Larry Pontius

Raised in Jackson, Michigan, Larry Pontius attended Michigan State University from 1958 to 1962. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, the Spartan varsity swim team, and advertising manager of the Michigan State News. Larry earned a BA degree in Radio & Television and an MA in Advertising. Following graduation he worked as a copywriter at Leo Burnett Company in Chicago, copy supervisor at Grey Advertising in Detroit, and as creative director at Grey Advertising in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.

He returned to Michigan State in 1972 as an Associate Professor in the Advertising Department where he taught a variety of classes and advised the team that won the first AAF national student advertising competition.

In 1974 Larry joined the Disney organization in Florida as director of marketing for Walt Disney World. Two years later he moved to Disney corporate headquarters in Burbank as vice president of marketing for Disneyland and Walt Disney World. In 1980 he left Disney and returned to Florida to form his own advertising and video production firm.

Larry has received an Effie Award from the American Marketing Association, an Andy from the Advertising Club of New York, a Clio for international advertising, and Bronze Lions from both the Venice and Cannes Film Festivals. In 1978 he was chosen as the Outstanding Alumni of the College of Communication Arts at Michigan State University. In 2007 he was chosen as one of the initial members of the State News Hall of Fame, and honored as the inspiration for the new Communication Arts Creativity Center at Michigan State.

In addition to his newest novel, Future King, Larry is the author of Waking Walt, the award-winning speculative thriller about Walt Disney, and the poetry books, Warm Harbor and Other Places to Hide, Buttermilk Sundays, and Lyrics of Life in four-part harmony. He is also the lyricist of more than 50 published songs. Larry lives in Florida with his wife Harriet and Bernie, his four legged best friend.