My friend Terry Wheeler, who has died aged 85, was well known and loved throughout the media industry. He became media director of a highly successful 1960s advertising agency, Gallagher Smail, while still in his 20s, a youthful achievement he looked to encourage in others, especially through his role in the Media Circle, a training organisation running courses for young people aspiring to work in media advertising.
After Gallagher Smail merged with the US agency Doyle Dane Bernbach in 1971, Terry often found himself in conflict with his creative director. Creatives had the power to overrule considerations of cost efficiency if they regarded the medium as too small (for instance Readers Digest) or too unfashionable (outdoor posters). Terry managed to use his charm and considerable persuasive skills to win his fair share of arguments. He ran a happy and successful department and used his industry contacts to win clients including the Times, Punch (through his good friend Alan Coren) and Ladbrokes.
