News

Transaction underscores the strategic importance of scaled media capabilities as MSQ expands its U.S. offering and competes for larger client relationships

PALAZZO served as exclusive financial advisor to January Digital, a leading media and strategy agency, on its acquisition by MSQ, a portfolio company of One Equity Partners. The transaction significantly expands MSQ’s U.S. media capabilities, adding a scaled media platform to complement the group’s growing creative, digital experience, technology and data offerings. The combination strengthens MSQ’s ability to compete for larger, more integrated client relationships in the U.S. while further expanding its global media presence.

Founded in 2011 by CEO Vic Drabicky, January Digital has established itself as a leading independent media and strategy agency with offices in New York and Dallas. The agency works across retail, beauty, CPG and grocery and partners with leading brands including Supergoop!, Steve Madden, Interstate Batteries and Amika. While January Digital has historically maintained a strong position in retail, the business has meaningfully diversified its client base over time, with retail clients representing approximately 70% of the portfolio today compared with nearly all clients five years ago.

The partnership with MSQ provides January Digital with access to a broader set of complementary capabilities and resources while allowing the agency to maintain its brand, culture and existing leadership team. For January Digital, the transaction was centered on finding a strategic partner that could broaden its offering and help the agency compete for larger client relationships. “For us, it was about finding a partner who could fill any of the gaps in our services,” said Drabicky.

MSQ has been actively expanding its presence and capabilities in the U.S., with recent acquisitions including New York-based Big Spaceship and Atlanta-based digital agency Arke, which was subsequently rebranded as MSQ DX. The group also owns agencies including Elmwood, 26PMX and Forge. Earlier this year, MSQ launched MSQ Intelligence, a global unit focused on developing AI-powered products, services, platforms and data capabilities that can be deployed across its agencies and client relationships.

“Recent acquisitions in the US have increased our presence and strength in creative and tech,” said Peter Reid, Group CEO of MSQ. Reid noted that January Digital adds meaningful media capabilities for MSQ’s U.S. clients and agencies while also strengthening the group’s broader global media offering. January Digital will work closely with MSQ North America President Aaron Lang to identify cross-agency opportunities in the U.S. and with the broader MSQ Media team to expand global media efforts and bring combined expertise to client pitches.

January Digital represents what MSQ described as a “tentpole acquisition” within its U.S. expansion strategy. Prior to the transaction, MSQ had an established media offering but a more limited U.S. presence in the category. The addition of January Digital provides greater scale and a broader base of media expertise alongside MSQ’s investments in creative and technology, positioning the combined platform to pursue larger clients and compete more directly with global agency holding companies.

MSQ today employs approximately 2,000 people globally, including roughly 500 in the U.S., with operations across 25 global offices. In addition to its agency businesses, the group has specialist capabilities spanning production, sports and entertainment and sustainability consulting, and works with global brands including Diageo, Unilever, The Coca-Cola Company, Chase and Mars. The addition of January Digital further advances MSQ’s strategy of building an integrated platform across media, creative, technology and data with the scale and breadth to support increasingly complex client needs.

New agency unites complementary expertise across entertainment and gaming to help brands build obsessed audiences

PALAZZO served as exclusive financial advisor to Saylor, a social-first creative agency focused on entertainment brands, in its combination with Mutiny, an integrated creative agency specializing in gaming, creating a differentiated agency platform built around fandom. The unified agency is backed by Shamrock Capital, a Los Angeles-based investment firm specializing in media, entertainment, communications and related sectors.

In this new model, Mutiny will become Saylor’s dedicated gaming division, alongside the agency’s creator and production studios FLEET and Elevado. Saylor and Mutiny are both fan-first agencies with proven expertise in entertainment and gaming and a shared mission to build brands that fans obsess over. The model harnesses their strengths as audience and category specialists, extending that fan-first strategic lens to help brands across categories turn attention into lasting fandom.

