Disney executive Fedor to speak

WUSTL alumnus Dexter Fedor will examine “The Creative Life of a Walt Disney Executive From the Inside Out” during a talk at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at 3 p.m. Friday, April 24, in Steinberg Hall.

Fedor

Fedor is senior vice president of strategic marketing for the Walt Disney Studio, where he manages brand and acquisition issues and develops film submissions for Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Pictures.

The talk will explore his creative life in advertising as well as Disney and its culture. Other topics will include advice on entering the advertising industry, how to make connections and how to stand out in the hiring process. A Q&A with the audience will immediately follow.

Fedor earned bachelor’s degrees from both the School of Art and the Olin Business School in 1979. He spent 18 years in the advertising industry working on major campaigns for Levi’s 501 jeans, Bank of America, Pacific Bell and others.

He created the California “Dancin’ Raisins” commercials, which won a Silver Lion at the Cannes Film Festival and recently was named one of the “100 Greatest TV Spots of All Time.” In all, Fedor has received six Clio Awards and more than 200 additional honors, merits and certificates for his contributions to advertising. His work is included in the permanent collection of pop art at the Smithsonian Institution.

Fedor joined Disney in 1998 as vice president for global brand development. He created the first corporate campaign taking Mickey Mouse into television advertising and, a week after the events of Sept. 11, was invited to the White House to film first lady Laura Bush for a series of public service announcements.

Other key projects have included the development of a new brand model for positioning Disney in retail; the introduction of stylish lifestyle photography at The Disney Store; and the creation of merchandising campaigns for “Toy Story 2,” “Dinosaur” and many other films.

The talk is free and open to the WUSTL community. For more information, call 935-9300 or visit samfoxschool.wustl.edu.