Joe Sedelmaier (May 31, 1933), born John Josef Sedelmaier, is an American film director known for his work in

television advertising A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

. His work includes

FedEx FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...

's " Fast Talking Man" ads and the

Wendy's Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (1932–2002) on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was the ...

Where's the Beef? "Where's the beef?" is a catchphrase in the United States and Canada, introduced as a slogan for the fast food chain Wendy's in 1984. Since then it has become an all-purpose phrase questioning the substance of an idea, event, or product. Ralph ...

" ads. Sedelmaier contended, "A commercial is something you watch when you sit down to watch something else--you should at least be entertained." "Beginning in the 1970s, Sedelmaier, a former art director at Young & Rubicam and J. Walter Thompson, gained notice for fundamentally changing the way television spots were cast and filmed--replacing the actors who seemed like plastic, too perfect mannequins with offbeat people like

Clara Peller Clara Peller (August 4, 1902 – August 11, 1987) was a Russian-born American manicurist and television personality who, already an octogenarian, starred in the 1984 "Where's the beef?" advertising campaign for the Wendy's fast food restaurant ...

. He directed them in a manner doing for television advertising what directors like

Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Academy Awards, Oscar for Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Best Origina ...

did for Hollywood comedies."—Stuart Elliott, New York Times His commercial work has garnered multiple Clio awards, Cannes Golden Lion Awards, and numerous awards for the One Show, the Art Directors Club of New York, Communication Arts, Britain's D&AD, and the Hollywood MBA. In 2000 he was inducted into the Art Directors Club of New York Hall of Fame. In 2016 he was inducted into the American Advertising Federation ''Advertising Hall of Fame''. His film "OpenMinds" was an official selection at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.

References

External links

* * Short Bio a
Adage.com

Art Directors Club biography, portrait and images of work
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sedelmaier, Joe Living people Artists from Chicago Advertising directors 1933 births People from Orrville, Ohio