The Music Industry Job The Famous Amos Founder Had Before Cookies

There's something beautiful about seeing the joy in every child's face when they open their lunchbox and see a bag of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies. These bite-sized little cookies first came to market in 1975, and have since been filling kitchen cabinets, lunchboxes, college dorms, and just about anywhere else one stores quick and easy snack foods. The company has even released three new flavors recently, inspired by different cultures around the world, like rich Belgium chocolate, Mediterranean hazelnuts, and Philippine coconuts (via FoodSided). Yet, this beloved treat and all its iterations couldn't have been made possible without the genius and recipe of one man, Mr. Wally Amos.

Wally Amos has had a life of ups and downs, struggles and successes, but he remains a figure universally known for his colorful fashion attire, optimistic outlook, and a smile as warm as the buttery and delicious cookies he prepares. Although Amos is far from sitting at the top of his global empire, he still bakes cookies and muffins when he can, and has made television appearances on shows like "The Office" and even had a feature documentary made about himself (per IMDb). But, baking cookies wasn't the only thing Wally Amos was known for — before finding the best ingredients, he had the task of finding the best artists for the William Morris Agency as a talent agent (via Biography). In fact, it's said Amos was the one who once signed legendary duo Simon & Garfunkel. But, how did Amos go from mixing tapes to mixing cookie batter?

As the first African-American talent agent with the famous William Morris Agency, Wally Amos represented several key figures in the vibrant 1960s music scene. His roster included Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Simon & Garfunkel, and Sam Cooke (via BlackAmericaWeb). Even as he represented these rising heroes of American music, Amos still kept his habit of baking cookies, something he had picked up from his Aunt Della. This habit would only grow when Amos, attempting to become a self-made music producer mogul, moved to Los Angeles in 1970, per the article.

As Amos would soon discover, the world of business — especially in the entertainment agency — wasn't a kind nor fair one, and he would soon turn to his love of baking as a way to ground him.  Amos' love for baking cookies soon began to pour into his work, to the point he would show up at meetings or the recording studio with bags of what were soon-to-be Famous Amos cookies for clients (via LAist). His cookie dreams soon replaced the grind of the entertainment industry, and Amos decided to create his own business. Her the article, the benefactors would emerge in the form of record executive Artie Mogull, producer Jeff Wald, and singers Helen Reddy and Marvin Gaye, who would float Amos the money to get his business out of the oven and into cookie history.