a reality show and less interested in helping entrepreneurs.
“What showed up in my in-basket was a contract a mile long that was obviously drawn up by legal sharks who had far more interest in furthering ABC’s interests than protecting the entrepreneur.” He goes on to say, “After a couple of phone conversations with the producers, I was convinced that Shark Tank is all about “good” television and not necessarily entrepreneur opportunity. Reality TV, it is not what it appears to be.”
Drake will now forge ahead with Teal Camper without the aid of reality TV. “With all the interest that has been generated, multiple opportunities have surfaced. We are exploring a host of options regarding both the US and international market. Finding the right fit for the best chance of success is a challenge.”
Drake hopes to finalize the direction of Teal in the coming months.