Both BBDO and McCann confirmed today that Grant Smith, EVP and senior creative director, will be leaving the former for the latter.
After writing copy for Cliff Freeman for several years, Smith joined BBDO in 2004 and worked on such accounts as Monster, FedEx, the BBC, and more before leaving in 2009 to start his own venture Handsome Advertising along with Art Director Rick Ardito.
Smith and Ardito rejoined the agency in 2011 to lead creative on AT&T under then- ECD/current CCO Greg Hahn; Smith’s name has since appeared among the credits on some of BBDO’s most memorable work.
While McCann did not provide details regarding Smith’s hire and told us that he will work across multiple accounts, a tipster claims that he will lead the New York Lottery business, which went from DDB to the IPG agency last November.
A second source claims that he will work under Eric Silver of the now-defunct Silver+Partners, who became McCann’s North American CCO in February (the two have worked together in the past).
Expect an official announcement to come.