Quick Facts
Biography
Joe Sedelmaier (born John Josef Sedelmaier; May 31, 1933 in Orrville, Ohio). Recognized as the director of some of television's best known and most honored commercials through humorous spots like FedEx's "Fast Talking Man" and Wendy’s "Where's the Beef?". 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. He directed them in a manner doing for television advertising what directors like Preston Sturges did for Hollywood comedies."—Stuart Elliott, New York Times
Sedelmaier’s commercial work has garnered countless 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.