Chris Grabenstein

A 1977 graduate of the College of Communication and Information (Journalism and Communications), Chris Grabenstein was best known on campus for his roles at the Clarence Brown Theatre and Hunter Hills Theatre, and he also wrote for the Daily Beacon. Following graduation, he moved to New York and worked at a bank by day and performed improvisational comedy by night. In 1984 he responded to an ad in the New York Times—a writing aptitude test looking for new copywriters for J. Walter Thompson Advertising. For the next 17 years, rising to executive vice president and group creative director at Young and Rubicam, he wrote commercials, including ones for Dr. Pepper, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Miller Lite. In 1989 he created the classic radio campaign Trojan Man for Trojan condoms.

In 2001 he left advertising to write. He wrote for Jim Henson’s Little Muppet Monsters and cowrote the popular holiday film The Christmas Gift. Three years, six screenplays, and four manuscripts later, his first mystery novel, Tilt-a-Whirl, winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Mystery, was published by Carroll & Graf, the first in a series of John Ceepak mysteries. In 2008 he published his first mystery for young adults, The Crossroads, which won the Agatha Award for best children’s and young adult mystery. In 2009 the UT Alumni Association presented him with a Distinguished Alumni Award. Grabenstein was born in Buffalo, New York, and moved to Chattanooga when he was 10.

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  • Title Chris Grabenstein
  • Author
  • Keywords Chris Grabenstein
  • Website Name Volopedia
  • Publisher University of Tennessee Libraries
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  • Access Date July 8, 2025
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update October 8, 2018