What kind of person is J Peterman?
Despite being the owner of a well-known catalog, J. Peterman seems to have a very awkward social life and an eccentric personality, such as the time he moved to Burma to settle his problems. He's spent much of his life traveling the world and experiencing various cultures and escapades.
Where did John Peterman grow up?
John Peterman grew up in Van Houten Fields, an agrarian commune in West Nyack, New York. Those who were part of the community built their own houses and grew a portion of their own food. Peterman learned to garden, tend chickens, and participate in other physical labor.
When did J Peterman first appear on the show?
The first appearance of the J. Peterman character on the show in May 1995 coincided with a substantive increase in the prices of postage and paper. We posted a significant loss that year, and it was hard to take. So my mind wasn’t on television; it was on retrenchment.
Who is ‘Seinfeld’ Peterman?
Unlike Seinfeld ’s Peterman, an urban dandy with an immaculately groomed mane of white hair and a penchant for florid dialogue, the real Peterman is a laconic longtime resident of Lexington, Kentucky, given to dipping tobacco and swearing during interviews.
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Does J. Peterman still exist?
The J. Peterman Company is an American retail company that sells clothing, fashion accessories, and furniture primarily through catalogs and the Internet. It was founded by John Peterman in 1987 and has its headquarters in Blue Ash, Ohio. U.S.
What does the J stand for in J. Peterman Seinfeld?
Jacopo Peterman (normally referred to as J. Peterman or simply Peterman) is a secondary character on the television show Seinfeld. He is portrayed by John O'Hurley. Peterman is the eccentric but fun owner of the J. Peterman Catalog sales company and is also Elaine Benes' boss during her employment there.
How did J. Peterman end up on Seinfeld?
Still, since J. Peterman was a real brand, the show eventually had to get Peterman's approval on an episode to episode basis for how "Seinfeld" portrayed the actual company. According to O'Hurley, Peterman luckily ended up enjoying the parody and never suggested a rewrite.
Who is J. Peterman in Seinfeld based on?
In Media. Peterman was fictionalized in the TV sitcom Seinfeld, played by John O'Hurley, as the boss of Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in the last three seasons. O'Hurley has said that his distinctive manner of speaking as the character was inspired by "'40s radio drama, combined with a bit of a bad Charles Kuralt. ...
Who is Mr Pitt Seinfeld?
Ian AbercrombieIan Abercrombie, best known for his role in US sitcom Seinfeld, has died aged 77. The British actor played Mr Pitt, Elaine Benes' quirky and demanding boss in seven episodes of the hit US series.
What happened to the J. Peterman Catalog?
About a year after the Seinfeld finale, the J. Peterman company went through financial difficulties and the company was sold. The real Peterman managed to buy it back about a year and a half after that, and he decided to place a call to O'Hurley.
Who is Elaine's boyfriend on Seinfeld?
Jerry SeinfeldElaine Benes / Significant otherJerome “Jerry” Seinfeld is the title character and the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld. The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself. Wikipedia
What company did Elaine work for on Seinfeld?
The J. Peterman CatalogHistory. The J. Peterman Catalog is the company where Elaine Benes worked from Season Six to the show's end. During part of this time, she works as the president of the company.
What is the foundation about Peterman?
In " The Foundation ," Peterman has a nervous breakdown and runs off to Burma, leaving Elaine in charge of the catalog. She draws inspiration from Kramer, who dominates his karate class and convinces Elaine that she can run the company. Unfortunately, she puts her idea for an “urban sombrero” on the cover.
Who plays Jacopo Peterman?
Jacopo Peterman (normally referred to as J. Peterman or simply Peterman) is a secondary character on the television show Seinfeld. He is portrayed by John O'Hurley .
What does Peterman do in The Caddy?
In " The Caddy ," Peterman sees a woman in the hallway wearing a bra as a top like Sue Ellen Mischke was doing, and decides he wants to market it as a new direction in women's fashion. He tasks Elaine with putting together the marketing copy by the end of the week.
What does Peterman ask Elaine to bid on?
In " The Bottle Deposit ," Peterman is going out of town and asks Elaine to bid on a set of golf clubs owned by John F. Kennedy. He authorizes Elaine to spend up to $10,000 on the clubs. Elaine ends up spending $20,000 on the clubs when she gets in a bidding war with Sue Ellen Mischke.
