Kenneth A. Kerr Jr. was a marketer who began his career in San Diego in 1968 as an art director and a copywriter at the Phillips Ramsey public relations agency. The following year, he joined Group West Inc. in Los Angeles. It was hear that Kerr made one of his more interesting contributions by creating Woodsy Owl and the advertising slogan, "Give A Hoot, Don't Pollute," for the National Park Service.

Professionally, Kerr earned a bachelor's degree in advertising design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. In 1978, with a decade of experience in art and marketing, Mr. Kerr joined the executive ranks of Walt Disney Imagineering, a division of The Walt Disney Co. in Glendale, CA.

During the next five years, he was in charge of graphics and signage development for Disney theme parks, including Epcot, Tokyo Disneyland and an updated Fantasyland. (Joining the ranks of Disney was the achievement of a life long dream for Kerr.)

Starting in 1983, Kerr served as the director of research and development and marketing communications for Applause Inc. in Woodland Hills, California, staying there for four years. At this time, he became involved with the development and licensing of products depicting several popular children’s cartoon characters including the Smurfs, Wuzzles, Gummi Bears, Raggedy Ann and Andy, the Muppets and Sad Sam.

Ken Kerr also lectured extensively and wrote two books, Mouse Power: Marketing Secrets of the Magic Kingdom and Licensing, and The Way Hollywood Makes Its Fortune & You Can Too!

Also interesting to note, Kerr was responsible for the design and development of the California Dancing Raisins as part of a 1986 promotional campaign by the California Raisin Board.

In 1987, Kerr moved on and became the director of marketing communications at Sea World. While there, he established the park’s first internal creative services department and helped to usher in Sea World’s twenty-fifth anniversary celebration. A year, later Kerr had also formed his own company, Ken Kerr & Associates, in 1988. During this time, his company had a professional clientele that included Johnson & Johnson, Mail Boxes Etc., Block Medical and the author Ken Blanchard.