Artist and Advertising Legend

Mike Tesch has spent most of his lifetime creating ads that have become part of vernacular America. He was instrumental in putting Federal Express on the map with an award winning first ever television campaign. “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight”.

He has won over 500 awards including The Clios, The One show, The Andy’s, Art Director Awards, Cannes film festival and many more.
For his efforts in bringing FedEx to the American Public along with the Dunkin Donuts Campaign “Time to make the donuts” and Tonka toys (an elephant stepped on it) he was voted to Adweeks all-American creative team.
He was voted one of America’s most outstanding creative people (a nation wide vote conducted by AD/DAYUSA) His award winning campaigns for Federal Express were selected for inclusion by the Smithsonian Institute and can be seen at the Center of Advertising History.
He is an inductee to the Art Directors Club hall of fame…as well as the heralded One Club Creative hall of fame…only 38 people in all of advertising have ever achieved this accolade, including David Ogilvy and Bill Bernbach.

Mike attended Cooper Union art school in N.Y. as well as Pratt Institute. He taught at Pratt, lectured at the University of Delaware, School of Visual Arts and Miami Ad School, he was elected to the Board of Directors of America the Beautiful Fund Washington D.C, a fund set up to preserve the landmarks and environments all across America.

He is in the process of illustrating a children’s book called “Are you Harry, Barry or Larry?

He is a passionate perfectionist and is the sort of guy who seldom takes no for an answer

Mike sneers at mere decoration.

He believes art, all art not just his, should contain a point of view that reveals something about the artist and open a window for a new kind of comprehension by its viewers.

He professes to the theory…WHEN IN DOUBT…RISK IT.