277. Cam Fordham: From Music Partnerships to Global Brands—Building a Full-Service Agency Fueled by Vision, Relationships, and Execution

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Trading Secrets
Episode: 277. Cam Fordham: From Music Partnerships to Global Brands—Building a Full-Service Agency Fueled by Vision, Relationships, and Execution
Host: Jason Tartick
Guest: Cam Fordham (Founder/CEO, Get Engaged Media)
Release Date: February 5, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores the remarkable journey of Cam Fordham, founder of Get Engaged Media, a powerhouse digital marketing agency. Jason Tartick sits down with Cam to break down the evolution of his business—from humble beginnings working with Atlanta rappers to orchestrating campaigns for top global brands and celebrities. The discussion dives deeply into the financial mechanisms, strategies, and secrets that have fueled Cam's ascent, offering hard-earned advice on relationships, brand partnerships, investing, and the ever-changing nature of digital marketing.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins: From Atlanta Rappers to Full-Service Digital Agency

[06:00-07:20]

• Cam began his career in 2016 in Atlanta by helping local rappers with merchandise and meet-and-greets (notably Waka Flocka and T.I.).
• He recognized a gap: traditional agencies (CAA, WME) prioritized talent and out-of-home agencies (Havas, Dentsu) focused on traditional media, but no one was agency-first for digital/social talent and brands.
• Vision: "We wanted to represent the brands." – Cam Fordham [07:52]

2. Scaling Up: Team Growth and COVID’s Acceleration

[08:22–09:46]

• Early days required “a lot of selling,” as digital ROI wasn’t yet benchmarked.
• During COVID, brands pulled spending from traditional media and prioritized digital, causing Get Engaged to jump from 25 to 100 employees in a year and now employ 115+ staff in Atlanta, Nashville, New York, and LA.

3. Bootstrapping Success: Funding and Ownership

[09:08–09:59]

• Cam’s team chose to bootstrap: “There was a couple years where we just didn’t take really a lot of salary and kept pumping it in...we exploded during COVID.”
• Ownership and reinvestment have allowed them to maintain control as the agency scales.

4. Client & Campaign Highlights: Crafting Culture-Driven Strategies

[09:59–12:19]

• Clients include Netflix, Amazon, NBC Universal, MLS, and many high-profile influencers (Snoop Dogg, Theo Von, Alex Earl, Kygo, etc.).

• Notable project: Revamped Raising Cane’s digital marketing by embedding the brand in pop culture and celebrity partnerships, resulting in expansion from 200 to over 1,000 locations.

• Quote: “Todd [Graves]…really understands culture and relationships and people and digital and he thinks outside the box...combining with an amazing team.” – Cam [11:09]

• Recent campaign: Perplexity AI app launch, where Get Engaged aimed for 200 million impressions but achieved 425 million, demonstrating the power of digital-first activations.

5. Own the Night: Event Marketing as Brand Currency

[13:17–14:13]

• The Super Bowl is Cam’s “elite event”—hosting late-night suite parties (12–5am) with curated talent, focusing on networking and world-class experiences for maximum impact and brand impressions.

6. Insights on Influence & Campaign Pricing

[14:56–16:44]

• Cam’s approach to pricing is rooted in fair market value, campaign scope, and industry rates, using internal formulas/KPIs to target effective cost-per-impression (CPI) between 1–5¢.
• Advice for small business/influencers: “Not all [campaigns] are going to work out—and it’s okay. Always learn.” [16:20]

7. The Secret Sauce: Relationship Building

[16:52–17:29]

• Cam attributes much of his access and deal-making capability to authentic relationship building and “always wanting to do right by these guys (and girls).”
• “Don’t be intimidated…they’re just people.” [17:30]

8. Finance & Growth Metrics

[17:50–18:15]

• Get Engaged has grown revenue “at least 25% year over year since we started.”
• Cam is bullish on the creator economy: “It is only growing... you’ll always need a human element.” [18:09]

9. Why Brands Choose Digital (over Billboards, Magazines, etc.)

[19:04–20:48]

• Digital delivers unmatched impressions at lower spend: e.g., 450 million campaign impressions vs. 150 million Super Bowl viewers, at half the traditional cost.
• “When was the last time you went to the store and bought a magazine? But how often are you scrolling on Instagram?” – Cam [19:06]

10. Spotting Opportunity: Investing in Brands & Cultural Trends

[22:06–25:44]

• Cam leverages his “ear to the street” in both agency service and as an investor—targeting founder-led brands that “impact culture,” such as Craig’s Restaurant (Nashville), RealTea (with Morgan Wallen), and Outlaw Beer (with Hardy).
• “We look at tired spaces. How can what we do best into a tired space?” – Cam [25:45]

11. Challenges & Platforms: Keeping Up with Change

[26:50–28:06]

• Cam’s greatest challenge: “Social media is constantly changing. There’s a new algorithm weekly.”
• Success currently: Instagram (top results), TikTok (second), and growing focus on LinkedIn for B2B and recruiting.

12. Company Culture: Asking for Raises & Team Advice

[28:06–29:11]

• Advice for getting a raise: Present a clear case with achievements and resource needs. “Be proactive and advocate for yourself.” [29:07]

13. Biggest Campaigns & The Economics of Influence

[29:57–30:43]

• Largest deal Cam has seen: $15–20 million for a single year-long AI-related campaign featuring a top actress.
• “These dollars are significant.” [30:32]

14. AI’s Place in Future Marketing

[31:03–31:33]

• Cam sees AI’s growth as “real…it’s coming,” though he emphasizes a permanent need for human creativity within campaigns.

15. Personal Finance, Success, and Mental Health

[32:30–37:28]

• On personal spending: “Flights” and “clothes” are his biggest indulgences, but sees them as investments in his personal brand and health.
• Mental health: Focuses on travel recovery, cold tubs, sauna, biohacking, and anti-aging therapies—seeking “body optimization” to counterbalance a demanding schedule.

16. Looking Ahead: Brand Incubation & Legacy

[33:23–34:47]

• Vision for Get Engaged: Move toward “brand incubator” model—building/owning brands from scratch, bringing in capital and operators, working in “tired categories,” and launching proprietary IP.

17. Trading Secrets: Cam’s Core Philosophy

[38:29–39:24]

• “What I do best is relate to people…always deliver for people. You say what you’re gonna do, you do it…It’s them before you.”
• “You get what you give and it’ll come back to you one way or another.” – Jason [38:59]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On bootstrapping:
  “People raise money. People bootstrap. We decided to bootstrap...we just didn’t take really a lot of salary and kept pumping it in.”
  — Cam Fordham [09:21]

• On the power of digital:
  “When’s the last time you went to the store and bought a magazine? But how often are you scrolling on your Instagram all day?”
  — Cam Fordham [19:06]

• On industry disruption:
  “I think [the creator economy] is only growing...but you will always need a human element.”
  — Cam Fordham [18:09]

• On his relationship approach:
  “You always deliver for people. You say what you’re gonna do, you do it, and you know, it's them before you.”
  — Cam Fordham [38:29]

• On future aspirations:
  “We’re growing towards more of a brand incubator...We want to help raise the capital. We want to, you know, be a part of the whole marketing arm and decision. We want to bring in badass operators that we know and scale brands and tired categories.”
  — Cam Fordham [33:32]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [06:00] – Cam’s origin story; launching from Atlanta’s music scene
• [08:22] – COVID bump: digital overtakes traditional, team growth
• [09:08] – Bootstrapping vs. raising money
• [10:46] – Raising Cane’s digital strategy
• [12:19] – Perplexity AI campaign results
• [13:17] – The power of event-based marketing (Super Bowl)
• [14:56] – How to pair brands with influencers and price campaigns
• [16:09] – Advice for small brands/influencers and handling campaign failure
• [17:50] – Agency growth and creator economy outlook
• [19:04] – Why digital impressions beat traditional advertising
• [22:06] – Cam’s investment strategy (Craig’s, RealTea, Outlaw Beer)
• [26:50] – Challenges of evolving platforms and algorithms
• [28:40] – How to advocate for a raise in agency life
• [30:03] – Biggest influencer deal Cam has seen: $15M+
• [31:03] – The impact and future of AI in campaigns
• [33:23] – Get Engaged’s future as a brand incubator
• [38:29] – Cam’s “trading secret” on relationships and reputation

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Flow & Tone

The conversation is warm, fast-paced, and practical—blending high-level strategy with real-world numbers and personal experience. Jason guides Cam through both technical and human aspects, emphasizing actionable lessons while maintaining an upbeat, “friends-talking-shop” feel.

