Well, we’ve received a few tips about this over the last two days and a call to the agency came back with a reply that he wasn’t listed in the director. So, we can only draw our own conclusions for the time being on the status of Kevin Brown. Oh yeah, if you didn’t know, Brown has worked for 14 years at WPP-owned Mindshare/Team Detroit and most recently served as managing director for its media buying efforts, which called for him to oversee media efforts for clients including of course its most notable one, Ford.

We’ve yet to hear back from Team Detroit on Brown (surprise), but seemingly upset tipsters are telling us that he was “responsible for buying billion plus in media” (apparently about $1.5 billion annually) and that the exec was not the only one cut by the agency on the Ford media end. As we always say and try to do, we’ll let you know if and when we hear more on the matter.

Well, Team Detroit has been its usual uncommunicative self, but after hearing about it through the Spy line for nearly a week, the proof’s now in the punch that Brad Audet has moved from said Detroit-based, Ford-focused agency to fellow WPP-owned shop, Garage Team Mazda. Audet has now assumed the role of EVP/general manager at the Irvine, CA-based GTM (or TheGarage as the kids are calling it nowadays), which was set up three years ago and has lured over the likes of fellow JWT alum Harvey Marco as its creative chief since its inception.

Audet spent nearly five years at Team Detroit, where he initially signed on as new biz head before moving up to both EVP/managing director and co-president of its small-mid-sized client-focused unit, Pulse. Once again, we’re checking with Team Detroit to see if there’s a replacement in the works, but as usual, we’re hitting a wall. Anyhow, during his career, Audet has held senior account positions at the likes of the aforementioned JWT (on Ford, natch) as well as Mullen and McCann.

And the beast hath reared its head again. Sadly, though, we’re once again not getting any response, save for the generic auto-reply via email and a toss-off from staff via phone from WPP unit, Team Detroit. Various folks have told us that said agency, which handles Ford North America ad duties, has once again cut staff, just six weeks after the last time when we heard the same. From what we’re hearing thus far, over 30 people were laid off before the Presidents Day weekend. We’ll keep checking, whether all for naught or not.

Well, this flew under the radar but might as well let you know that after spending two years at Team Detroit’s Pulse unit, which focuses on non-Ford clients, Todd Miller has returned to the West Coast to serve as VP/creative director at Garage Team Mazda. The Irvine, CA-based Garage was set up by WPP two years ago to handle said automaker’s North American business and in the process, lured folks like JWT alum Harvey Marco to serve as CCO.

As for Miller, the creative exec served as VP/creative director during his time at Team Detroit/Pulse, where he worked on accounts including Sports Authority and helped in new business efforts. During his career, Miller had creative gigs at the likes of M&C Saatchi, DDB, RPA and FCB San Francisco.

Over the last 24 hours, we’ve been getting multiple tips about some turbulence occurring at Pulse, a unit of WPP’s Team Detroit that focuses on non-Ford clients that have ranged from Sports Authority to NASCAR to Shell over the years. One of the casualties from what we hear is Greg Braun, a former Y&R Detroit EVP/ECD who joined up with Pulse three years ago as co-president/ECD. Calls to Braun have been left unanswered, but we’re checking with the folks at Team Detroit for more clarification on the matter. We’ll keep you posted and as always, you can hit us up on the tips box.

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Ah, so this is why we got a last-minute invite to a conference here in New York starring WPP don Sir Martin Sorrell among others. Come Jan. 1, WPP’s Team Detroit unit will launch a new unit here in the Big Apple that will be dedicated to the Lincoln brand. The new division will be led by McKinney alum and automotive industry vet Cameron McNaughton, who joins as president, as well as CCO Jon Pearce, who formerly served as ECD at BBH New York.

Regarding the Lincoln link of Team Detroit, which will ship some members to NYC, McNaughton says in a statement, “Our goal is simple: To help our partners at Lincoln create a new future for their brand as it reinvents itself. To achieve this, we are dedicated to creating a new, best-in-category integrated agency team that utilizes the top creative talent recruited within and outside of the WPP and Team Detroit network.”

No, there is no name yet for the new division but we’ll let you take a stab.

Loren Victory has been named the head of Team Detroit’s new Integrated Content division, according to Corryl Parr, the company’s Director of Communications. Victory will serve as SVP and Director of Integrated Content, and will co-lead the new division with Diana Gross, who currently acts as SVP and Director of Integrated Operations.

Team Detroit’s Integrated Content Division was recently created to synchronize the efforts of its production, creative, and digital teams.

Victory comes to Team Detroit with over 20 years of freelance experience in creative, digital, and production roles; and he has worked in Los Angeles, Australia, and New York.

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