Sal DeVito
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16 July 1947
Sal DeVito | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Salvatore DeVito 16 July 1947 Brooklyn, NY |
| Died | 15 July 2024 (age 76) |
| Alma mater | School of Visual Arts |
| Occupation | Advertising executive |
| Children | John DeVito |
Sal DeVito (July 16, 1947 – July 15, 2024) was an American marketing and advertising executive based in New York City, New York. He was a partner, with Ellis Verdi, in DeVito/Verdi.[1]
DeVito was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York and later attended State University of New York at Farmingdale (SUNY Farmingdale), majoring in advertising art. He later graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1971.
Career
DeVito's first job was designing matchbook covers for the firm of Conahay & Lion.[2]
In the early 1970s, DeVito was hired by the Ted Bates advertising agency, but was laid off during the 1973–75 recession and worked at a gas station on Long Island pumping gas at a Texaco station for $2 an hour for eight months before getting hired by Ketchum Advertising.[2]
During the late 1970s to the early 1980s DeVito worked for Young & Rubicam; Wells Rich Greene; Slater Hanft Martin; Penchina Selkowitz; Chiat/Day/New York, and HDM Worldwide where he won a Cannes Gold for Peugeot.[2]
DeVito taught advertising concept courses at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York for almost 3 decades. DeVito would often have students tape their spec ads to the walls of the classroom for review and grading. If a particular ad disgusted him, he would set the work on fire with his lighter.[3] Some of the students DeVito taught ended up helping to start the DeVito/Verdi agency.[2]
From the middle to late 1980s, DeVito was the Associate Creative Director for the creative agency Levine Huntley Schmidt Plapler and Beaver in New York.[2]