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Useful for Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In:

• Understands how a modern digital marketing agency works from the inside
• Gets real numbers and strategies about influencer marketing and campaign planning
• Learns the importance of relationships and authenticity in business success
• Finds out which platforms and sectors are hottest—and which are falling behind
• Takes away actionable career and negotiation tips, especially for upward mobility
• Hears what’s happening at the intersection of brand, celebrity, and venture investing

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Final Takeaway

At its heart, this episode is a masterclass in the fusion of hustle, authenticity, and strategic thinking. Cam Fordham’s story is proof that bootstrapping, relationships-first leadership, and a willingness to adapt can build not only a company but a brand ecosystem that thrives in culture. The financial, technical, and personal “trading secrets” revealed are essential listening for anyone interested in the business of modern influence.

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Find Cam Fordham:

• @camfordham
• @getengaged
• getengagedmedia.com

---

Transcript

[Jason Tartek]

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[Cam Fordham]

Five years ago, I was paying $65.

[Jason Tartek]

A month for my subscriptions.

[Cam Fordham]

Today, those Same subscriptions cost $111 and I don't even use half of them anymore.

[Jason Tartek]

That's why now I use Rocket Money.

[Cam Fordham]

To manage my subscriptions for me.

[Jason Tartek]

The app gives you a list of all your subscriptions and reminds you of.

[Cam Fordham]

Upcoming payments so you're not hit with any surprise charges.

[Jason Tartek]

On top of that, it also sends you alerts when subscription prices go up.

[Cam Fordham]

So you always know the price you're paying.

[Jason Tartek]

If you decide you no longer want a subscription, you can cancel it right from the app.

[Cam Fordham]

No customer service needed. And the best part is, Rocket Money.

[Jason Tartek]

Even reaches out and tries to get.

[Cam Fordham]

You refunded for some of the money you lost. On average, people that cancel their subscriptions with rocket money save $378 a year.

[Jason Tartek]

And overall, Rocket Money has saved its members $880 million in canceled subscriptions.

[Cam Fordham]

Stop wasting money on things you don't use.

[Jason Tartek]

Go to rocketmoney.com cancel to get started.

[Cam Fordham]

That's rocketmoney.com cancel rocketmoney.com cancel.

[Jason Tartek]

Welcome back to another episode Trading Secrets. I'm your host Jason Tartek. Welcome to the Pre Market Trading segment. It's Thursday. We got another episode out. That's two episodes this week, with an absolute marketing genius, Cam Fordham, you are going to hear the ins and outs of digital marketing like you've never heard before. Some of the biggest companies in the world he's working with. Stay tuned for this episode. It's going to be amazing. And wait till the recap. 20 minutes in the weeds. We're also giving away the signed book from Mike the Situation, and we have more giveaways coming. So to enter a giveaway, just give us five stars. Review things you'd like us to talk about, maybe your biggest takeaways, but remember to give us five stars. David, we ended the podcast and we said. I asked you one question. I said one word. How you feeling? So you'll have to stay tuned to what he said, but this is a new little tactic I'm doing in meetings. It's a new little thing I'm doing with friends. Just check ins. One word, how you feel, and it kind of sets the stage for where we should go next.

[David]

All right, one word. How you feeling? Because they hear mine in the recap. This is the intro. How you feeling? One word.

[Jason Tartek]

I feel dialed right now.

[David]

Oh, dangerous.

[Jason Tartek]

You know, like January. I did the dry January up until the point I said I was going to break, which is 29th. Drank a little bit, had some fun after it. I'm like, no, I'm good. You know, not the cleanest. Four days dialed with work. Just dialed, dialed.

[David]

Jason is the Jason that it's. He's a. He's capable of a lot, folks, and Cam is capable of a lot. As you'll hear in this episode. You get a little bit of recap there. You get a little bit of Blake and G recap, but something that we're excited to share. You're not used to hearing us on Thursdays, so you're hearing us in the intro on a Thursday. You're hearing us in the recap on a Thursday. If you stay tuned to the recap, you just might hear a little more from Jason and David on Thursdays in the future. So that's my little tease for the episode. That's my little tease for the recap. Take them away, Jason, what do you got?

[Jason Tartek]

Last thing I got is in the recap, we talk about some of the guests that we have coming up, and there are some big ones with a lot of things happening in their life. And we have some more that I didn't share, but those that I shared. You might want to stay tuned to the recap recap. But enough of you and I, David, just try it just try it. Check in with people. One word. How you feeling? It can help customize that conversation and adjust it a little bit differently based on that answer, which can help you connect a little bit better. Let's ring in the bell with the one and only Cam Fordham. Welcome back to another episode of Trading Secrets. Today we are joined by Cam Fordham. Cam is the mastermind behind some of the biggest digital marketing campaigns in the entertainment and sports history. From help helping artists and athletes building their online presence to running an agency that connects global brands with massive audiences, Cam story is all about vision and execution. What started as a few digital partnerships in the music space has evolved into a full service creative powerhouse, managing content for some of the most recognizable names in the world. Today, we're talking about the business of engagement, how digital media makes money, how influencer deals are structured, and how Cam built one of the most connected agencies in entertainment and in the industry. Camp. Thank you so much for being on Trading Secrets.

[Cam Fordham]

Thanks for having me, Jason.

[Jason Tartek]

It's a long time coming, man. We've been talking about this for a while.

[Cam Fordham]

We've been talking about this for a year or two. And super happy it worked out and great to see you. Good to be here.

[Jason Tartek]

I remember. I don't think I've ever told you this story. 2020. I was just starting to think about starting our little boutique talent agency, and one of my buddies in town was like, have you met Cam? And I said, you know, I've heard his name around, but I haven't met him yet. And he's like, the guy's everywhere. And this. This guy's dad owns a private jet. And we were p into the airport because we're just coming from his place in Florida, and they're literally, as he said, At 10 minutes before, you're there, you're like filming something with a jet. You had four clients. I'm like, is that the guy you were just telling me about? He's like, yeah. You have made one of the biggest splashes I've seen in this space. Everyone listening right now. You think of an actor, you think of an athlete, you think of someone who is relevant at the top of their game. And I'm not talking, you know, c. B list. I'm talking the biggest players. You're with them.

[Cam Fordham]

You're.

[Jason Tartek]

You're there. You're killing it. And this all started in 2016. In 2016, when you started, it was this. The vision that you're currently living today.

[Cam Fordham]

You know, I always knew it had a lot of potential. We Kind of were just going with the flow and working hard and doing a lot of favors and it's a lot of teamwork, it's a lot of effort. You know, I have really good business partners. You know, they. We all do different things, we all have different personalities, but we balance each other out super well. You know, starting in 2016 in Atlanta, you know, we started with, you know, a few rappers in Atlanta, helping them out with merch and meet and greets.

[Jason Tartek]

Who are the rappers, etc.

[Cam Fordham]

So waka flocka ti. And then it just kind of went from there. You know, we started, you know, branching off into other genres and then brands came to play. You know, we, we saw that you had the CAAS, the WMEs, UTAS, that represented talent and they were very good at doing so. You had the Havasses and the Dents that focused on out of home and traditional commercials, but you didn't have a lot of companies in the space that represented digital first content, socials, talent.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

And so we wanted to represent the brands.

[Jason Tartek]

Interesting. So right from the onset you're like, okay, we see those players like CAA and wme, they're working with, you know, the Tom Brady's, the George Clooney. Sure, we're going to do it different. We're going to go right to the brand. So you started working with the brands and again, you guys start in 2016. Dude, I talk to brands today and they're still like not understanding social media. So back then it had to be even harder selling. What were the. Some of the conversations like when you started getting going for, for the brands to be like, I need to be on top of this.

