Anthony Salerno

My guest today was not a village G.O., but he was a Club Med New York office G.O. and was a HUGE part of why my first season in Club Med Turks and Caicos during the summer of 1994 was so amazing. He worked for Club Med from September 1987 to 1995 at the Club Med corporate offices in New York City. He was the Director of Advertising and Sales Promotion in the Marketing Department. Everyone, please help me welcome, Anthony Salerno!! A cousin of Anthony’s went to Club Med Paradise Island and raved about it so much that Anthony booked a vacation there in 1983, where he vividly remembers the very funny animator E.T.! After Paradise Island, he went on vacation at Club Med Martinique twice (1984 & 86) and Cancun (1985). Not wanting to leave his advertising job, but still enjoy a Club Med vacation, he applied and accepted Club Med’s offer of employment. He had four weeks of vacation a year and was allowed to visit any Club Med he wanted. We talk about his start working for Club Med in 1987 and where we wound up crossing paths in Turks in ’94. Anthony helped organize the INCREDIBLE “70s Celebration” in Turk and Caicos my first season and it was SO awesome!! Only the G.O.s, G.M.s and G.E.s that were there those 3 glorious weeks from September 2 to September 23, 1994, will understand how much fun it was to do the “YMCA” Crazy Sign with the actual Village People!! Anthony also brought in Ron Palillo (RIP), who played Horshack on “Welcome Back, Kotter”, Lyle Waggoner (RIP) from “Wonder Woman” and Barry Williams who played Greg Brady on “The Brady Bunch”, and many more. We talk about what it took to plan this massive event, but we also talk about what it was like filming a Club Med TV commercial in the various Club Med villages. Anthony also worked with French fashion photographer and former International Creative Director of Elle magazine, Gilles Bensimon. There were plenty of Club Med radio spots as well in the late 80s and Anthony worked with actors Frank Langella (Dracula/Frost/Nixon), Frances Sternhagen (Cliff Clavin’s mom!), and Joe Sirola (Hang ‘Em High), the long-time voice of Club Med. Anthony also approached Archie Comics for them to feature Club Med in one of their issues and we talk about that as well. Anthony discusses the evolution of Club Med’s famous taglines and the ad agencies that created them “The Antidote for Civilization” (Ammirati & Puris) and “Take Home A Club Med Vacation” (TBWA) and why these were replaced with, “Life as it should be” (Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer). Anthony also met his future wife at Turks that week, who was a G.M., and in March 2023, they will celebrate their 28th year anniversary! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please check out his LinkedIn below:

(1) Anthony Salerno | LinkedIn