• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, September 21, 2016

San Francisco-based ad shop MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER, recently acquired by UK agency VCCP,  has hired two agency veterans to run its new office in New York--Executive Creative Director Jay Benjamin and office President Nick Johnson.

The new office has been in the planning stages for a while and the agency is currently negotiating lease space for it. Both Benjamin and Johnson will report directly to MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER co-founders Matt Hofherr and John Matejczyk.

Benjamin most recently was Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi New York. Earlier he held senior creative roles at Leo Burnett and JWT. He’s worked on brands including Pampers, Heineken, Walmart, Smirnoff and Samsung.

Johnson was most recently president of Gotham.  Earlier he was associate partner and managing director at Venables Bell & Partners.

The agency has also promoted seven-year agency veteran and Head of Production Michelle Spear Nicholson to partner. She becomes the third partner in the firm and will now oversee production for both of the agency’s offices.