What does Peterman say when he sees the cover of the chicken roaster?
When Peterman sees the cover he exclaims: "the horror, the horror" (a reference to Apocalypse Now!). In " The Chicken Roaster ," Elaine charges lavish expenses to her work account now that she is running the J Peterman Catalog.
Who does Peterman meet in Van Buren Boys?
In " The Van Buren Boys ," Peterman meets Cosmo Kramer and buys his life stories from him for $50.00. Elaine is tasked with collecting the crazy stories from Kramer which often make no sense. When Elaine embellishes the stories to make them more interesting, Peterman decides to sell his stories back to Kramer.
Is John Peterman real?
John Peterman and his catalog, called J. Peterman, are real. Although the company is based in Lexington, Kentucky, not New York City, the character in the show resembles the way John Peterman talks and the actual catalog is spiced with tangential prose in the descriptions of the products—hard-to-find clothing and accessories (just as portrayed on the show).
Where did John Peterman buy his duster?
It started with a coat. Specifically: a horseman’s duster John Peterman bought in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, brought to New York City in 1986, as Peterman and his longtime friend and collaborator Don Staley were plotting their next business move. The coat was a wonder to behold: “It was cut very long, all the way to the floor, ...
Did John Peterman survive Seinfeld?
A Brief History of J. Peterman, the Real-Life Catalog That Survived Seinfeld. In 1986, John Peterman bought a duster in Wyoming. Three decades later, he's still selling it. Thirty years ago this month, a sitcom about a quartet of New Yorkers made its debut on NBC. The “show about nothing” went on to become one of the most iconic television shows ...
Where is Peterman from?
Unlike Seinfeld ’s Peterman, an urban dandy with an immaculately groomed mane of white hair and a penchant for florid dialogue, the real Peterman is a laconic longtime resident of Lexington, Kentucky, given to dipping tobacco and swearing during interviews.
How old was Peterman when he played for the Pirates?
Before he entered the world of business, Peterman played second and third base in the minor leagues. In 1963, the 22-year-old rookie played for the Kingsport Pirates, and in 1965, he was with the Batavia Pirates. A leg injury forced him to hang up his glove, but his passion for the sport remained: In 2018, the Nokona Infielder’s Glove appeared in ...
What did Peterman tell Staley and Peterman?
During a 2018 interview with Racked, Peterman recalled that professionals in the catalog business told him and Staley to keep their copy short and simple, as readers wouldn't have the patience for anything other than “the specs of the product, what fabric it is, what sizes.”.
What did Peterman think of the coat?
A true entrepreneur, Peterman saw the extraordinary in the ordinary. The coat was “romantic, different,” he wrote in Harvard Business Review in 1999. It attracted so many admiring looks from strangers that Peterman figured its appeal just might be strong enough that people would want one for themselves.
Where did Peterman buy his duster coat?
The inspiration was a seemingly everyday item: a duster coat that Peterman purchased while on a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Upon seeing it for the first time, Peterman remembered that Staley looked at him and said, “You know, Peterman, I like you better because you're wearing that coat.”.
Who won the John Peterman shortest story contest?
In 2017, longtime J. Peterman customer and fan Jennifer Schmitt entered a “shortest story” writing contest on the company's Facebook page. Not only did she win the contest, but she also landed an ongoing copywriting gig, which led to a job as creative director. Writing in the distinctive style that is a hallmark of the Peterman catalog is “as much a challenge as it is an adventure,” Schmitt says. “I go down a lot of strange rabbit holes [researching each item], but those details support the emotion of a story, and it’s important to get them right. John Peterman told me once that a copywriter should, ideally, spend half a day doing research before starting to write a piece of copy.”
Who is the Peterman in Seinfeld?
What many Seinfeld fans still might not be aware of is that the Peterman in the show is based on a real-life mail order catalog magnate by the name of J. (John) Peterman. During the J. Peterman Company's '90s peak, you would see clothing from the catalog being worn by A-listers like Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Oprah Winfrey, O’Hurley (of course), ...
Who is John Peterman?
The J. Peterman Company was founded in 1987 by John Peterman, an entrepreneur who was formerly a minor league baseball player. In 1986, John Peterman bought a cowboy duster in Wyoming and received multiple compliments when he wore it. He and his friend Don Staley decided to write an ad copy to sell a few thousand coats.
Where was the first Peterman store?
