NEW YORK Three staffers have left Cliff Freeman and Partners to join BBDO, an agency representative said.

Grant Smith, 35, and Richard Ardito, 38, join BBDO in New York as associate creative directors, reporting to executive creative director Eric Silver. They started on Tuesday. They will work on FedEx, DirecTV, Guinness and Snickers, among other accounts. First up is FedEx, Silver said.

Ed Zazzera, 37, comes aboard as senior producer. At Cliff Freeman in New York, Zazzera worked on Mike's Hard Lemonade and Fox Sports. He starts on Monday.

All are new positions.

"Grant is a very talented writer and I like Richard's hair," joked Silver. At Cliff Freeman and Partners, where Smith was senior copywriter and Ardito was senior art director, Silver worked with the team on Fox Sports and Budget Rent A Car. In addition, Smith and Ardito worked on Mohegan Sun and Quizno's. "They're just talented and really good guys," Silver said.