[Cam Fordham]

We focused on, on culture. Back then. There wasn't a lot of benchmarks or KPIs you can really look into or measure. You know, it came over time on how you measure the ROI and spend. So it was a lot of selling at first, but as we started making impact and motion, people started to catch on. And you know, during COVID you know, that's where we really hit our stride. So a lot of these brands pulled a lot of their out of home, you know, their radio spots, their billboards, and really focused on digital.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

And that's where we, we kind of took it up a notch. Went from 25 employees to 100 in the span of a year, year and a half. Wow.

[Jason Tartek]

And how many employees you guys have now? Right.

[Cam Fordham]

We have 115. Okay, so offices, Atlanta, Nashville, New York and the team in LA.

[Jason Tartek]

That is crazy. One of the things a Lot of our entrepreneurs will ask is, when you get started, do you sell, fund or do you use opm other people's money? How have you kind of navigated the idea of raising capital while growing and what's that looked like from your vantage point?

[Cam Fordham]

People raise money. People bootstrap. We decided to bootstrap. You know, there was a couple years where we just didn't take really a lot of salary and kept pumping it in. And then, you know, like I said, we exploded during COVID around 2020, 2021. And that's when we started really excelling.

[Jason Tartek]

That is pretty. If you think about that. You bootstrap, don't take salaries, take profitability, reinvest it.

[Cam Fordham]

Correct.

[Jason Tartek]

Then you own the large percentage. And now you look how big the companies become.

[Cam Fordham]

No doubt. So it's a little hard at first.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah, it's not comfortable.

[Cam Fordham]

But then, you know, I feel like if you keep the mission.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

Stay focused, stay in your lane, it will work out.

[Jason Tartek]

Exactly. Now, you guys have worked with a wide range of clients. You got Netflix, Amazon, NBC Universal, mls. And then you've. You've executed campaigns with some of the biggest influencers in the world. Drew Ski, Alex, Earl, Theo on, Snoop Dogg, Kygo. The list goes on. One thing I'll never forget is a conversation we had at Raising Cane's and I. I had the pleasure of having Todd on the podcast and talking to him a little bit, but he credited a lot of some of the marketing strategies to you. And I came to you. I'm like, dude, is that, like. Were you really the one that, like, thought about this a lot? Because I think what's so crazy and impressive with Raising Canes is they took a concept like chicken fingers.

[Cam Fordham]

Right.

[Jason Tartek]

And if there's any form of relevancy, and you mentioned earlier, any form of pop culture there, talk to me about what that strategy looked like as you were coming up with it.

[Cam Fordham]

Yeah, for sure. So I actually went to lsu. That's where I initially met Todd.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

So I noticed, I think it was about 2018, they hadn't really done many things with talent. They weren't really involved with social as much. And I just saw an opportunity, so I went to Todd. We started helping him with socials, and they kind of gradually went from there. But I'm going to credit Todd. He really understands culture and relationships and people and digital and he thinks outside the box and he listens. And they combining with. He has an amazing team. You know, his. His co CEO AJ Kumaron's a hell of an operator. So everything kind of fell in place because all those boxes were checked. So it made our lives a little bit easier in our jobs. So I just think, you know, Todd, understanding that the food quality being good and the, the ways we can plug and play them in within culture, it's worked. And I mean it's crazy how far they've grown. I think when we started they were at like 200 plus restaurants. Now they're at over a thousand Wild over in the span of six, seven years.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah. And I think I read something recently that his net worth is now over 20 billion. You can't make it up. But a lot of it has to do with the product. A lot of it has to do with operations. A lot of it has to do with marketing. Of all the moment to you has been like, everyone's talking about it. This was a moment that I can't believe the numbers and the return we saw from a marketing perspective.

[Cam Fordham]

So what we just did with Perplexity AI. Yeah, Their top AI company, they have a new browser called Comet.

[Jason Tartek]

Okay.

[Cam Fordham]

So it's basically like ChatGPT, it's more task based, etc. But you know, we were set to help them launch the app and bring in talent into the fold. And you know, our benchmarks were about 200 million impressions and views and I think we hit as of a week ago, 425.

[Jason Tartek]

Wow.

[Cam Fordham]

With our spend. So I think we, you know, they're, they really took it up a notch with that launch and that company is really looking to, to make some plays and that's impressive.

[Jason Tartek]

And exceed Perplexity AI. Stay on top of it. Now, you and I, before the interview, I was asking you about F1 because I like, I guys, I just know if, if there's an event, Cam's gonna be there and he's gonna be kicking ass at the event. But you got F1, you got the Super Bo, the Hamptons. There's so many events that happen on an annual basis. Which of those would you say create the most impressions? Is it the Super Bowl?

[Cam Fordham]

I think so. I think super bowl is our elite event. You know, we, we have suites at the stadium that we bring talent in for, but also we have these night parties from 12 to 5am you know, we're not competing with any of the other big brands. You know, during that, that 8pm to 12pm hour. So we own the night. So I feel like, you know, we have a good group of people that come in, we say no photos. People end up doing it anyways. But like that whole weekend is super special. You know, we give a world class experience with, you know, flying people in on private planes and you know, putting them up, et cetera, in a really nice hotel. And I just think those, those moments are, you know, people get to meet people and network and people that they haven't been able to get in front of before and they're just special.

[Jason Tartek]

With all these experiences you've been to tell me about like one of the best marketing tactics or lessons that you've learned throughout these experiences that have been effective.

[Cam Fordham]

Yeah, I think with talent in the events, you try to pair talent with other people in their genre. You know, say it's a Drew Ski and a Theo Vaughan. You know, they're comfortable, they understand, they speak the same language. You'll end up getting good positive feedback and interaction between the both of them. Artists are the same way, actors and actresses. So I think pairing people within the genre.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

Helps.

[Jason Tartek]

I like that. That's really smart because you take like two comedians, they might have different audiences, but put them together, it's like a big, big splash. So when you're working with the brands, what are some things that you think about that allows you to say, this is who I want to pick. And then the second part of this question is how do you decide how much someone should be paid for that?

[Cam Fordham]

It depends on the creative, the location of the campaign, the timing of the campaign. Does this talent have similar and what the campaign entails. So price wise, it just all depends on fair market value and understanding what people are getting for deals, what different genres of companies are asking for, what, you know, if you're in the AI space, you're probably going to get offered a little more because it's a little bit more competitive. If you're in qsr, it all depends on if you want exclusive rights and if you want nil or not or how long you want to license at nil. So it just, there's so many factors and KPIs but our team internally we've come up with a formula and it depends on brand to brand. You know what their KPIs are. Some go over cost per impression, which is CPI. You try to stay between 1 and 5 cents. That's a good net back out. So man, I could go for days. But it just, you have a feel for it once you get rolling.

[Jason Tartek]

So you kind of have a formula to it and then you also have the obviously the KPIs that come based on your formula and then you're using a little bit of art. Like, a little bit of like, is this in the strike zone?

[Cam Fordham]

Is it not?

[Jason Tartek]

You've seen a million campaigns. A million. You've seen some flop. You've seen some, like, just blow the hell up.

[Cam Fordham]

Right.

[Jason Tartek]

Let's say there's a small business owner right now listening to this, or there's a influencer creator who wants to grow. What advice would you give them based on the success you've seen other people do? Effectively?

[Cam Fordham]

I'd say not all are going to work out.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah, it's true.

[Cam Fordham]

And it's okay. It's all about learning and understanding why it didn't work out. But also, are your goals too high, or have you set the bar at a level up here where it needs to be right here? You know, you got to be honest with yourself. So it all depends. But I. I'd say it's like any entrepreneur, you know, Always learn. It's okay if something doesn't go right.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

You know, you can turn it around. There's always tomorrow. Just keep perfecting and working at your craft and. And keeping your team energized.

[Jason Tartek]

Just keep hammering. Now, one thing I gotta ask is, you're always with someone that I'm like, damn, canceled. That person. Damn people that I'm like, that is pretty cool. How do you build relationships? And then even we'll talk a little bit about some of the businesses you invest in, you own. But how do you build relationships and get into business with people who are, like, the most highly demanded humans in the world? Like a. Like. Like a Morgan Wallen or an Alex or some of these people? How do you build these relationships? What's your secrets? What's your trading secret?

