Peter Stranger, Executive Director, Creative Services

Peter was born in South Africa, raised and educated in England but began his career in advertising in the U.S., achieving positions such as CEO of J. Walter Thompson, West, President of Della Femina, McNamee, Los Angeles and Managing Partner of Bozell in Irvine, CA. Peter ran companies with billings over $200 million, managing accounts in every category from automotive to package goods, hospitality to entertainment, airlines to alcoholic beverages. Former clients include Isuzu, Taco Bell, 20th Century Fox, Transamerica, Singapore Airlines, The Peninsula Hotel and Carl’s Jr. restaurants. Peter subsequently ran his own agencies, Rabuck Stranger, and Kopald/Stranger, providing business development, applied strategic insight and communications for ethical organizations. He joined Wagstaff Worldwide as Executive Director, Creative Services, to apply his experience in communications and brand building in building this division of the company. He has consulted for the WILD Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Institute, the Forum for Education and Democracy, the Esalen Institute, and the Green LA Coalition. Peter is on the advisory board of Oceana, a director of 5Gyres.org and is a trustee of the WILD Foundation. He was previously a trustee of Pitzer College in Claremont, CA, and a director of the Los Angeles Opera, where he was chairman of the Marketing Committee. He is a founding director of CityLife Downtown Charter School in Los Angeles and a founding director of the Oaks School in Hollywood.
 

Mikel Wadewitz, Creative Services Director

Mikel came to Wagstaff Worldwide after spending several years as a writer and editor in both the consumer magazine and book publishing fields. He initially joined the company as an account supervisor, overseeing travel and tourism destination accounts before transitioning into the role of editorial director and subsequently creative services director, in which he manages Wagstaff’s growing creative department. Raised in Portland, OR, he moved to Vermont to attend Bennington College, where he received a B.A. in American literature and creative writing. He worked as an acquisitions editor for St. Martin’s Press in New York City before moving to Los Angeles, where he took a position as an editor for Frontiers magazine. He has written extensively about travel, current events, and the arts for a variety of publications, and has also worked as a freelance copy editor, proofreader, and editorial consultant. Always looking for new adventures, in his free time Mikel studies trapeze at an aerial arts school in Hollywood and continues to write about music for local publications as well as his long-running blog. He is also a volunteer with the Roze Room Hospice in Los Angeles.
 

Dijana Marsic, Senior Art Director

Dijana Marsic is an award-winning art director and graphic designer who specializes in branding for luxury hotels, travel destinations, and beauty industry clients. Her design career spans 12 years and includes positions in some of the most respected creative firms in Los Angeles and Orange County, where she worked on both the agency and client sides of the table. Her work has received recognition in the design and marketing industries, including awards from PRINT Magazine, American Advertising Foundation, Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, and Graphic Design USA. Whether directing national ad Campaigns or developing brand identities for a variety of high-end clients, she is hands-on in every aspect of the process. Dijana grew up in Bremen, Germany, and is fluent in both Croatian and German. She originally came to San Diego on a study abroad program and fell in love with California, next moving to Los Angeles to work as an au pair during the day and study graphic design at night. She spends most of her free time with Shera, her Jack Russell,hiking, attending art walks, hunting flea markets for antique furniture, and applying her unique illustrations to her finds.