“Brand fandom has become a need-state, not a nice-to-have. We have the opportunity to build what we think of as an obsession engine for brands – an integrated creative company designed for brands that want actual fans, not just followers,” said Will Trowbridge, Founder & CEO of Saylor. “Shamrock immediately understood what makes Saylor special, and we’re grateful to have a partner that shares our ambition and is committed to helping us scale.”

“Gaming has always understood something that the wider brand world is increasingly waking up to, audiences don't want to simply be marketed to; they want to participate,” said Geordie Larratt-Smith, CEO of Mutiny. “Our player-first approach has given us a unique set of capabilities and an exceptional understanding of how to connect with players and their communities. Will and the Saylor team bring that same mindset to entertainment and culture, and we can’t wait to take it to the next level and expand the new model to brands and non-endemic industries.”

Following the transaction, Trowbridge will remain CEO of Saylor, overseeing the full family of specialist brands. Larratt-Smith will transition from CEO of Mutiny to Chief Commercial Officer of Saylor in addition to managing the Mutiny team.

Founded in 2021, Saylor has grown from a startup into one of the industry’s fastest-growing agencies, partnering with renowned brands including Hilton, Netflix, Disney, Paramount+, CarMax and Tubi. Operating at the intersection of culture, storytelling and strategy, Saylor combines audience insight and cultural fluency with entertainment-driven creative designed to earn attention. The launches of Elevado and FLEET reflect Saylor’s commitment to innovation and its drive to push its award-winning creative campaigns and storytelling into new territory.

Also founded in 2021, Mutiny is an integrated creative agency focused on gaming. It combines deep audience intelligence, creative thinking, strategy and proprietary data to help global publishers and brands connect authentically with players and gaming communities.

Shamrock acquired Mutiny through Shamrock Capital Clover Fund I, L.P. in February 2026 and is making an additional investment through the Fund to support the acquisition of Saylor and bring the two agencies together. The transaction advances Shamrock’s strategy of accelerating the company’s growth through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, while bringing together complementary creative capabilities across entertainment, gaming, and social.

“Mutiny brings deep expertise in gaming, Saylor in entertainment. Together they cover the two most engaged, highest-spending fandoms in culture with a combined capability set that offers brands a truly integrated solution no other agency can match,” said Sam Halls and Ryan Smiley, Partners at Shamrock Capital. “We’re excited to partner with Will, Geordie and their talented teams as they combine their strengths and build the next phase of the business.”

The combination provides the joint platform greater resources to invest in talent, expand its capabilities and pursue opportunities with brands beyond entertainment and gaming – particularly those looking to build deeper, more enduring relationships with their audiences.

Combination brings scaled Amazon and TikTok expertise into Power Digital’s growth platform, connecting DTC and marketplace performance through unified data and measurement

PALAZZO served as the exclusive financial advisor to Amazon marketplace agency pirawna and TikTok Shop agency uptickk on their sale to Power Digital, expanding Power Digital’s commerce capabilities and advancing its end-to-end commerce strategy.

The addition of pirawna and uptickk significantly accelerates Power Digital’s marketplace capabilities within Power’s unique AI-native model. pirawna brings more than a decade of Amazon marketplace expertise, managing more than $1 billion in Amazon revenue annually. uptickk brings deep TikTok Shop and affiliate management specialization and was one of four agencies selected by TikTok for its beta program. Together with Power Digital’s existing marketplace practice, the combined business establishes a best-in-class presence across Amazon and TikTok Shop, with plans to expand across additional marketplaces and further connect physical retail over time.

“Consumers don’t think about direct-to-consumer (DTC), Amazon and TikTok Shop as separate channels. They simply shop where and how they want,” said Jeff Mason, CEO of Power Digital. “Brands need a growth partner that can understand that entire journey and connect investment to business outcomes across it. pirawna and uptickk have built exceptional marketplace businesses because they understand these environments at a level few agencies do. Combining that specialization with Power Digital’s growth, data and measurement capabilities is a catalyst for reaching the end-to-end commerce vision we’ve been building toward.”

