Before his popular brand of bite-sized chocolate chip cookies, Famous Amos, made him a household name, Wally Amos was a well-known talent agent in Los Angeles.
He worked with legendary artists including Simon & Garfunkel, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Sam Cooke. His love for originality and uniqueness in musical acts translated into the lane he later created with his cookie brand.
And while the Famous Amos brand became universally loved for its tasty snack, it’s now getting back to its roots.
A New Show With A Familiar Spirit
The brand recently released “Famously You,” a new original variety series exclusively on The Roku Channel. The show is created and hosted by musician and NAACP Image Award-winning author “Rev” Shawn Amos, son of Famous Amos founder Wally Amos, and executive produced by Gabrielle Union.
Along with co-creator Jesse Murphy, Rev developed the series to celebrate individuality, the same spirit that turned a chocolate chip cookie recipe into a household name nearly five decades ago.
“There’s a lot of people who don’t know Famous Amos was a real person. They think it’s a made-up name or something,” Rev said of his father’s larger-than-life reputation. “I’ve been involved with them on a number of different initiatives that have helped to sort of reclaim my dad’s place with the company.”
That work eventually led to the conception of the series.
“I thought what if we did a show that celebrated all these people who had the courage to be themselves, to chase creativity over fame, over notoriety,” he said. “My dad’s name was Famous Amos, but he was never about the fame per se. He was about being true to himself.”
Everyday Passion Meets Celebrity Mentorship
Each episode of “Famously You” introduces the audience to an everyday person with an extraordinary, often overlooked passion. Every individual is paired with a surprise celebrity guest whose own path shares an unexpected connection. Season one’s celebrity talent includes Rachel Dratch, Michael Urie, Naturi Naughton-Lewis, Buddha Lo, Robert Ri’chard and Savion Glover.
The celebrity guests aren’t there to perform or prep the individuals for some grand showdown at the end of the series. Instead, they act as equals and mentors.
Rev pointed to “Shrinking” actor Michael Urie, who sat down with a man who repurposes discarded street trash into art, only to discover the actor shares the same obsession. Iconic SNL alum Rachel Dratch, meanwhile, connected with a competitive speed cuber over their shared instinct for thinking on your feet.
“Someone said the show feels like a big hug,” Rev said. “It really does.”
Some of this season’s standout talents are Lenny Simo, who turns tapping pens on a tabletop into intricate, rhythmic beats, and the Quinn sisters, identical twins from Long Island who compete in speed cup stacking.
“They just didn’t care. They had this passion, and ultimately they found their tribe,” Rev said. “I found that inspiring, if not more so than the actual skill itself.”
Carrying Forward Wally Amos’s Message
That message of self-acceptance despite the odds traces directly back to Wally Amos, whose own path was met with skepticism.
“When we started Famous Amos, people insisted there was no way you can have a company just off cookies, there’s no way you’ll ever succeed,” Rev said. “So many people are always so willing to tear you down. I love the word of the day we have for each episode. One of them is stick-to-itiveness. That’s a word my dad always used to say.”
“Famously You” is one of the latest projects under Union’s I’ll Have Another production company. She came on board during the final writing stages of the series, but Rev says her presence shaped the show’s final form.
“She’s like this fairy godmother, but she has her eye on the family lens, what feels authentic and what’s going to lift kids up,” he said. “She’s a great collaborator.”
Steering the series away from a predictable cooking or competition show, long the default for food and snack brands entering entertainment, was an easy choice for Rev.
“It’s what my dad was all about,” he said. “His entertainment was all through the cookie, that was the vehicle, but he was never a foodie or a food person per se. I also think it’s just more fun to watch. There’s a million cooking shows.”
There is no prize on “Famously You,” no elimination and no competition arc. Just exposure, celebration and, as Rev puts it, permission.
“I hope it gives people the courage to be themselves,” he said. “It’s okay to find the courage and stick with it, and do your thing, and just play the long game with it.”
Investing In Everyday People
“Famously You” is just one way Rev is keeping his father’s legacy alive. Under his direction, the brand also hosts the annual entrepreneurship cohort for small Black-owned businesses.
The Famous Amos Ingredients for Success Entrepreneurs Initiative (IFS) is an annual award program that provides emerging Black entrepreneurs with $150,000 in capital, along with mentorship, networking and educational resources to help their businesses scale and thrive.
Since launching in 2020, IFS has awarded $900,000 to 18 Black-owned businesses, carrying forward the entrepreneurial spirit of Wally Amos.
This year’s winners were The Brunch Munch, a St. Petersburg-based food truck founded by Ashley Reed that uses food as a vehicle for community connection; Maison Black, a New York City-based fashion platform founded by Tori Nichel that amplifies Black designers through curated retail experiences; and The Marriage Pinnacle, a Maryland-based relationship support platform co-founded by licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Lara and relationship coach Memi Oladapo that blends clinical and cultural expertise to help Black couples strengthen relationships and build lasting family foundations.
“I stand on the shoulders of so many people, and you want to pay it forward,” Rev said. “It’s a good muscle to work, this mentorship muscle.”
The lessons of embracing individualism and mentorship are an ethos that Rev says has fueled his own life. Whether producing IFS or “Famously You,” he sees the same goal: helping everyday people feel like stars and leaders by encouraging them to develop their passions, a mission just as sweet as the cookies that bear his name.
“I hope it gives people the courage to be themselves,” he said. “It’s okay to find the courage and stick with it, and do your thing, and just play the long game with it.”
“Famously You” is now available for streaming on Roku.