In December 1992, the J. Peterman Company opened its first retail store in Lexington, Kentucky, and sold strawberry preserves, a Chinese-made BMW-style motorcycle with sidecar, and a 38-pound silver bar from a 17th century sunken Spanish ship.
Who makes Peterman furniture?
Jeffco is the company that makes the Peterman furniture and a representative, Tom Morton, says he has a customer that buys the furniture based on the company’s recognition in Seinfeld. In 2008, Tim Peterman, the founder John Peterman's son, helped run the company as president after leaving E. W. Scripps.
Who was the original investor in Seinfeld?
With the help of John O'Hurley, the actor who had portrayed J. Peterman on Seinfeld, as an investor and a core group from the original company (creative director William McCullam, marketing director Jonathan Dunavant, merchant Paula Collins and director of manufacturing Kyle Foster), the company was relaunched.
Where is John Peterman?
Peterman Company from 1987 to 1999. He is currently writing a book about the company and putting together a new Web-based business in Lexington, Kentucky.
What was John Peterman's company?
The Rise and Fall of the J. Peterman Company. With a keen eye and a flair for romantic copy, John Peterman created a successful catalog company. As an entrepreneur, he was in his element. As top manager of a fast-growing enterprise, he was ultimately much less successful.
Was Seinfeld real?
And it was not authentic; it was tied to a TV show that was entirely fictional. Seinfeld was a bit of a nonstarter for me overall. The first appearance of the J. Peterman character on the show in May 1995 coincided with a substantive increase in the prices of postage and paper.
Overview
John Peterman (born 1941) is an American catalog and retail entrepreneur from Lexington, Kentucky, who operates the J. Peterman Company. He grew up in West Nyack, New York as the son of a banker and secretary. He is known for founding the J. Peterman Company after finding a cowboy duster on a business trip. He is also known for being fictionalized in the TV series Seinfeld. Peterma…
Early life
Peterman was the third of four children born to Charles and Sally Peterman. He had two brothers and a sister. Charles Peterman became a loan officer and, later, the assistant vice president of the Irving Trust Co. after working his way up from the mailroom. John Peterman grew up in Van Houten Fields, an agrarian commune in West Nyack, New York. Those who were part of the community built their own houses and grew a portion of their own food. Peterman learned to gar…
Education and baseball career
Peterman graduated from the College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1963 with a Bachelor of Science in economics. He played third base on the Holy Cross baseball teams that went to the College World Series in 1962 and 1963. As a junior in 1962, he had a .362 batting average, and as a senior in 1963, he had a .291 batting average and led his team with 17 runs batted in.
Business career
Peterman had a career in sales for 20 years after his baseball career ended. He worked as a regional sales manager in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama for General Foods and Castle & Cooke. During his time in sales, Peterman sold dog food, cereal, pineapple, tuna fish, and inspirational tapes. In 1981, he was managing fertilizer accounts but was dismissed.
Peterman became a corporate consultant after deciding “that was the first and last time I was g…
Personal life
Peterman has been married to his wife, Audrey (née Aramini, born to Ann and Albert Aramini), for about 54 years. They have four children: Robyn, Sean, Timothy, and Mathew. Peterman's daughter Robyn Peterman Zahn, a popular writer and former actress, is married to the actor Steve Zahn. They have two children, Henry James Zahn and Audrey Clair Zahn. Sean was a cattle and grain farmer until he was killed July 23, 2015 in a farming accident in Lexington, KY. Tim Peterman wa…
Works
After the J. Peterman Company filed for bankruptcy and was bought by Paul Harris Stores, Peterman wrote a book, Peterman Rides Again, a 2000 memoir that explores his life from his early baseball career to finding products for the catalog while traveling. It also chronicles the rise and fall of the J. Peterman Company and Peterman's “hard-won lessons in entrepreneurship.” The book was published November 6, 2000 and has 225 pages.
In Media
Peterman was fictionalized in the TV sitcom Seinfeld, played by John O'Hurley, as the boss of Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in the last three seasons. O'Hurley has said that his distinctive manner of speaking as the character was inspired by "'40s radio drama, combined with a bit of a bad Charles Kuralt."
External links
• The J Peterman Company
• Peterman's Eye - A daily brief for curious minds
• The Return of J. Peterman An article about a talk J. Peterman gave at his alma mater, The College of the Holy Cross
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)