Power Digital’s AI-native ecosystem is designed to connect growth and measurement across DTC, online marketplaces and physical retail. The strategy responds to a fundamental shift in how consumers shop as discovery, consideration, and purchase continue to evolve toward a mix of social, online, and in-store. The marketing infrastructure behind that journey often remains fragmented across separate agencies, teams, and data sets, making it difficult for brands to understand how marketing investment translates to revenue across the full consumer journey.

The combination connects pirawna and uptickk’s marketplace specialization with Power Digital’s broader growth capabilities across paid media, organic search, creative, lifecycle marketing, PR, affiliate, and influencer marketing. The teams will also gain access to Power Digital’s AI-powered Omega operating system and fusepoint, its measurement and strategy consultancy, bringing together technology, data and measurement to create a more unified view of performance across DTC, online marketplaces and retail media.

For pirawna and uptickk clients, the partnership expands the capabilities available to their businesses while preserving the teams and marketplace expertise that have driven their growth. Existing Power Digital clients gain deeper Amazon and TikTok Shop expertise within the broader Power Digital platform.

“We’re super grateful for all the clients and friends that have helped us get to this historic inflection point. Nothing but gratitude for what’s got us here and stoked to continue crushing it for clients with our new friends at Power” said Jed Rawson, CEO of Pirawna/Uptickk.

uptickk President & Co-founder Audrey Espinosa also commented, “[Power Digital’s] data powerhouse along with uptickk's TikTok expertise will be a winning combination for clients.”

“The addition of pirawna and uptickk is about meeting consumers where they discover and shop, and together, we're now positioned to deliver on that for clients in a much bigger way.” said Britney Schroeder, SVP of M&A at Power Digital.

Three-time founder and veteran corporate development leader brings a buyer's-eye view to PALAZZO's sell-side clients in marketing services, e-commerce technology & services

PALAZZO is pleased to announce that Christian Hassold has joined the firm as Managing Director, further strengthening its leadership in the marketing services and technology services sectors.

Christian brings more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, operator and M&A executive. After building and successfully exiting companies, he spent nearly a decade leading strategy and M&A at software and digital marketing businesses including ChannelAdvisor (now Rithum), Salsify and Wpromote.

Most recently, Christian played a key role in several transactions across the commerce and digital marketing ecosystem, including Wpromote’s acquisition of Giant Spoon, CommerceIQ’s acquisition of e.Fundamentals, Salsify’s acquisition of Alkemics and ChannelAdvisor’s acquisition of HubLogix. He has also advised private equity firms on acquisition strategy across commerce, media and digital marketing.

That experience gives PALAZZO's clients a distinct edge. Christian has sat on every side of the table, as a founder selling, as a corporate development leader buying, and as an advisor to sponsors ranging from $3 to $90 billion AUM. He knows how strategic and financial buyers underwrite a deal, what earns a premium, and what derails a process late. He now puts that insight to work for sponsors and founders preparing to sell and navigating a process.

"After years on the buy side, I know what separates a good outcome from a great one, and it's usually decided long before the first buyer call," said Christian Hassold. "PALAZZO's sector focus is squarely in my lane, and Phil has built a team that shares my passion for bringing great businesses together. I'm thrilled to join and help drive the next phase of the firm's growth."

"Christian is a proven operator and dealmaker with exceptional depth in our core sectors," said Philip Palazzo, Founder and President of PALAZZO. "Founders who work with him get someone who has built companies, sold them and bought them. That perspective is rare, and it will make a real difference for our clients. We're excited to welcome him to the team."

Transaction highlights ongoing momentum in creator marketing and the increasing importance of this channel for global brands

PALAZZO served as financial advisor to GateMaker Community Marketing (“GateMaker”), a leading influencer marketing agency specializing in community management through paid, earned, and owned creator partnerships, on its acquisition by Residence, a global network of independent creative companies. The transaction expands Residence’s social and creator marketing capabilities, adding a scaled influencer marketing platform that helps brands drive engagement, cultural relevance, and measurable business outcomes through authentic creator relationships.

