WowWee vies for television prize

ENNIS business WowWee has been shortlisted for the Your Business on Irish TV competition, which gives small businesses the opportunity to get their products on television for the first time.
The competition has a €60,000 prize fund and is a joint initiative between RTÉ’s Shopping from Home and the county and city enterprise boards. WowWee, based at the Tracklands Business Park, is run by Áine Gleeson and was nominated by the Clare County Enterprise Board.
In all, 20 small businesses from around the country have been short-listed for the six top prizes, which are monthly presentation packages on Shopping from Home worth €10,000 each.
The competition is the brain-child of Kathy Hoffman, founder and managing director of Shopping from Home. Each of the six winning companies will be given a monthly platform to promote and sell their products and services directly to viewers on television, for the very first time. As part of the package, the winning companies will also receive marketing and PR support during the course of the month.
The 20 finalists are all award-winning Irish businesses in their own right, which have been nominated by their local county and city enterprise board. The winners are expected to be announced in the middle of August.
Screentime ShinAwil, the production company behind The Apprentice, MasterChef Ireland, Dragons’ Den and The Voice, will film the first presentation in August, which will then be beamed into thousands of Irish households on RTÉ One from September 1.
“This is the first joint competition of its kind in Ireland,” said Kathy Hoffman, series producer and presenter of Shopping From Home.
“In collaboration with the county and city enterprise boards, we’re seeking home-grown businesses, which can offer clever, innovative and affordable products to Irish viewers. We want our winners to be able to capitalise on the added exposure that this opportunity can give them and their businesses. If ever there was a need to buy Irish, it is now.  We want everyone in Ireland to get behind this initiative, support these worthy winners by buying their product and service and helping them develop,” she added.
Eamonn Kelly, Clare County Enterprise Board, said, “Getting their products and services in front of consumers can open new doors for small businesses, giving them access to new marketplaces.
“This kind of unique opportunity can help small businesses grow and expand, potentially leading to job creation locally. We’d like to wish our local nominees, in particular, the very best of luck in the judging process in the weeks ahead.”
The six winning companies will have their products featured on the home shopping series for one month, with a new winner being featured each month.
The winning companies will also be provided with a broadcast-quality website link to upload their footage onto their website and a DVD to allow them showcase their products at exhibitions or trade fairs in the future.