ABC, Freemantle Media North America Inc. and affiliates of the show, American Inventor, have agreed to pick up the rights to manufacture and produce Erik Thompson's Catch Vest. As an added bonus All-Pro wide receiver Jerry Rice has endorsed the product.

The Catch Vest, aka the Receiver Trainer Pole, helps train receivers to catch the football out in front with their hands instead of with their chest.

Thompson was awarded $50,000 as advancement toward future royalties and will be presenting other sports training products at the American Football Coaches Association in January of 2007 in San Antonio, Texas. This is truly a brilliant invention. This device appears to dramatically reduce the learning curve for catching a football. Quarterbacks everywhere are celebrating.

After being a finalist on the American Inventor Show, Erik Thompson and Danard Bailey have started their own website called http://thepitchcoach.com/ where you can hire Erik and Danard to motivate your team or company. Also you will soon be able to buy the DVD called "The Pitch Coach" to teach other inventors how to pitch their inventions to the industry.

Erik and Danard are currently preparing to do a nationwide tour of seven major cities to help fellow inventors prepare their pitch for the upcoming second season of the American Inventor.

Be on the lookout for Erik Thompson, The Pitch Coach, in these cities soon: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Austin.