Founded in 2021, GateMaker was established by marketing industry veterans who recognized the growing influence of creators and communities in shaping brand perception and consumer behavior. The agency quickly emerged as a trusted partner to leading consumer brands, managing more than $20 million in creator contracts annually and delivering integrated influencer marketing programs across earned, paid, and owned channels. GateMaker serves a blue-chip client roster that includes Estée Lauder Companies, Glossier, LG, L'Occitane en Provence, NARS, Reebok, Starbucks, and other Fortune 500 brands. Female-founded, GateMaker runs a fully remote, 98% female team, demonstrating a model for intentional hiring in an environment where people can do the best work of their lives with the best brands in the world.

“GateMaker has built something rare in the creator and influencer economy: real relationships and the discipline to activate them at scale,” said Ryan Honey, CEO and Co-Founder of Residence. “What drew us was the founders’ conviction behind how they work and their proven results for their clients. That's exactly the kind of company Residence was built to support.”

The addition of GateMaker further enhances Residence’s growing portfolio of creative businesses and expands its capabilities across social media, content, and community-driven marketing. Residence operates as a network of independent creative companies, providing resources and shared services while preserving the entrepreneurial cultures, brands, and creative identities of its member agencies. The partnership enables GateMaker to continue operating independently while benefiting from Residence’s collaborative model and cross-company growth opportunities.

“It is remarkable what our team and clients have achieved in such a short amount of time,” said Ashton Wall, Co-Founder of GateMaker. “After meeting the other founders in Residence and hearing more about the collective vision, it was clear this was the perfect home to take GateMaker to the next level.”

Strategically, the transaction brings together GateMaker’s expertise in creator relationships and influencer activation with Residence’s broader creative, design, content, and social capabilities. Together with Residence portfolio companies such as OK COOL, BUCK, Giant Ant, ACRONYM, and others, GateMaker broadens the network’s ability to deliver end-toend social and cultural marketing solutions, from creative strategy and content development to influencer activation and community engagement.

Transaction creates a more focused and accountable model for luxury marketing, designed to link inspiration with measurable results

PALAZZO served as exclusive financial advisor to adMixt, a leading performance marketing agency known for its differentiated proprietary technology and expertise across Meta, Google, TikTok, and other digital platforms. The acquisition creates a powerful, integrated, luxury-focused marketing agency, bringing together proprietary audience data with bestin-class strategy, experiential, communications, media, and performance marketing capabilities.

Founded in 2012, adMixt helps clients drive growth and customer acquisition via industry-leading paid search, paid social, and performance creative solutions. The company is widely recognized for its strong client service, API integrations, and advanced analytics. adMixt is a trusted partner to premium lifestyle and luxury brands across fashion, beauty, home and design, travel and hospitality, and entertainment end-markets, including Éterne, Hunter Douglas, and Westman Atelier.

This strategic acquisition solidifies Interluxe Group as the premier luxury marketing agency. Together with adMixt, Interluxe Group delivers an end-to-end luxury-focused marketing solution, including strategy, creative, in-person experiences and activations, strategic communications, lifestyle media, and performance marketing, and maintains more than 200 team members across North America and Europe.

In addition, adMixt strengthens Interluxe Group’s Optima platform, a proprietary Affluent Intelligence engine uniting first-party data, audience intelligence, and strategic activation to connect brands with high-value consumers. The combined capabilities orchestrate a comprehensive system for reaching, engaging, and converting affluent audiences across earned, owned, and paid media channels as well as online and in-person.

“This acquisition is a natural evolution for Interluxe Group,” said Nick Van Sicklen, Founder and CEO of Interluxe Group. “Luxury marketers increasingly expect their partners to deliver both brand impact and measurable business outcomes. By combining adMixt’s performance marketing and optimization capabilities with Interluxe Group’s experiential, media, and first-party luxury audience data ecosystem, we are building a more modern, integrated, and accountable platform for luxury brands.”

“Joining Interluxe Group is an exciting next chapter for adMixt,” said Kevin Simonson, CEO of adMixt. “We have always been focused on helping clients solve their most complex challenges and delivering strong, measurable results through our deep performance marketing expertise, operational excellence, and proprietary technology. Partnering with Interluxe Group allows us to build on that foundation, expand our impact, and create even greater opportunities for our clients and team.”

