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No. 15 Vol. 8
www.themillburnshorthillsnews.com
August 2017
Millburn Family Takes On Steve Harvey Show With Intriguing Invention
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By Anya Bochman fter Carly DrumO’Neill’s third child was born, the family decided to take a vacation. In short order, O’Neill and her husband, Michael, of Millburn, realized that their large amount
of luggage would make packing and transportation a problem. “I literally turned to my husband and said, ‘I think we need to take two cars,’” O’Neill said. “I realized there had to be a better way.”
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That “better way” turned out to be their ingenious creation named,” BuddyBagz, an all-in-one sleeping bag, pillow and overnight bag that fits three days’ worth of clothes, all in a compact roll, topped by a stuffed animal head that functions as a detachable toy for children. The pillow and overnight bag attach to the sleeping bag with Velcro. Once secured, the sleeping bag is rolled around the interior bag. With backpack straps added for easier transportation as well as a nightlight and a secret compartment in the animal head for objects like a phone,“BuddyBagz, proved to be a creative solution to the O’Neills’ packing woes. Through the family’s website and social media presence, the invention attracted the attention of several casting directors of daytime shows last summer, including a new Steve Harvey seed-funding vehicle, titled “Funderdome.” The show airs on Sundays this summer on ABC. Branded as a “competition reality series where two budding entrepreneurs go head-to-head to win over a live studio audience to fund their ideas, products or companies,” the series appealed to O’Neill and her
children. “Our family loves Steve Harvey,” O’Neill said. “And the kids loved the experience.” On the show, the audience represents a customer who votes to determine the winner. In successive rounds, before Harvey reveals the crowd’s vote, the entrepreneurs are allowed to “cash out” and leave with a smaller amount of money. In doing so, they potentially lose the chance to win the entire cash prize. The O’Neill family episode of the show will air Sun., Aug. 20, at 9 p.m. O’Neill and her two daughters, Taylor and Keira, were
brimming with enthusiasm as they described the experience of pitching their product in front of a huge studio audience. “It was totally devoted to the product,” Taylor, 8, said, while adding that the noise and screams of “push the button!” from the audience were overwhelming, but exciting. The children are, after all, an integral part of BuddyBagz. The line currently has eight designs. A number of them – like Cupcake Buddy and Baseball Buddy – are named after the O’Neill kids. The children also deliver the bags to hospitals, and O’Neill de-
scribes their friends as her “focus group.” “Because we’re so new, we try to work organically,” O’Neill said. “My family truly believes in that.” Through family friends who had a small child diagnosed with leukemia, O’Neill recognized the potential for BuddyBagz, to serve another purpose. They could be of help to children with cancer and blood disorders, who frequently have to pack their belongings for hospital stays. Kids in foster care could benefit, as well. Therefore, 15 percent of the sale proceeds are donated continued on page 2