Translation has elevated art director/CD Matthew McFerrin and copywriter/CD Armando Samuels to group creative directors, in the first of a series of internal promotions across the agency’s creative and strategy departments. McFerrin will partner with recent hire, group creative director Achilles Li, to oversee the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Champs Sports accounts. Samuels will take the lead on Translation’s State Farm account, handling all creative aspects of the business, including the company’s NBA marketing campaign, and the ongoing State Farm Neighborhood Sessions music series. Plans call for Samuels to partner with a new member of the Translation team, to be announced in early 2016.

McFerrin originally signed on with the Translation team as a sr. creative in early 2014, following nearly three years as an art director and then sr. art director at Sid Lee. McFerrin has lent his artist’s eye to national and global campaigns for the likes of Absolute Vodka, adidas, Sprite and Major League Soccer.

Samuels first joined Translation as a sr. copywriter, quickly rising to the rank of creative director. Prior to joining Translation, he held sr. copywriter and copywriter positions at Deutsch and TBWA\Chiat\Day LA—where he served as the lead writer for the agency’s award-winning Pepsi Max “Test Drive” campaign. Samuels has helped to deliver creative executions for global brands like adidas, PepsiCo, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, and the Coca-Cola Company.

John Norman continues as Translation’s chief creative officer.