Kevin Simonson joins Interluxe Group as President of Performance Marketing and Zach Greenberger, Founder of adMixt, joins as Chief Technology Officer.

PALAZZO is pleased to announce that Oliver Schweitzer has joined the firm as a Managing Director, further strengthening our leadership position within the marketing services and technology services sectors.

Oliver brings more than 25 years of experience across investment banking and operating roles, with deep expertise advising marketing agency and digital services businesses. He joins PALAZZO from GP Bullhound, where he served as Managing Director. Prior to that, Oliver was a Managing Director at AdMedia Partners, where he previously worked with Philip Palazzo. Over the course of his career, Oliver has closed more than 80 transactions across digital marketing and advertising, data and analytics, digital transformation, and strategic communications firms.

Throughout his career, Oliver has advised on numerous landmark transactions, including:

• The Bliss Group acquired by Highwire, a platform company of Shamrock Capital Partners, creating a leading B2B strategic communications agency.
• Investment in Klick Health – the world’s largest independent commercialization partner for life sciences – by GTCR.
• Melon acquired by DEPT to expand Salesforce Commerce Cloud solutions in the U.S. and LatAm.

Oliver’s addition reinforces PALAZZO’s continued momentum as one of the most active and preeminent investment banks serving the marketing and technology services sector. His longstanding relationships across the category and extensive transactional experience advising founders, entrepreneurs, and sponsor-backed businesses further enhance the firm’s ability to deliver exceptional outcomes for clients.

“PALAZZO has built an outstanding track record advising leading marketing and technology services firms through transformative transactions,” said Oliver. “The firm’s sector focus, senior-level engagement, and commitment to delivering exceptional results for clients deeply resonate with me. I am excited to join Phil and the team and contribute to the continued growth of the platform.”

Philip Palazzo, Founder and President of PALAZZO, added, “I am thrilled to be working with Oliver again and to welcome him to PALAZZO. He is a proven senior banker with an exceptional track record in our core sectors and has consistently demonstrated the ability to drive outstanding outcomes for founders and owners of marketing and technology services firms. Oliver’s experience and relationships will further strengthen our leadership position in the market.”

Please join us in welcoming Oliver to PALAZZO.

Strategic acquisition further strengthens integrated creative and digital growth capabilities across brand strategy, performance marketing, and Amazon marketplace execution

PALAZZO served as exclusive financial advisor to Socium Media, a performance marketing and digital growth agency, in its acquisition by Front Row Group, a full service e-commerce growth and Amazon marketplace agency. The transaction expands Front Row’s connected commerce platform by adding capabilities across paid media, search, social, and digital growth.  

Founded by Sam Sherman and Owen Loft, Socium has built a reputation for delivering performance-driven growth across paid search and shopping, paid social, SEO, and GEO. The agency supports brands across travel, wellness, and lifestyle, including Auberge, VINCE, Canopy, Magic Spoon, and OSEA, and is recognized for aligning brand strategy with measurable digital performance.

"Joining Front Row is an exciting next chapter for Socium," said Owen Loft, CoFounder of Socium. "We've always believed that the strongest results come from aligning performance marketing with brand strategy and creative execution. Front Row shares that belief, and together we're able to offer clients a more powerful, connected approach to growth."

The combined organization creates a powerhouse integrated agency that brings together Front Row's marketplace leadership, retail media expertise, brand strategy, and creative campaign development with Socium's performance marketing and digital growth capabilities across paid media, influencer, social, and retention. Together, the teams deliver a fully connected approach and cohesive execution across the full funnel — from awareness and demand generation to conversion on Amazon, D2C, and retail platforms, where off-platform media increasingly drives marketplace demand. Socium will initially operate as "Socium, Powered by Front Row," with full brand integration planned for later in 2026.

Deal reflects shift toward creator-led paid social, expanding New Engen’s capabilities for scalable, measurable creator content and whitelisted distribution.

