executive perspectives: Making Magic
"I grew up in an era where one of the most popular TV shows was "Bewitched." [...] That was my first exposure to the business of advertising," Ritter recalled. "I enjoyed the sitcom and the thrill of coming up with ideas on how to sell products. I wanted to be the man in that show."
Unlike Stephens, Ritter didn't have a "good witch" at his side to bring on instant success. After graduate school—and a fruitless job search—he took a friend's advice and accepted a job in advertising sales at the suburban Yellow Pages in Minneapolis. Ritter stayed there for a year, hitting 125 percent of his quota for the first nine months, before he landed a job at a small agency in St. Paul. Just one year later, he got his big "Bewitched break" on Madison Avenue at BBDO, one of the largest ad agencies in the world.
- Companies:
- USFI