Ed Valenti

Ed Valenti (b.?) is, with his partner Barry Becherone, the marketing expert credited with the formation of the infomercial, or "long-form" (two-minute) advertising format.

Dial Media, Inc. founded by the pair in Warwick, RI in 1975 forever changed the way products are sold on television. Valenti's infomercials first aired in the mid 1970s and aimed to sell the Miracle Slicer, Miracle Duster, Miracle Painter and Ginsu knife. The success of the Ginsu campaign led to widespread adoption of the format for a variety of products, including jewelry (Chainge adjustable necklace), cookware (Armourcote cookware), mixing bowls (Royal DuraSteel), food storage containers (VacuFresh and VacuClear) and watches (MultiChron, Westport), among others, and eventually led to the formation of Home Shopping Channels QVC and HSN.