PALAZZO served as the exclusive financial advisor to GrapevineAI, a creator-powered performance content network that helps brands produce authentic creator content and activate it at scale through whitelisted paid social campaigns.

The acquisition reflects a broader shift in paid social, as brands increasingly move budgets toward creator-produced content and whitelisted distribution, blurring the lines between creative, influencer, and media execution. With GrapevineAI, New Engen expands its creator-focused offering and addresses a key constraint in paid social: scalable, authentic creator content at volume.

“As media buying becomes increasingly automated, creative and audience access are emerging as the primary growth levers in paid social,” said Justin Hayashi, Chief Executive Officer at New Engen. “Creator-led content isn’t just a format shift—it’s becoming growth infrastructure. GrapevineAI strengthens our ability to help brands scale that infrastructure with measurable impact.”

GrapevineAI works with a curated roster of more than 700 performance-minded creators, provides strategic briefing and guidance aligned to business objectives, manages pre- and post-production and optimization in-house, and distributes creator-produced, advertorial-style content through creator and publisher whitelisting on paid social channels. This model enables brands to move beyond brand-handle-only advertising while maintaining strong CPA and ROAS. In addition to paid social, GrapevineAI supports brands with high-performing editorial, blog, and long-form creator content.

“This partnership gives GrapevineAI the scale and infrastructure to expand what we can offer brands while continuing to focus on creator-led performance,” said Caroline Levere, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of GrapevineAI. “New Engen and GrapevineAI already share clients like Arrae, Prose, and Rugiet, and this is a natural next step that allows us to accelerate our vision and deliver more creative, media, and measurement capabilities to our clients.”

This acquisition expands New Engen’s existing creator-focused performance capabilities within its broader full-funnel digital marketing offering, complementing its creative, influencer, media, and measurement capabilities. Donut Studios delivers high-volume creative from brand handles, GrapevineAI scales creator-produced content through whitelisted creator accounts, and New Engen’s influencer capability drives brand and retail partnerships.

Nick Shah, CEO of Artisan Ventures, co-founded GrapevineAI and will support GrapevineAI’s transition into the New Engen creator ecosystem. GrapevineAI was represented by PALAZZO in the transaction.

Transaction unites one of the industry’s largest full-service independent agencies and one of its hottest emerging creative shops

PALAZZO served as exclusive financial advisor to The Opinionated Group, an award-winning advertising and creative agency in its acquisition by Tombras. This transaction will enable Tombras to establish a meaningful West Coast presence, and accelerate their mission to become the world’s leading independent agency.

Founded in 2017, Opinionated has emerged as one of the industry’s most sought after agencies, winning business with clients including Panda Express and Shake Shack. The agency reported its strongest annual growth in 2024, and extended its growth trajectory amid an otherwise turbulent 2025. The acquisition provides Opinionated access to essential new capabilities across media, data, analytics and deeper social expertise— with Tombras being one of a few independents that offer both creative and media under one roof; handling nearly $1 billion in media business annually.

Mark Fitzloff the founder of Opinionated said, “The concept of independents merging was not on my radar. I hadn’t really heard of it happening, so I never considered it an option to pursue in the first place.” Reflecting on their shared values with Tombras, he added, “I think there’s an attitude of defiance and rebellion that comes with being in a quote, unquote Tier 2 or Tier 3 market, but creatively, it’s much more empowering, because you have perspectives from the fringes that are unique, true and authentic.” Opinionated’s 40-person team will continue to operate out of Portland, Oregon, as Opinionated, a Tombras Company, before transitioning to Tombras West. There are no leadership changes planned, with Mark Fitzloff and Partner and President Trish Adams remaining in their roles.

Tombras’ president Dooley Tombras categorized its latest deal as “the most significant move in [our] mission to become the world’s leading independent agency.” With the addition of Opinionated, Tombras’ headcount now totals nearly 600 employees worldwide. Outside the U.S., the agency has a growing presence in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with roughly 80 staffers in the area and a new office set to open in February.