Ammunition has found the creative leader it spent months searching for — and he was in the agency's own backyard.

The Atlanta-based independent agency today announced that Myron Nilsson will join as chief creative officer. Nilsson, who is based in Atlanta, will lead creative output across the U.S. and Europe. He reports directly to founder and CEO Jeremy Heilpern.

The appointment signals a deliberate push by the agency to raise the profile of its creative product. Heilpern said the hire grew out of a gap between the quality of Ammunition's current work and its ambitions.

"Agencies that are really on the radar are the ones who are being recognized for the quality of the creative product," Heilpern told ADWEEK. "We're doing good creative, [but] there was this opportunity to elevate it under the right creative leadership."

Ammunition conducted a broad search before settling on Nilsson, according to the agency. The decision to appoint a leader based in its hometown of Atlanta underscores the agency's commitment to its roots as it expands its remit across two continents.

The move positions creative leadership at the top of the organizational chart, with Nilsson reporting to the founder rather than sitting further down a layered structure. For an independent agency competing against larger networks, that arrangement gives creative output a direct line to decision-making.

Nilsson's mandate spans both the U.S. and European markets, a scope that suggests Ammunition sees its growth opportunity as international rather than purely domestic.

Heilpern's comments point to the rationale behind the hire: the agency believes it already produces solid work, but recognition — and by extension new business — increasingly depends on creative that stands out in a crowded field.

The appointment of a chief creative officer is a common growth play for independent agencies seeking to compete for accounts that traditionally go to larger networks. By pairing elevated creative leadership with its existing client base, Ammunition aims to join the ranks of agencies that win attention for the quality of their output.

Nilsson joins an agency that has built its reputation from Atlanta, and he will remain based there. The agency did not disclose additional details about prior roles in its announcement.

For marketers evaluating independent agency partners, the hire adds a name to watch: a CCO with transatlantic responsibility, reporting to the founder, at an agency openly stating its intention to level up its creative ambitions.

Source: Adweek (https://www.adweek.com/agencies/myron-nilsson-joins-ammunition-as-agency-levels-up-creative-ambitions/)