JOE SEDELMAIER (1933-2026)Born in Orrville, Ohio, Sedelmaier originally aspired to be a cartoonist and graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1955. After working as an art director for the firms Young & Rubicam and J. Walter Thompson, he opened his own film production studio in 1967.
In 1974, he landed his first major commercial, "Orgy":
With his "unique approach to casting, dialogue and framing as well as his philosophy – ‘You’ve got to entertain to sell’ — broke the mold in television advertising," as his son J.J. Sedelmaier said, "His work helped redefine commercial storytelling, favoring real faces, authentic oddity, and sharply observed humor over polished perfection," he became a star in the advertising world and the face of what Esquire called “the renaissance of the American commercial.” They even put Sedelmaier on the cover of Esquire, underneath the headline, “When you absolutely positively want the best.” The slogan references the first of Sedelmaier’s most iconic ’80s commercials, “Fast-Paced World”:
The ad’s steady, over-the-table shot composition and non-professional actor gabbing on the phone presaged his most famous work: The 1984 Wendy’s ad, “Fluffy Bun,” or as it’s more commonly referred, “Where’s The Beef.”
The ad spawned two follow-up spots, a novelty record, and an answer in the form of a Prego ad. “I found it, Peller says of “The Beef.” “I really found it.” “Where’s the beef?” even became a linchpin of that year’s Democratic primaries, when candidate Walter Mondale used the line to mock his rival Gary Hart’s policies. By the end of the year, Sedelmaier was the subject of a
60 Minutes segment about his work entitled, “It’s a Sedelmaier.”
Sedelmaier did aspire to direct feature films, and nearly helmed the 1983 Rodney Dangerfield vehicle Easy Money. but dropped out after a disagreement with the comic over the script. Twenty years later, his short film, OpenMinds, was selected for the Sundance Film Festival.
Sedelmaier was inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 2000 and the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Fame in 2016. To him, commercials were not interruptions but miniature films about human behavior. “They were little films about people—funny, awkward, vulnerable, unforgettable people. He changed advertising because he understood human nature,” a family representative said.
"Fashion Show", 1985:
Joe, date unknown: