What Demtel TV salesman Tim Shaw is up to now
He was the annoying ad king of the 90s, flogging everything from knives, pillows to pantyhose for Demtel with his cry of “But wait – there’s more”. But how much did he get paid — and what did the ads do for his career?
Lifestyle
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You may not remember who Tim Shaw is.
But you probably haven’t forgotten the Demtel Man.
Shaw spent the 1990s selling us things we’d never knew we needed.
Shaw’s call of “but wait – there’s more” was the catchcry of late-night telly – and those Demtel ads marked the beginning of Shaw’s successful, almost 30 year-long media career.
He hosted radio spots at Sydney’s 2UE and 2GB, worked as Seven Network’s Thailand foreign correspondent and now, serves as National Press Club director with some of Australia’s best journalists.
But working in the media was almost something that never happened.
“When I was at school, I always wanted to be an actor, journalist or lawyer,” Shaw said.
“I had a fascination with the law but by year 10, I had enough of the private school boy life … so I started an automotive electrical apprenticeship.”
Shaw then worked as a sales rep, selling two-way radios and car audio systems after finishing his apprenticeship.
But he kept his acting dream alive by signing with a talent agency.
His first gig was a 30-second TV commercial selling pedometers.
“That first ad I did was so crap. I looked like a gangly giraffe,” Shaw said.
The pedometer company went on to buy a four-minute TV spot on Good Morning Australia with Bert Newton, and Shaw was asked to do the live demonstration.
“Demtel management (in the US) was watching and saw this Aussie guy with a cheeky smile and thought he’d be able to present the Australian Demtel ads,” he said.
Once he landed the gig, Shaw sold everything from kitchen knives that never blunted, pillows to CD collections — and even run-free pantyhose.
“I asked my wife to test those out,” he said.
“I’ve never sold a product I didn’t believe in myself.”
After some of the first ads aired, Shaw received steady work but said it wasn’t enough to support a full-time gig.
“I got paid $250 for every Demtel ad … it was a small amount of money,” he said.
“But it was worth taking that meagre fee as it built my personality for advertising.”
At the time Shaw was also running a telecommunications business on Sydney’s northern beaches. He’d also occasionally record commercials for Channel 10.
Over time Shaw gained a public profile from his Demtel work, but not in his home suburb.
“I was living in Sydney’s northern beaches at the time and it was the place where James Morrison, Peter Weir (director), The Blanchett’s and where Tom and Nicole would come on holiday. Nobody gave a sh.t about me, I was nothing special. You just got on with it,” he said.
“But when you’d fly to Melbourne go to a cool bar in St Kilda that’s when people would notice you“.
Shaw presented those Demtel ads from 1991 to 1995, until Demtel found new management.
“I didn’t want to work with the new management. After I left, I got (job) inquiries from everywhere. McDonalds, Pizza Hut with Dougie. I did Country Link (regional NSW train services) ads, stood in for Greg Norman in a Holden commercial,” he said.
Last year Shaw finished his breakfast talkback show at Canberra’s 2CC radio and today is a director of the National Press Club.
Shaw’s still got the knack for sales, even in a time as Australia comes to grips with the coronavirus crisis.
“I feel grateful sitting here in the COVID-19 crisis, because if there’s anyone else needing help to connect people to a product, they can ask Tim Shaw — I’m happy to talk.”
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