[Cam Fordham]

I have a knack for. For relationship building, and that's kind of my strong suit. And always want to do right by these guys.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

Or girls.

[Jason Tartek]

I think that's a good point there, too, is like, do right by people and don't be intimidated. Like, they're just people. Like, yes, they're put on this platform all the time, but they're just people. All right. Get engaged. I don't know how much you can share. If you can share. We do talk finances on this podcast. There any type of numbers or anything connected to revenue or revenue growth or anything financially driven. You could tell us a little bit about the company.

[Cam Fordham]

What I can say is we have grown at least 25% year over year since we started.

[Jason Tartek]

Wow. Do you think that this space, like, the creator economy, the influencer economy, social media, if you had the crystal ball, do you think that type of growth is going to continue or do you think there's going to be massive disruption?

[Cam Fordham]

I think it is only growing.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

Like you said, with AI, you'll, you'll. That will start blending in.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

But you will always need a human element. I think brands will get smarter about the way they spend. I think it's very key and crucial when you do a lot of these talent deals to understand name and likeness, being able to boost content and put paid media behind it. And it's. I feel like content is going to be king and is going to keep going.

[Jason Tartek]

Okay. But that's a little secret sauce, like behind the scenes, like what brands can do to differentiate when they're working with influencers. I always, I get this question a lot, and I know how I answer it. I'm curious how you answer it. People used to spend marketing money. Magazines, commercials, billboards. A lot of them now are spending it through digital. Like, with what you do. I always get the why. What's your answer? Why are they not spending it on there as much? Or billboards? Why are they spending it with companies like you?

[Cam Fordham]

So don't take this the wrong way, whoever's in that industry, sure, but when's the last time you went to the store and bought a magazine? But how often are you scrolling on your Instagram all day? And that's the new age. That's where people are. That's where our audience rests. Like, that's why brands are spending. Their billboards are still solid, radio spots are solid, people in their car. But, like, this is what people are doing all day. And what content are you going to get that stands out, that stops the scroll. That's why content's king.

[Jason Tartek]

Interesting. It makes sense. And I think when you think about the impressions, like, think about the. On the Perplexity campaign, you did 450 million impressions. How many people watch Super Bowl? 150 million. How are you gonna get 450 million impressions just from even watching the biggest event in the United States? So it's like the algorithm has set itself up so that people are going to continue to stay on their phones. They're going to interact with ads more. And when you compare it to that, there's just no competing in the space.

[Cam Fordham]

No question. And it's, it's a more effective spend, in my opinion. Most of the time. You know, we did a Super bowl digital spot. With a talent.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

With a brand. And I think, you know, for an average spot. Don't quote me. It was like three to six Million. Sure.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah. Somewhere around that. Right.

[Cam Fordham]

And you know, I think all in. We did this with a bigger impression count, you know, by 2x that a natural spot gets for like two, two and a half million.

[Jason Tartek]

Wow. So that's pretty crazy. Especially when you compare the efficiency and.

[Cam Fordham]

I get the splash of a Super bowl spot. I'm not hating on that at all. Like some brands like that's useful. Yeah, for sure. It's all about that. Bang. But I just impression wise and impact from what we saw in downloads and signups.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

I believe that what we did on digital had a better net effect.

[Jason Tartek]

When you're looking at brands, do you have certain industries that you're thinking about now that are behind on social media?

[Cam Fordham]

I think the airline space needs a little reinvention.

[Jason Tartek]

I think in hotels are like so behind on digital.

[Cam Fordham]

So we have Airbnb as a client. So I think they're ahead of the curve. But the traditional hotels aren't okay all the time. You know, some are, but I think the candy space could be cool.

[Jason Tartek]

I think that makes sense. Like finding industries that are like tired on social and just being like those are the industries that we can amplify and make the biggest difference.

[Cam Fordham]

No question.

[Jason Tartek]

Which, it's cool that you started with rappers and now do you find that there's one specific like niche of let's call it celebrity or public figures that have the strongest communities.

[Cam Fordham]

I don't think there's one that's the strongest. I think the music community, they have their, their ways and they have their people that get along. And actors and actresses, what I have seen is I believe creators do try to help each other out because that's what they do for a living. Yeah, that's how they make their money. You know, actors and actresses and athletes, they have a profession, right. Football is what they do every day or doing a movie is what an actor or an actress does every day. And the brand deals come secondly.

[Jason Tartek]

Sure.

[Cam Fordham]

So I feel like there's a little bit more collaboration and understanding around our world with creators.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah. Talk to me about this. What I think is really cool is get your hands in everything like you're in. Tonight we have an event. We're going to Craig's Nashville. Craig's la, of course, is the original Craigs, where like everyone's been. So we're going to that. And you have the realty. I think you have investment in the Texas Rangers major league pickleball team, Outlaw beer. So tell me a little bit about your investment arm and how you're Building equity in some of these companies and just what the companies are and talk to me about that for sure.

[Cam Fordham]

So naturally with our business, we have our ear to the streets. We understand what's coming up, what's relevant. We've been able to set up an investment arm of get Engaged that we can either deploy capital or we can do a combination of service exchange plus capital or however it works out. So that's been great. And then personally I've set that up as well. You know, launching capital into founder led brands that impact culture. So Craig's being one of them.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

Craig and I have been friends for a long time from la. I would take a lot of business meetings there. We naturally gathered a friendship and he's friends with everybody. I told you so I just felt a lot of passion around Craig's. I've closed a lot of business deals. I just have a lot of history there.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

So when Craig was talking about coming to Nashville, I was like, man, I would love to be a part. I would love to help bring some of my friends in to invest. You know, I invested personally. Okay. And I just felt like Nashville needed Craigs. Yeah. A family style comfort food atmosphere.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah, it makes sense. And then when you bring. It seems like you've done such a good job at putting kind of like the spider web or the puzzle together. Because when you bring investors into Craig's, I believe what you're also doing are bringing other celebrities and public figures you've worked with before and now you're providing value to them because they're going to get investment opportunity into this restaurant. But you're bringing a ton of value to Craig's because they're going to get the public appearance of these celebrities at the restaurant. Is that part of the strategy?

[Cam Fordham]

It's all about bringing in the right people that can help move the meter and at the end of the day care about the vision and you know, want to bring their community to Craig's. So, you know, I, I bring people only opportunities that I invest in or I feel good about. I'm very strategic and smart about what I bring people. Like for example, real tea with Morgan Wallen.

[Jason Tartek]

That's great by the way.

[Cam Fordham]

And outlaw.

[Jason Tartek]

Really good. It's like low sugar too, right? Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

So it's low sugar, no calories, no carbs. It was, you know, few years back, I just texted Morgan because he hadn't really done a lot of brand deals at the time. I was just asking him if he liked tea. He grew up liking tea. You know, his grandma Made it, et cetera. So it made sense to pair him with real tea. And he's been an excellent ambassador with us. We're gonna have a big 26. That company's rolling. We have awesome operators with Bloeden and Lee Feuerstein. And, you know, the same for Outlaw Beer. You know, there. After the Bud Light stuff came out.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

There wasn't a light beer that was America's Next that people could relate to. So we decided to do Outlaw Beer. We brought in Hardy and Co Wetz, and they're outlaws to the core. So it just made a lot of perfect sense. And it's been fun, man. It's like a puzzle piece on the investment side.

[Jason Tartek]

And so it seems like you're finding these gaps like. Like real tea, like tea drinkers, typically. It's like super high sugar, and it's terrible for you. So you're finding gaps of like, okay, Morgan, you like tea? Let's make a healthy tea. Or like a beer. Beer company. Like the. The. There was a marketing collapse. Right. So let's go find an opportunity for a marketing opportunity. Is that a lot of your strategy when you're creating these brands?

[Cam Fordham]

Exactly. We look at tired spaces.

[Jason Tartek]

Tired spaces.

[Cam Fordham]

How can what we do best into a tired space?

