ABC's 'Shark Tank' to hold auditions in South Philly

Entrepreneurs, ready your product pitches — ABC's Shark Tank is coming to Philadelphia this month for a round of open auditions.

Shank Tank producers will be hearing local pitches for the show's forthcoming season, it's ninth, at Xfinity Live! on June 28. The reality show's casting group will hear pitches from the first 500 contestants who show up to Xfinity Live! between 9 and 11 a.m.; interviews will begin at 10 a.m.

Pitches, a Shark Tank audition page indicates, must clock in at 60 seconds. Those interested must complete an application packet prior to pitching. Each participant may pitch a single product or idea.

Shark Tank has found success in Philadelphia in the past, most notably with Scrub Daddy, a cleaning pad company based out of Folcroft and started by Voorhees' Aaron Krause. Scrub Daddy is considered the show's most successful product, with $110 million in sales so far, according to a representative. Krause will also be part of the casting call here in Philadelphia.

Another local success is Drexel grad Chris Gray's scholarship app Scholly, which earned $40,000 in investment from the Shark Tank team in 2015. Other Philly-area entrepreneurs, like Sarah Ribner and Jess Edelstein's of deodorant company PiperWai, have also appeared on the program.

Shark Tank's ninth season will begin airing in the fall this year. According to ABC, judges this year include Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Skinnygirl's Bethenny Frankel, and MLB great Alex Rodriguez.