The man who got generations of hot dog lovers singing along to the Oscar Mayer Wiener song has died.
Richard Trentlage died Sept. 21 in Libertyville, Illinois, at the age of 87, according to an obituary posted online by a northern Illinois funeral home.
With the words, "Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener," Trentlage helped solidify the company's hot dogs as a piece of Americana. The jingle he wrote appeared in a 1960s television commercial featuring cartoon children marching along and singing. The tune remained a fixture for the next half a century.
Trentlage was born in Chicago and began penning jingles as a high school student, starting with one about a fictional company he called Modern Plastic Brooms. The idea was to dream up a believable sponsor for a school talent show and sing the jingle during commercial breaks in a performance modeled after a radio program.
The Modern Plastic Broom jingle was evidently so memorable that his former classmates sang it during a 50th reunion.
Trentlage transformed his living room into a makeshift recording studio, inviting his own children to sing on audition tapes. His children even recorded "on-air" sessions.
"We were always getting out of school to hop a train and meet our dad at a Chicago recording studio," his daughter, Linda Bruun, recalled in the funeral home obituary.
Trentlage was no one-hit wonder. He also wrote "WOW! It sure doesn't taste like tomato juice" for V8, "Buckle up for safety, buckle up!" for the National Safety Council and "McDonald's is your kind of place!" for the burger chain.
Mike Pierantozzi joins Movers+Shakers as exec creative director
Creative agency Movers+Shakers has appointed Mike Pierantozzi as executive creative director. In this new role, he will help guide the creative direction of Movers+Shakers’ socially-native campaigns. Pierantozzi will report to co-founder and chief creative officer Geoffrey Goldberg.
With nearly two decades of experience as a copywriter, creative director, and multi-platform storyteller, Pierantozzi brings a wealth of knowledge from his work with major brands including Kraft, Unilever, IBM, and Walmart. He has led the creation of award-winning campaigns for agencies like Red Tettemer, Ogilvy, The Brooklyn Brothers, TAXI, Saatchi & Saatchi, and most recently, Vayner, where he spearheaded culturally iconic work for Planters including “Death of Mr. Peanut.” He led the National Down Syndrome Society and Luvs account, whose “First Kid. Second Kid” campaign was awarded by the Effies, ADC, Clios and LIAs.
Outside of the office, Pierantozzi practices what he teaches brands. He’s gone viral multiple times on his own TikTok account, featuring comedic interactions with his son and a trombone. He’s accumulated 15K followers on TikTok.
“Mike brings a rare and awesome combination of deep social and platform experience, a keen eye for excellent storytelling, and a humble and kind approach to leadership,” said Goldberg. “Mike’s got a knack for turning brand stories into cultural movements, making him the perfect fit for Movers+Shakers. He’s got the kind of bold vision and attention to culture that fits perfectly with our mission to push creative boundaries and drive industry firsts. Plus, as a creator himself he has the innate ability to make people stop, laugh, and share--which is exactly what we’re about.”
“I’ve... Read More