Ray Lindstrom

Ray Lindstrom is an American entrepreneur known as the father of the infomercial industry. He has been referred to as "Mr. Infomercial," creating more than 100 businesses and selling through television-only spots during the 1980s. Lindstrom also created the first program-length television commercial. Only 17 at the time, Lindstrom would find local bands, record them, press records, and promoted them to radio stations and record stores. Some of the artists they worked with included Pete Ronstadt and King Rock and the Knights. each attending college and moving on to careers in advertising and broadcasting. Zoom Records is considered the first Rock label from Southern Arizona. In 2012, a documentary was created, showcasing the story of Zoom Records and its founders.

Lindstrom also worked as a weekend announcer at KTKT-FM while in high school. He would host the "Ray Lindstrom Show" starting in 1962 on KTKT-AM. In 1965 he moved to Phoenix and worked as an announcer/salesman at and later worked at KRUX radio, and KTAR-TV.

Advertising, Lindstrom & Jett, and telemarketing

Lindstrom is the co-founder of Lindstrom & Jett, an advertising agency he ran with Mac Jett starting in 1973. The agency did ad buys for local companies and was also the first television ad buyer for brands such as Peter Piper Pizza.

Lindstrom began creating a television based advertising platform that marketed amateur artwork, using it to promote trade shows where he sold oil paintings, jewelry, porcelain, and luxury items. The shows ran throughout the United States, Australia, New Zeleand, and other locations internationally.

The success of these shows led him to create a Christmas themed gift show. In 1978, he launched a Christmas gift show in Phoenix which helped promote locate businesses to compete with larger retailers. Lindstrom would later leave Lindstrom & Jett to start other business ventures.

Infomercials and watches

In the 1980s, Lindstrom began doing infomercials and was the first to create a program-length television commercial. He became known as the father of the infomercial industry, also being referred to as "Mr. Infomercial." and was featured on shows such as Today Show, CBS News with Dan Rather, and CBS Overnight News. He sold the shops in 2007, retiring to Tucson, Arizona.

In 2014, Lindstrom was inducted into the Arizona Broadcasters Hall of Fame. In 2018, he released his auto-biography, FEARLESS! Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur.