‘Shark Tank’ dips from more diverse pool — starting with DC

“It doesn’t matter what you’re pitching. It’s how you’re pitching,” casting producer Scott Salyers said Saturday to a lineup of contestants handpicked to present in a General Assembly classroom. “Come in with an idea of what you’re looking for.”
The “Shark Tank” hopefuls filed in the glass-enclosed room, suited up or sporting athletic gear; reciting a well-rehearsed pitch or with flash cards in hand; some joking around and others stuttering. They were each competing for one of the 150 slots in an ABC show that drew 40,000 applications last year. Facing them were two stone-faced judges, casting associate Steven Chew and Salyers, who barked at them with comments like, “What if we love you? I said ‘what if.'”
During the traditional open call, Salyers told Technical.ly DC, “we were getting a certain type of person.” So, to seek out new talent for the seventh season, Shark Tank went for curated casting calls in “non-traditional” venues — like college campuses or tech training programs. “We’re looking for as many different types of businesses as possible,” Salyers said.
The show expanded its calls to new locations, including Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Knoxville, and also tried to encourage more entrepreneurs of color to apply. To that end, Shark Tank partnered with Values Partnerships, a D.C.-based outreach firm, to coordinate a number of smaller meetings in D.C., Atlanta and Detroit.
In one day in D.C., Shark Tank met with 75 companies at The Hive 2.0 in the Southeast; 35 companies at Howard University, which partnered with the United Negro College Fund; and about fifteen more in General Assembly, where the lineup was chosen by Technoir organizers.
The contestants walked out mainly upbeat, but sometimes shaken.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to pitch in front of Shark Tank,” said Athena Griffith, a cofounder of EveryBody, an online workout coach for diverse women.
“It was kind of a slow tsunami,” said Drew Smith, the cofounder of natural resorts review site Wanderus, who felt that he started out slow but eventually showed his expertise.
For Maxime Paul, the founder of the minority entrepreneur consultancy e2, it was a breeze. “I didn’t practice,” he said. “I know my business.”