About

Jon Katz has amassed 25,000 writing, producing, directing and performing credits in all media during the past half-century. With all that amassing, there must be lots of cool stories. There are. And that’s why you’re here.

For example, as writer, producer, director and performer in one of his very first radio commercials, Jon did a W.C. Fields impression. It was awarded Best Radio Spot in the U.S. by the National Retail Merchants Association. “And then I started getting good,” he says.

The still-star-struck New Yorker counts among his favorite projects the ones with celebrities. He’s worked with major stars from A (Tim Allen) to YZ (hockey great Steve Yzerman).

Through this blog, Jon twists the fast-paced, pressure-packed ad agency game into a broad smile. Taking nothing too seriously (“especially my paychecks, which were tragically laughable”), Jon recalls the best bits of his career with incredible clarity to put you right there with the original players, including Frank Sinatra, Billy Crystal, a Playboy Playmate and even a Beatle (not exactly, but you’ll read more about that).

Jon lives in Southeast Michigan with wife Cathy and stepchildren Renee, Sal and Joey. Much of his “retirement” is dedicated to advocating for Joey, an autistic young man with a seizure disorder who was recently struck by a car.

“I hope,” Jon says, “my old and new friends will enjoy reliving my KatzTales as much as I enjoyed living them.”