[Jason Tartek]

We talk a lot about the show, early stage investing, and a lot of. You take a lot of hits. You try to get a couple singles, one grand slam, you're gonna have a lot of strikeouts. Have you had your grand Slam yet? Within other than, of course, get engaged this grand Slam. Sure. But if you had one with an investment into one of these businesses yet.

[Cam Fordham]

So I've had Owen that. That sold and. And made some money from that, but I don't think we've had our grand slam yet. I feel like over the next two, three years, with some of these brands that we put money into will be. Will be happy campers.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

But, man, I'm excited about everything. You know, I try to deploy capital, like I said, if I feel really passionate about the brand. And I like to be an active investor, I don't like to just put money in and. And throw up the peace sign.

[Jason Tartek]

Like. Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

I want to connect them to different people and make sure my money's working for itself.

[Jason Tartek]

Makes sense. I love it. What is the hardest challenge that you're dealing with currently in your industry and marketing and digital and working with brands and also some of the biggest public figures. What's the hardest challenge you got?

[Cam Fordham]

I think at the end of the day, social media is constantly changing.

[Jason Tartek]

Constantly.

[Cam Fordham]

It really is. There's a new algorithm weekly, there's this, there's that. So I think really understanding where everything's going. Being a student of the game, we hire a lot of young people because young people naturally are into social media. They're on it, they're in the weeds. So, you know, I've, I credit a lot of what we do to our leadership. We have very strong leadership that is, that has been with us for, for a good amount of time. And we're constantly evolving. Yeah.

[Jason Tartek]

Of all the platforms right now, so there's Obviously Snapchat, there's YouTube, there's Instagram, tick tock. People are using LinkedIn now. Where are you seeing the most success with your dollar spent?

[Cam Fordham]

Instagram is, is probably number one interesting still. Even with the TikTok, I think so TikTok's probably second.

[Jason Tartek]

Okay.

[Cam Fordham]

But every, every platform is useful for the audience that it speaks to. But what I've seen lately, you know, for our business and recruiting and the whole nine yards. LinkedIn is a phenomenal platform that we're really starting to get more involved in. I'm getting involved with it personally. Our company is as well. There's a lot of things you can open up on on LinkedIn.

[Jason Tartek]

It's great. We just had Remy Bader just came on and she said, I don't respond to anybody's DMs, but if you DM me on LinkedIn, you will always get a response. So I also think accessibility to people, it's easier on LinkedIn, I think, than some of the other areas. And then my other question for you is people are doing their annual reviews, so a lot of people go to their boss to ask for a raise. You guys got 125 people that report up there. You got a lot of people asking you for raises. So what would you give to give a training secret or someone? What is a good tip that an employee could come to the boss and ask for a raise? What are things they should do? Give them some advice. Sure.

[Cam Fordham]

I mean, we have a rating system within our company that we look at, but if you want to raise within our company, I'd say a presentation on why, you know, what were your wins over the year? Where did you struggle? What resources do you need to make your life and your job more efficient? So just be proactive with it.

[David]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

You know, we're fair guys at the end of the day and we'll make that decision. But I'm always, you know, a person that says advocate for yourself.

[Jason Tartek]

I like it. Come Prepare with a presentation, think about the value add and put it all on the table.

[Cam Fordham]

Right.

[Jason Tartek]

If you had to talk to. I want to go back in time. You're sitting here 20, 25, 100 plus employees, companies blowing up. You got investments all over. You're working with some of the biggest public figures out there. Back in. You go over to yourself in 2016 and you would say, don't do this. Like this is what you did in the last nine years. There's one learning lesson you would give that kid that started the business. 2016, don't do this. What would the answer to that be?

[Cam Fordham]

I don't think there's a scenario that truthfully sticks out. I think I would just tell myself it's gonna be okay. Keep believing in yourself. Stay tight with your team, keep learning, keep adapting, and, and you'll be a happy camper. I love it.

[Jason Tartek]

All right, let's do a little rapid fire here.

[Cam Fordham]

Come on.

[Jason Tartek]

What is the biggest dollar amount you've seen a brand spend on an influencer?

[Cam Fordham]

There's one talent.

[Jason Tartek]

Yep.

[Cam Fordham]

That I've seen probably 15 million.

[Jason Tartek]

15 million or deal for an influencer? Deal. Holy.

[Cam Fordham]

Is a actress.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah, of course. Yeah, yeah. Obviously at that level. But damn. All right, there you go. And obviously that includes some kind of social media component of all the public figures and influencers, by the way.

[Cam Fordham]

Some of this AI space. Astronomical numbers going around.

[Jason Tartek]

What do you tell me more?

[Cam Fordham]

I mean, yeah, 15, 20, but these are year long deals as far as.

[Jason Tartek]

How much they're spending on marketing, advertising for.

[Cam Fordham]

For one talent. I mean, not all, but like they have their pillar talents. The one to three talents that they have that are doing out of home and commercials and marketing. But these dollars are significant.

[Jason Tartek]

I was in rapid fire mode. The AI is taking me outside of rapid fire.

[Cam Fordham]

I know, Keep going.

[Jason Tartek]

Because I. Well, I do have a quick question on AI. There's a lot of, A lot of discussion. If you read the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, New York Post, whatever you read, there's a lot of discussions now about AI and the direction it's going. Like it's taking off. And then there are some investors right now that are calling it an AI bubble.

[Cam Fordham]

Sure.

[Jason Tartek]

Remember the movie the Short? He that specific investor. Right. He just shorted a lot of AI companies. What's your take on where AI is going?

[Cam Fordham]

I think it's. It's real.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

It's coming.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

The advancements are from where it was five years ago to where it is now are astronomical. I mean, I think it keeps going now, you'll always need a human element, in my opinion. Is it going to make some things easier to hire for than others? Sure. But there's nothing like this.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah, I agree with that. All right, we're back to rapid fire. So of all the talent that you've worked with, you've done a ton of deals with some big talent. Who is the most creative person that you've worked with?

[Cam Fordham]

Most creative? I'd probably say Drew Ski.

[Jason Tartek]

Drew Ski?

[Cam Fordham]

Yeah.

[Jason Tartek]

Okay. Well, the next one was going to be who's the funniest? So you can't say Drew Ski. Who's the funniest person you've ever worked with?

[Cam Fordham]

It's got to be Theo Vaughan.

[Jason Tartek]

Like, in person. Is he as funny as. As you would expect?

[Cam Fordham]

Absolutely. He is what he is.

[Jason Tartek]

I remember we were at one event. Here's one thing I was blown away by theobon. We were at an event for raising canes.

[Cam Fordham]

Right.

[Jason Tartek]

And there's a lot of people that have done a lot of successful things in this room.

[Cam Fordham]

Room.

[Jason Tartek]

He went up to every single person and shook their hand and introduced himself. Every single person. I watched it like, I was. I was. I was blown away.

[Cam Fordham]

He's a great dude.

[Jason Tartek]

He really great dude. Okay, so we got the funniest. We got the most creative. We saw the biggest deal that you've ever done. This is a personal question. What is one thing you spend too much money on? You know, you spend too much money on, and you're not going to change it unless you go broke.

[Cam Fordham]

I'd say flights. Flights.

[Jason Tartek]

All right.

[Cam Fordham]

I would say flights. We talk it honestly, though, like. Like, close, Maybe this year.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

But I feel like close is an investment. I feel like you need to look decent.

[David]

Yeah.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

So I'm not sure. I'm not really a heavy spender. I'm going to spend on things like I'm building a house right now, but it's going to be a really good investment. I got in at a good time when I bought my lot.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

And day one, when I moved in, it's. It should be a 3.4X. So, like, sweet, you know? Yeah. I just. I. I feel passionate about spending in areas that will net a good return.

[Jason Tartek]

I like it. That's a businessman if I've ever heard one. All right. Get engaged. Everything's changing. You said everything's changing. That's the only constant in this space. Where do you go from. You have an investment arm, you got a personal investment arm, and then you have get engaged. Where do you go with the business? From here, what do you expect? Well, like if we look at get engaged in 10 years from now, what do you think it looks like? What's the dream?

[Cam Fordham]

So every day is different when you ask me that question. Yeah, but I would say we're growing towards more of a brand incubator.

[Jason Tartek]

Okay.

