Sources familiar with the matter confirm that EVP/ECD Craig Markus and senior creative director Shalom Auslander (pictured) have resigned from McCann Erickson. The pair worked together at the agency for nearly a decade across a variety of accounts ranging from USA Today to packaged goods to Kohl’s (including the campaign starring J-Lo last year).
Markus, who has been with McCann for nearly 12 years and helped found the TAG Ideation unit during his tenure, will remain with the agency for another month or so to finish up work. Auslander, if you haven’t heard, has parlayed his agency copywriting career into becoming a full-time author, as he just released his debut novel, Hope: A Tragedy, earlier this year (check out a trailer Auslander created for his book here). No word yet, though, on whether either creative is heading to another agency, together or separately. We’ve been told their departure from McCann is “amicable.”