Jim Gallagher, '90, From WJPZ Mornings to Disney/Pixar to Stand-Up Comedy

We can't think of a better guest for our 100th episode than Mr. Jim Gallagher.  He is believed to have spent more hours "in the chair" doing morning drive than anyone in WJPZ history. Today you'll learn how lessons learned in Syracuse served him well in a truly remarkable career.  And we open the episode with a classic station story - a live broadcast from the Denny's on Erie Boulevard when he tried to eat 89 pancakes.

Following his time at WJPZ, Jim did radio in Maine and Georgia.  In Georgia, he made a mistake on the air that cost him his job and changed his perspective on doing a morning show.  Eventually he decided to pursue one of his other passions - movie trailers and marketing.

Jim worked his way up the ladder, becoming President of Marketing for Disney and Pixar, reporting to Bob Iger.  He was the one deciding where to spend ad money to put "butts in seats" for movies like Up. Wall-E, and Ratatouille.

Like in all media, regimes change, and people get "the zig." In fact, Jim says he was fired from 3 of the 6 top movie marketing jobs in the world, having also spent time at Dreamworks, Warner Brothers, and as a consultant.   We spend some time talking about movies he worked on, and how the marketing world changed with the advent of the Internet.

At 50, Jim knew marketing was a younger man's game, and he had squirreled away every time he could during his career.  This allowed him to start a "retirement" hobby.  Given that he doesn't golf, he re-invented himself and took up stand-up comedy.  He's been performing all over the country, honing his craft.

Comedy is a tricky thing - we close today's episode with a poignant conversation about "cancel culture" and comedians who claim they can't tell the jokes they want to tell.   From Jim's perspective, if you generate more negative feelings in your audience than positive, than you should probably be doing something else.

For tour dates and more on Jim, visit his website: https://www.comedybyjimgallagher.com/

The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.

Sign up for email alerts whenever we release a new episode here: jagindetroit.com/WJPZat50

Want to be a guest on the pod or know someone else who would? Email Jag:  [e-mail].

Want to stay in the loop with WJPZ Alumni events?  Subscribe to our newsletter on the right hand side of the page at http://wjpzalumni.org/

Connect with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/