[Cam Fordham]

Yeah. So we want to really start to, to get involved with brands from the ground up from the conception stage. We want to help raise the capital. We want to, you know, be a part of the whole marketing arm and decision. We want to bring in badass operators that we know and scale brands and tired categories. I think that's where we're moving towards.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah.

[Cam Fordham]

Working on our own ip.

[Jason Tartek]

Right. Because once you do that and you hit one of these grand slam. Totally. It's done.

[Cam Fordham]

You get it.

[Jason Tartek]

Do you have a dream of when you want to be retired by.

[Cam Fordham]

I feel like I always need to be doing something so I don't think I'll ever like truly retire, but do I want to slow down and, and start working towards more charity components and different things? I'd say by 45, 50.

[Jason Tartek]

I love it. And do you have a number in your head of like this is my dream to make this much on an annual basis or for my company to be worth this much one day?

[Cam Fordham]

I don't because I just have so much fun with the process. It's like a puzzle piece to me. Making money and financial is, is awesome. Like don't get me wrong, it gives you a lot of freedom. And when it comes to salary or what I've taken dividend wise, like I've already met those expectations from when I was 18, looking at myself.

[Jason Tartek]

When you're 18, what were those expectations?

[Cam Fordham]

You know, you wanted to make a certain seven figure a year, you know, but at the end of the day, if I can look out for a team and I can help people and make an impact on, on what I like doing every day when I wake up, that's all that matters.

[Jason Tartek]

That's pretty cool. Growing a team, growing a business, growing your investment, personal growth, the business growth, it's all happening. It's pretty cool to watch it. We've had the pleasure of working with get engaged now. We've talked about super bowl, we've talked two sex.

[Cam Fordham]

Can I brag on you real quick?

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah, I'll take it.

[Cam Fordham]

I will say, I know you've said a lot of awesome things about me and so appreciative but, but I want you to look at yourself as well. The fact that you've started an Agency. You have this podcast. What are y' all on? Episode four or 500?

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah, we're up there. We're up there.

[Cam Fordham]

You have this team. Like, that's no easy feat, bro. So you. You're. You're in it. Like, I appreciate that, and I. I just wanted to congratulate you. And you can look in the mirror tonight saying you're doing some special stuff.

[Jason Tartek]

We're doing that. All right. I appreciate that. That means a lot coming for you. Let's end with this. Like, what's your Super Bowl? What's your Grammy? You look at your trophy case. What's that one thing? You're like, like, damn, I can't believe we did that.

[Cam Fordham]

As crazy it sounds, I don't think we've had that moment just yet. I think we've had a lot of amazing wins, but I think the best is. Is yet to come. You know, we haven't won a Cam Lions yet. I think, you know, that's. That's a goal of ours that we'd like to strive for, and I think we're close. I think we were in the running. I think we're in the top three last year for one category. So that's something. There's other different awards and metrics we look at, but at the end of the day, you know, I just get excited about the process.

[Jason Tartek]

I think to. To get to where you've gotten, you have to be excited about the process, and you can't keep looking into all different directions. You have to, like, stay in the weeds.

[Cam Fordham]

Right?

[Jason Tartek]

And that's how, from 2016, you got a company with 125 plus employees. So you haven't hit your Grammy yet because you're in the operations. You're grinding. You're building this business. 100 plus employees. So then I think one of the questions we got to wrap with is how do you decompress? How do you just, like, live a life that's not. Not always in the weeds? I'm kind of asking for myself here too, but give me some tips.

[Cam Fordham]

I feel like this year I've really focused on mental health. It's hard to travel around all the time, beyond this plane in this time zone. So I focus on my body a lot. I cold tub. I. I sauna. I steam. You know, I'll walk. I'll. I'll take some breaths. But I've really learned and. And studied a lot of this biohacking.

[Jason Tartek]

Oh, wow.

[Cam Fordham]

So I have a doctor that. That I go to, and. And I take some peptides and I'm actually going to his facility in San Diego and I'm gonna do this blood filtering where they take out all the toxins and heavy metals and parasites in your system, and they filter out all the blood in your body and replenish it.

[Jason Tartek]

Wow.

[Cam Fordham]

And they do stem cells as well, so it's insane. This doctor, his name's David Perez, has been able to do with clients that I know and friends that have gone to him. Yeah, I mean, he. He literally can turn your body clock back years.

[Jason Tartek]

Is it? I think I've heard of this guy. He's kind of focused on like anti aging. Right.

[Cam Fordham]

Anti aging, but really looking at, you know, autoimmune deficiencies. Heavy metals, parasites. Like I said, like, he's. He's ahead of his time. So I'm actually going for eight days. So you start in San Diego. Okay. And you go to Tijuana for four days because the blood filtering is FDA approved over in Mexico, but not here.

[Jason Tartek]

You get nervous for that?

[Cam Fordham]

Not really because I've done my research and my study. I've Talked to probably 10 people that have been to his facility and gotten an incredible net effect. So we'll see.

[Jason Tartek]

Once you do that, we'll have to have your back out. But we gotta get your trading secrets. So a little bit that we can't learn from a professor. We can. Can't learn from a tick tock tutorial because they're all out there only through your experience. What's a trading secret you could leave us with?

[Cam Fordham]

I think at the end of the day, what. What I do best is relate to people and the relationships I've been able to build. You always deliver for people. You say what you're gonna do, you do it, and you know, it's. It's them before you. You know, you're. You don't really ask a lot. I'm not a big asker of things. Yeah. You know, I'll ask you when I think it's meaningful for both parties, but I just like to bring value to people and build relationships, connect people, help them. Yeah.

[Jason Tartek]

And I think it feels like in your relationship aspect, you're always figuring out, how do I bring value to this person? And inherently, you know, you get what you give and it'll come back to you one way or another. So that's the training secret I've learned from you. Cam, we got to get to Craig's. You got an opening tonight, so we gotta go party and have a couple drinks. Can't wait. So then we can try and detox with biohacking. Where can everyone find everything you have going on your handles, all your businesses? Tell me a little bit about it.

[Cam Fordham]

So get Engaged Media is the marketing company, you know, getengaged media.com or @getengaged on Instagram and then at Cam Fordham for my personal for Instagram and I dabble on LinkedIn a little bit. So if you want to go to.

[Jason Tartek]

LinkedIn, same thing, go to LinkedIn, message them. That's how you'll get a job there. Cam, thank you so much for being on this episode. Sharing secrets, man.

[Cam Fordham]

Thanks for having me. That was awesome.

[Jason Tartek]

Ding, ding, ding. We are closing in the bell to the Cam Fordham episode. Also, we're gonna have to touch a little bit on Blake and G. It's a double recap here on on Thursdays. Trust me when I tell you there are changes coming to Trading Secrets. This is one of them. But wait till March, wait till April. New social media, 30 Minute Thursdays, more to come on that. But we have a two for this week and why don't we start David with Cam before we do, please go give us five stars. Let us know your biggest takeaway because we always have something to give away. And David, I gotta give away a signed book from the Situation. Wow. So what'd you. You'd love that episode, right?

[David]

Loved. Everyone. Everyone that knows me knows I loved it. Shout out to Kevin Bowie who said I sounded a little nasally in part two. Recap. Sorry Kevin. I've been, I, I got two kids. I've been going a million miles an hour. It's the middle of the hockey season. But other than that, I love, I, I'm here for it. I showed up for it. Mike the Situation. He's the man.

[Jason Tartek]

He's the man. Well, Jenny R. You are gonna win a signed copied book from the mic. The Situation. Great response you gave us here and feedback. Thoroughly enjoyed both episodes. It's truly inspired hearing his story and how he lives every day to help people. A lot of people aren't able to get up to help they to get the help they truly need and he is giving those a chance. I can't wait to read the book. I'm a big time reader. Wow. And I know I will not be able to put it down. That's a perfect person for to win this. So Jenny R, shoot us an email. Trading secrets jasontar.com Everyone else give us five stars. I got more stuff to give away next week. I will also tell you we are hiring an executive assistant, a social media manager, a script Writer, producer, video editor. So if you are any of those, send your resume to trading secrets. JasonTardic.com David, let's first start with Cam. What'd you think?

