Hal Riney

Riney grew up in Longview, Washington. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1954 with a degree in art.[1]

After serving two years in the United States Army doing public relations in Italy, he joined BBDO San Francisco, moving from the mail room to head art director and finally creative director in 1968.[2]

In 1970, he hired Paul Williams to write a song for a Crocker Bank commercial, which was later recorded by The Carpenters and became the hit "We've Only Just Begun". In 1976 he joined Ogilvy & Mather, building their West Coast office from scratch. In 1984, Riney created and did voiceover for the noted "Morning in America" and "Bear in the Woods" television commercials for the successful Ronald Reagan 1984 Presidential re-election campaign. After creating the Bartles & Jaymes campaign for E & J Gallo Winery, Riney resigned the account, but soon was awarded the launch campaign for Saturn Corporation. The agency was sold to Publicis in 1998.[3]

Founder of the advertising agency Hal Riney & Partners (now Publicis & Hal Riney), Riney was named #30 on the Advertising Age 100 people of the 20th century.[4] He was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2001.[5]

Riney was married five times.[6]

Riney died at age 75 in 2008, from cancer, at his home in San Francisco.[7]

• Hal Riney at IMDb
• Hal Riney "We've Only Just Begun" Commercial for Crocker National Bank on YouTube