20 years in, ready for 20 more: Tim Hawthorne's hawthorne direct inc celebrates its 20th anniversary by doing the thing this DRTV innovator does best--looking ahead.(Industry Profile)

Response, September, 2006

"I had a mission: to make long-form DRTV a part of every major advertiser's brand marketing mix," says Tim Hawthorne, founder, chairman and executive creative director of hawthorne direct inc in Fair-field, Iowa. "Now, 20 years later, the DRTV industry is a $150 billion business, with Fortune 500 companies as diverse as General Motors, Procter & Gamble and Microsoft using this compelling, accountable marketing strategy."

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Hawthorne's company, which claims status as the very first infomercial advertising agency, has grown right along with the direct response television business and now boasts 75 employees spread across offices in six states. Hawthorne and his stable of industry veterans and leaders have managed more than 500...