[David]

Cam? He sounds like he's a little bit of the. Of a titan in your industry. Is that. Would that be a good way of describing him?

[Jason Tartek]

Him? I would call him a swinger man. Like, he just swings like the ever. Like the day I met him and things I've seen about him. He's with, like, the Kardashians. He's with. Doing something with Morgan Wallen. He's like. He's with the biggest players doing the biggest things. He's very, very, very close with Todd Graves. Runs Raising Canes marketing. And he's young. He's like 34. He's just a hitter.

[David]

When did you meet him?

[Jason Tartek]

The first time I met him, I actually remember way back when I was landing in Worth Campbell's private jet, his dad's jet. And as we were landing, he's like, hey, there's a guy in Nashville you gotta meet. His name's Cam. He's a big player in the. In the influencer agency space. I was like, really? Never. Never heard of him. It's like, you gotta meet him. We land, and as we land in that same airport, he is going on a private jet shooting content with like four country stars. I'm like, what?

[David]

What year?

[Jason Tartek]

I was. I couldn't believe. Believe it. I was like, what? I was like, okay, I gotta meet this guy.

[David]

What year was that?

[Jason Tartek]

I'm gonna guess this was around 2022.

[David]

Okay, so 16, he starts. You go on the show on 18. Covet hits. You start the talent agency. So kind of right around you starting the talent agency, you're meeting this guy.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah, right? No, no, because I started the agency. Yeah. 2020. I met. I probably met him. That was the first time I saw him. I didn't really meet him.

[David]

Okay.

[Jason Tartek]

Probably met him in person in 2023 or 2024. Yeah, I don't remember the first time, but the first time I like, did work with him was in 2023.

[David]

So I. I say that because I'm trying to get a scale of rewired and the. The business that you do compared to the business that he does is he is on the food Chain. Where is he? Where is rewired? Are you moving up there?

[Jason Tartek]

Great question. So I think this is actually a really, really good question. What they do really well, from my understanding is they are a marketing agency, a digital agency that is working by Representing brands. Okay, so brands pay them a retainer, brands give them a fee. And they say, come, make my marketing dreams come to life. Majority of the work we do is talent representation. So we are actually representing the talent, not the brands. But oftentimes we do represent brands, but their main business is representing Subway, you know, raising canes, these big Fresca, big, big brands that ideal. And then they have to go out and get the impressions for the brands, get the talent, right? So oftentimes we are working as partners, right? Like I have one agent that works extremely close with his company and has done, you know, 20 plus deals with his company where they're representing the brand, we negotiate with them, we get them the talent, we work with our talent, we place our talent, have them do it. And that makes sense.

[David]

It makes perfect sense. An ally in the industry, right?

[Jason Tartek]

I mean, this guy in the industry. And if you think about the like. So some of the curiosity is like, well, how is he? And I asked all these questions, how are you getting in touch with the Morgan wallet? Right? Some of the most highlight, how are you becoming best buddies with him and then doing a business deal with him? He is partnering when he's. First of all, he's good at relationship management. Let's not discount that. That's incredible what he does. But when you partner with a brand, one of the strategies is you get their budget and their backing to get the access 100%. And then so you go to someone with a bit like, I'm just making it up. But if Nike gives you a million bucks and you call someone say, I got a Nike deal. A million bucks. You earn that right from Nike. Nike hired you, which means you're badass. Now you have credibility to go to the big stars. You go to them with a 5 million dollar deal. Now their agents want to know who the hell you are. The competing agents want to know who the hell you are. And now all the people in that space are like, that's my guy. And he's done it so well, it's beautiful. And he's killing it.

[David]

That's a great place to be in life where you can go to these people, have the access and then be like, hey, I'm Cam. I also can get you $5 million. Are you interested? It's like, hey, Cam, I like you already. And now I want to hear what comes out of your mouth. And then he said in his trading secret, he goes, it's all about relationship building. It's delivering and not asking. And so he does it. He Shows up, he delivers. He doesn't ask for anything in return. The client gets what he wants. He goes up on his day, and they're like, okay, I want to do more with that guy. He was a man of his word. He delivered. He showed up, and you could tell, you know, starting 2016. I loved what he said. He goes, I was doing a lot of favors. So this guy got there by doing it the right way, doing a lot of favors, not asking for a lot in return. Building, you know, day by day, deal by deal, client by client, doing right by people, doing right by people. And it got him to where he is today. That's what I. My biggest takeaway and how inspiring his story was, was doing favors. His trading secret was delivering, not asking for anything, building on relationships. It's really. You know, when you break it down, it's like, pretty simple. Pretty simple equation there. And he's. He's. He's mastered it.

[Jason Tartek]

And, man, tell me, have we not heard this a lot?

[David]

Yeah.

[Jason Tartek]

Like, have we not heard this idea of build the wall? The. The walls that come up when you want to work with someone are instantly shattered when you're like, hey, just give me a shot. Let me do a trial, right? So, like, you think about the opportunities you want out there or the doors that you can open or the potential income you might have where people might come out swinging from the gate, oh, I need to this. I need this, or I need this. Think about the opportunity that can be created if you just break those walls down by being like, hey, let me work. I'll work for free for two weeks. Let's see how it goes, right? Like, let me. You know, those are the things that we have heard on this podcast over and over and over and over. And now, if you think about it, look at what Raising Cane said, right? Todd Graves has been on this podcast. Go listen. That episode, when I've talked to Cam about it, Cam will be like, todd is the marketing channel genius. He's the engine. But, you know, we've been there, right by his side, really helping out. And look at Raising Canes. Who. What company? Quick qsr, Right? What. What qsr? Quick Service Restaurant. I know that was on your to do list. Raising Cane's gets the pop culture relevancy that Raising Cane's does. I mean, they sell chicken tenders and fries, and they are at every single event. They'll have the hottest party at super bowl this weekend. Every single F1, wherever it is. The best people, the kindest people, the biggest, biggest players. I Mean, and it's chicken tenders and fries. It's unbelievable.

[David]

At the end of the day, camp's killing it. Qsr. You answered it. KPI, cpi, Nil. He answered all of it. You answered all of it. He talked about how he owns the night of the Super Bowl, 12 to 5am I already told you, next year's Super bowl, my 40th birthday. We're going. Now we have something to do. So I'm already making my agenda for the super bowl next year. We're going to an own the night party on Cam, you know, for cam for the 40th birthday. So I'm. I'm learning.

[Jason Tartek]

Just inviting yourself.

[David]

Yeah, that's how it works.

[Jason Tartek]

Right? I gotta. I mean, I should probably. I'm going to leave him for the Super.

[David]

Yeah.

[Jason Tartek]

And then a little bit tomorrow, I should probably call Cam, be like, hey, Cam, can you get me into one of your parties?

[David]

Doing favors as you talk about, you know, delivering, not asking. I guess that's a little bit of an asking, but.

[Jason Tartek]

Well, we're delivering the podcast right before a Super Bowl. How about that?

[David]

Pumping his tires.

[Jason Tartek]

And we're. We're pumping his tires. I would say we're delivering pretty good.

[David]

I would say we're delivering great.

[Jason Tartek]

I'll also say this, like, a lot of what we're talking about here is the agency space a little bit. And in our Jason Tells all episode, which is coming, I'm getting a lot of DMS of people being like, oh, you're bagging out on it, all this stuff. No, no, no, it's coming. I think we're going to try and film it just so everyone knows. The week of February 17th, Dave is going to come down to Nashville. That's our goal. But a lot of the, you know, I talk about the dollars, right? And last year was a good year. And I'm going to talk about that. And I want to talk more about the technical mechanics of it, because I think there are some people in my space that I tell them, you know, what I was able to do and how I was able to do it. And there's. Some of them are surprised, like, wow, how'd you. How'd you pull that off? And there's a lot of. I want to get into some of that is the hobby, because there's a lot of things that other agencies aren't doing that we are doing. And I have the best people in the country that are representing me, and that's what's a big differentiator. So that's one Thing I want to get in. Then there's other people that are very surprised. Like, how did you. Like, like. I like, like, they're not surprised at all. Right. They're like, oh, I think next year you'll double or whatever. So I really want to get into the why of the numbers in jta, if that's good.

