McDonald's and Warner Bros. veteran Brad Ball has joined Moroch Partners to open its Los Angeles office and spearhead digital and branded-entertainment work for the ad agency.

Ball becomes senior partner at Dallas-based Moroch, which picks up clients McDonald's and some film studios from Ball's two-year-old branded-entertainment shop, Ball Entertainment Group. Moroch already handles some McDonald's ad work.

Ball had been senior VP-CMO for McDonald's Corp.'s U.S. business from 1995 to 1998, where he helped develop McDonald's landmark 10-year marketing alliance with The Walt Disney Co. He left McDonald's to become president of domestic marketing at Warner Brothers Pictures, a post he held until 2004, when he left Warner Bros. to form Los Angeles-based Ball Entertainment Group.

"The merger of Ball Entertainment Group clients will drive immediate growth, while the strength of Brad's contacts and reputation will lead us to future growth," said Moroch Chairman Tom Moroch in a statement. "And, his most recent focus on digital and branded entertainment at Time Warner and Ball Entertainment Group will complement and broaden our capabilities in emerging media."

"Teaming with Moroch will help us build upon [my] relationships while allowing Moroch to further reinforce their commitment to the West and two major clients groups: McDonald's and studio/film marketing," Ball said in a statement.

For more coverage on agencies