Joy Mangano | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1956-02-01)February 1, 1956 (age 69) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Pace University |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1989–Present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | joymangano |
Joy Mangano (/mæŋˈɡænoʊ/mang-GAN-oh; born February 1, 1956)[1] is an Americaninventor andentrepreneur known for inventions such as the self-wringingMiracle Mop.[2][3] She was the president of Ingenious Designs, LLC, and appeared regularly on the U.S. television shopping channelHSN until her departure in late 2018.[4] Mangano is the founder andCEO of Clean Boss, a company that develops and sells cleaning products.[5]
Mangano released herautobiography,Inventing Joy, in 2017. The 2015 filmJoy was loosely based on her life.Jennifer Lawrence won aGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Mangano.[6][7] A stage musical inspired by her life premiered in 2022, also titledJoy.[8]
In 2021, she premiered a reality competition show onUSA Network for aspiring entrepreneurs calledAmerica's Big Deal.[9]
Mangano was born inBrooklyn and raised inHuntington, New York.[10] Mangano began inventing at an early age when, as a teenager working at an animal hospital inHuntington, New York, onLong Island, she dreamed up a fluorescent flea collar to keep pets safe. A product with a similar design was released the next year byHartz Mountain. After graduating fromPace University with a degree in business administration in 1978, she held a variety of jobs,[3] including waitress[2] and airline reservations manager while raising her three children as a divorced mother.[3]
Mangano is a named inventor of 71 patent families and 126 distinct patent publications[11] for her inventions.[12] "I think my products have been successful because they have mass appeal," she has said. "I'm just like everybody else out there. I'm a mom, I work, I have a house to clean, things to organize. We all have similar needs, and I address them."
In 1990 after growing frustrated with ordinary mops, Mangano developed her first invention, the "Miracle Mop", a self-wringing plastic mop with a head made from a continuous loop of 300 feet (90 meters) of cotton that can be easily wrung out without getting one's hands wet. With her own savings and investments from family and friends, she made a prototype and manufactured 1000 units.[13] Early assembly was done in her father's body shop inPeconic in 1991.
After selling the mop at trade shows and in local stores on Long Island, she sold 1,000 units on consignment toQVC.[citation needed] It sold modestly at first, but once QVC allowed Mangano to go on-air to sell it herself, she sold 18,000 mops in less than a half hour.[1][14] Mangano incorporated her business as Arma Products, later renaming it Ingenious Designs. She sold Ingenious Designs toUSA Networks, the parent company of theHSN, in 1999.[3] By the year 2000, the company was selling $10 million worth of Miracle Mops per year.[3]
Soon after she began appearing onQVC in 1992, she began appearing regularly onHSN and is considered the network's most successful purveyor, with annual sales of more than $150 million.[12] Her hourly sales regularly top $1 million.[20][21] Mangano has also appeared in shorter commercials and infomercials for her company's products.[20] She said that while selling on television is an opportunity to reach millions of people, it requires genuine enthusiasm to persuade people who can't touch or try the product.[3] A HSN executive wrote that Mangano's success is due to her ability to convey her "passion, excitement and pride of every detail with her viewers."[12] In 2019 after nearly two decades, she left HSN to pursue other professional opportunities.[4] However, by 2022, Mangano was again appearing regularly on HSN promoting her CleanBoss line of home, personal and cleaning products.
In 2005, Mangano was a judge on the cable reality showMade in the USA.[20][21] She also appeared on the ABC showThe View on February 2, 2007.[22]
In 1997, Mangano was named Long Island Entrepreneur of the Year byErnst & Young.[3] In 2009, she was ranked number 77 onFast Company's list of The 100 Most Creative People in Business; and in 2010, she was included in their list of The 10 Most Creative Women in Business.[23]
Mangano currently sits on the advisory board for the United Inventors Association (UIA).[24]
A character based on Mangano is portrayed byJennifer Lawrence in the 2015 filmJoy, directed byDavid O. Russell, with Mangano credited asexecutive producer. It was released on Christmas Day 2015.[6][7]
In 2018, it was reported that a musical production depicting Mangano's life story is being developed byTony-winning producerKen Davenport, who acquired the musical rights and plans to bring it to the stage.[13]
Mangano married Tony Miranne in 1978 shortly after both graduated fromPace University.[25] They divorced in 1989.[25] They have three children: Christie, Robert, and Jacqueline Miranne.[25] She lives inSt. James, New York.
"I was born in Brooklyn and I grew up in the Huntington area and raised my children out here in Smithtown."
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