[David]

Yeah, I mean, you can request it. We'll see if I deliver it.

[Jason Tartek]

But, yeah, you're the one that gets interviewed. It's just a request. Request.

[David]

I. I'm good with trading a couple secrets on Trading Secrets jta. I think that's what it's all about.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah. Speaking of trading secrets. Yeah. If we transitioned anything else on Cam before we wrap? No, absolute.

[David]

I mean, I.

[Jason Tartek]

Main marketing maniac.

[David]

He's killing it, as he said about a couple things in his industry. He could talk forever about it because he's so passionate about that. I took that from him. I. I got that feeling out of him. I could talk a lot about how he inspired me and the success that he's had and. And I thought it was a great episode. So shout out to. Shout out to. I'm going to say my boy Cam.

[Jason Tartek]

Because your boy Cam, he's the man. If you guys don't know, go follow him. Cam Fordham. And then if you're interested in ever working with him, my God, would he be a good mentor to have? So I would. I'd recommend you to shoot your shot. I'm sure he'd be open to those conversations the same way other people were open to him when he was given a shot. Transitioning Blake and G. Yeah, that was. That was wild episode. I mean, right after the episode, G was like, I feel like a naked mole rat. Like, we literally hit everything and anything.

[David]

Well, the beauty about Blake and G is when you come on a Trading Secrets the third time, you don't get a recap because you deserve the entire stage. You're the appetizer, the main course in the dessert. And I thought that they're real quick, though.

[Jason Tartek]

Let me interrupt you. I don't think it's fair. Yes. They've come on three times. They've come in. They've come on twice. Twice in the hot seat.

[David]

Yeah.

[Jason Tartek]

So. So, like that we had them on where there was six couples. We're in Disneyland. We're working with Disneyland in collaboration. That was, you know, fluffy little how to do. But in 20, 23, three years ago, they came on and sat down these chairs. We're in a three year later sneak peek.

[David]

Blake did two before that solo.

[Cam Fordham]

I.

[David]

Believe he might 4G came out.

[Jason Tartek]

Yeah. Like, in 2021.

[David]

He talked to. I know at least once he talked about his DJing career. I think that was the first time that he came on. It was one of our best episodes we've ever done, obviously, Shout out Blake. So, yeah, they're crushing it. I mean, they're like, I saw one of their posts the other day being like, can't believe we're two people who had bad luck on dating shows. And it was just like a slideshow of, like, them being the happiest, most in love couple. And like, I adore how they are with Heath and how they travel together and what a unit they are and how they share their lives together, and they're just awesome. And they're busy and they're up and coming and they're. You know, we will keep having them on every year because they keep have new cool to talk about and they're just, you know, they're, I would say, like OG Mount Rushmore hall of fame guests that we have. You're never going to have a bad episode with them.

[Jason Tartek]

And I mean, just their openness. I mean, talking about, yeah, you know, your goal was to break over a million dollars. Did you break over a million dollars? She sure did. What Was your best CLG up? 200,000 last year as a commercial. Tell me about another good opportunity. Oh, and. And just two packages of doing, you know, mom, mom influencing. I made $300,000. This is how I made it. This is why I did that brand. That's why I lined with the brand. Like, how much was the ring? Talk about the rent. Like, I mean, how much was. How much did you pay for your health care? Like, they're so open. Which re. How does love and money impact your relationship? Oh, we were actually in therapy about that, talking about the seat. So, like, there's so many takeaways from that episode, and I think it's just like, transparency is the way to get things done when you're in a relationship and you're dealing with money and you want to learn about these things.

[David]

She's so bold. It's kind of like her whole brand, though. Like, it was her whole blend on love is blind. It. It is just who she is. She's fiery. She's up front and shout out to Blake for not just handling it, but, like, embracing it, loving it, it. Complimenting his life, complimenting her life. Like, they are. They're great, man. I. I could listen to them all day and. And hear their Stories and, and follow their journey with them and excited to see what's next for them, excited to see if their family grows excited for, for all that. So, you know, that's, they're, they're just the best.

[Jason Tartek]

So gotta love it. I got, we have Amanda Batula coming on the podcast. We have. Have Jesse Solomon coming on the podcast. We have Taylor and Clark from Love island coming on the podcast. We have. I'm working on Carl Radke. We have Corporate bro. We're locking in Vivian too. Your rich BFF is coming on corporate. Natalie is coming back on at the end of March. So we got a lot. Hillary Musser is coming on. Very fascinating episode coming up here soon. We got a lot of action here, a lot of interviews, a lot of good stuff happening. And we're thinking in March about implementing something called the 30 Minute Thursdays. Is that it? Right.

[David]

Listen, if you're enjoying David and Jason on a Thursday night, then I hope you get used to it because 30 minute Thursdays, they could be coming fast and furious.

[Jason Tartek]

No guests.

[David]

No guests.

[Jason Tartek]

Potential call ins, potential Q&As, potential listeners coming on the show, covering maybe what's, what's going on in the world, maybe pop culture, maybe our personal lives. You know, just, just 30 minute Thursdays, getting in the weeds.

[David]

Listen, when we were in college, Thursdays were the start of the weekend. Thursdays were the day where we made it through and we can just look forward to the weekend. We could catch up, talk about lives, build excitement, talk about the week that was, that is what 30 Minute Thursdays is going to be all about. Two guys who made it through another week catching up, talk about all things trading secrets, pop culture, business and life. Looking forward to the weekend, sending each other and you guys off to, you know, really just come along with our journey. I just made that promo up. That was elite. That was electric. I love that.

[Jason Tartek]

He's ripping, he's gripping. We'll have also, if we do this, probably try it out for a month, see how it goes. We'll do video, we'll have clips up on Social. We'll probably have a couple cocktails while we do spice it up a little bit. You know, we do a lot of business talk here and yeah, I think, I think that's, I think that's it. You know, there's been a lot. I mean, just think about the last two weeks. You know, Nashville, Nashville, Mayhem, Ice storm. Drove to Miami, did a fresh event. We had tinks there. A lot of mayhem, some interesting drama, some great drama. I was great.

[David]

See, this is what, this is what.

[Jason Tartek]

We need, we talk about. Then we went to, you know, Delray, we went to Tyler Cameron's event. We had Rachel Kono there. I saw Maria was there, Fran from Chicks in the Office, bunch of girl with no job and boy with no job. Ben, Claudia got to see that. I mean, there's just so much to talk about. So I think there's a. And there's, there's finance stuff going on. There's different policy changes happening in the economy that we got to talk about. There's so much to talk about that I can't talk about when I have a guest on. But we're going to keep the guests, they're not leaving, they're staying.

[David]

Keep the guests, give the guests their shine. Anything that needs to be highlighted in a recap type thing, we'll highlight it in the 30 minute Thursday. We're opening up the window a little bit. We're expanding our horizons. But JTA, we're really going to break it down a JTA, we're going to tell you guys 30 minute Thursdays exactly how it's going to look, its function, sound, its feel, what you guys can expect from it. You know, we're trying to grow, trying to evolve here. So I'm looking forward to that.

[Jason Tartek]

And if we're bringing that to the podcast, we'll be bringing that to social. So like the Grammys are on, we'll be posting, we'll be ripping all the things with Grammys and money, super bowl on all the stuff. So there's going to be a lot of action. Trig Secrets podcast will be your go to source for a lot of these things. Money, pop culture and what is happening. That's all I got though. David, I think Cam is the man. Hopefully I'll see him this weekend. Blake and G, another top charting business episode and entrepreneurship episode that's out there. David, you got anything for a wrap?

[David]

No, I'm just. It's been nice. I needed this little reset, this little quiet time on the mic. Life is a hurricane. Life is a blender. And it's nice to get the Thursdays. I like this.

[Jason Tartek]

Give me one word. How you feeling?

[David]

Perplexed.

[Jason Tartek]

Okay. Yeah, there it is. We'll end on Perplexed. Thank you for tuning into another episode of Trading Secrets, one you can't afford to miss.

[David]

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[Jason Tartek]

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