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Mike L. FryAmerican serial entrepreneur, circus performer, juggling teacher, inventor and marketing specialist
Date of Birth: 25.10.1960
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Biography of Michael L. Fry
- Circus Career
- Television Career
- Entrepreneurship and Inventions
- Later Career and Legacy
Biography of Michael L. Fry
Michael L. Fry was an American serial entrepreneur, circus performer, juggling instructor, inventor, and marketing specialist. He was born on October 25, 1960, in Kankakee, Illinois, and grew up in Huntington, Indiana.
Circus Career
At the age of 14, Fry became interested in juggling after watching his grandfather juggle clumps of dirt on their farm. By the age of 17, he was already performing in front of local audiences. In 1981, Fry was accepted into the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in Venice, Florida. He completed his training in 1981 and went on to tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus from 1981 to 1982. During this time, he honed his juggling skills and became known for his ability to balance various objects on his body, including a 2-meter table, small canoes, a 7-meter ladder, a working chainsaw, other people, sofas, and televisions. In 1981, he even set a record for juggling the most objects simultaneously.
Television Career
After leaving the circus, Fry transitioned to television and became a writer and producer for the children's show "Happy's Place". The show aired from 1982 to 1990 and was one of the highest-rated children's programs in America, being broadcasted in 207 cities across the country.
Entrepreneurship and Inventions
While working in television, Fry realized his passion for inventing. In 1988, he invented the first fortune cookie in America. This led him to establish the company "Fancy Fortune Cookies", which produced a variety of fortune cookies with different flavors, sizes, decorations, and even giant-sized cookies. In 1990, he started developing another invention called the "Always There Bear" toy, which was later acquired by Hasbro in 2002 after 12 years of refinement. Fry's success story is featured in the book "The One Minute Millionaire" by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen.
Later Career and Legacy
In 2004, Fry began working with his longtime friend and mentor, Linda Chandler, who taught business strategies to entrepreneurs. As a successful marketer, entrepreneur, and performer, Fry helped thousands of Chandler's students in determining their internet marketing strategies. In his later years, Fry worked on a collection of children's jokes and anecdotes, a project he had been compiling for years.
Michael L. Fry passed away on November 4, 2012, at a medical center in Indianapolis after battling a serious immune system disorder for about a year. He was preparing for a liver transplant when his illness took a turn for the worse. Throughout his career, Fry's inventions and ideas were utilized by notable figures such as Donald Trump, Ozzy Osbourne, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Steven Spielberg, and many others.
