The numbers come first. Get Engaged, the Atlanta-based social-first marketing agency behind campaigns for 50 Cent and DoorDash, has entered a partnership with SAMY in what cofounder Cam Fordham called a 'low nine-figure deal.' The company said the transaction includes stock and cash and values the deal at at least $100 million.
The deal closed on Sept. 30. All three cofounders, Fordham, Alex Dermer, and Ben Hiott, are staying. Dermer will take the CEO title. Fordham said the arrangement is fundamentally an acquisition, but the founders will remain in place.
Get Engaged began in 2016 as what Hiott called 'essentially a side hustle.' He was monetizing a handful of celebrities’ Facebook pages while working a full-time job. Fordham, a former LSU football player with a deep roster of talent relationships, joined after hearing what Hiott was doing. Dermer became the third partner while wrapping up a previous venture and working in the same office building.
The agency first worked with Atlanta hip-hop artists like Waka Flocka Flame and T.I. The team helped with meet-and-greets and tour merchandise. Fordham said clients kept asking, 'What else can you do for us?' That question became the basis for building a marketing agency around social reach and online attention.
During the pandemic, brands started moving money from radio and billboard spots into digital spots, Fordham said. He added that this was when TikTok started to really emerge, and Get Engaged pushed clients onto the platform. The company later began picking up Fortune 500 brands.
That shift fits a larger market change. According to WARC Media, social media overtook paid search to become the world’s largest advertising channel by spend. WARC forecasts global ad spend will grow 9.1% to $1.3 trillion in 2026, with nearly 80% concentrated in retail media, paid search, and social platforms. Linear TV, by contrast, accounted for 41.3% of global ad spend in 2013 and was on track to fall to just 12.4% in 2025.
Get Engaged now has more than 100 employees across Atlanta, New York, Nashville, and Los Angeles. Its client list includes DoorDash, Perplexity, Raising Cane’s, Universal Music Group, EA, and Sazerac. Fordham said revenue has grown 40% year over year. The founders said no layoffs will result from the partnership.
For the market, this is the paper trail. Capital is moving toward the channels that can still command attention. Linear TV is losing ground, while social platforms keep pulling in ad dollars, talent, and deal flow. That is where the leverage sits now. The companies that can turn internet attention into earnings are getting the premium. The rest are watching the market vote with someone else’s budget.
