Cam Fordham - Co-Founder of Get Engaged

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Welcome back to the Casey Adams Show. Today we are joined by my good friend Cam Fordham, the CEO of Get Engaged. Thanks so much for coming on.

Cam, Casey, thanks for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.

Of course. So we are here at the Blue Wire studios at the Wynn Hotel. I appreciate Blue Wire Studios for sure. It's gorgeous. But for those that may not know what Get Engaged is, I'd love for you to give a high level of what it is that you do.

Absolutely. And thanks for asking. So Get Engaged High Level is a digital first marketing agency. We specialize in brand music and in talent. And so we do content creation, social media and influencer marketing.

Very cool. And I know you guys, I'll start here. I know you guys recently opened up a incredible office in Nashville. Would love to have you dive into that because I know, I read the article and first off, congrats on that. But you know, it's so cool because, you know, I live in LA from Virginia, I have family in Tennessee. And to know that, you know, some awesome startups and companies are being built in Nashville. Super cool to hear. So we'd love to have you dive into that for sure.

Yeah. Tennessee is, I mean, Nashville as a whole is a town that is absolutely exploding. It's. In the past three years, it's almost doubled in population, I believe. You know, during the pandemic, I was, I was living in LA and you know, just with everything that was going on, it just, it became kind of stale. You know, it's very strict with mass mandates, which is understandable. And, you know, not a lot of people wanted to meet up. Everyone was outside the office. And I was just trying to think to myself, you know, how can, you know, I help expand, get Engaged in different audiences, different Niches, et cetera. So I visited Nashville. I had friends down there, had a blast when I went down. You know, the country music scene is very prevalent and country music is even shifting more towards mainstream and there's just a lot of potential. The, the talent there is very brandable, very brand safe. I just, a lot of people from LA are moving there and I just believe in Nashville and where it's going and you know, the, the tax advantages don't hurt as well.

I love that. Yeah, for sure. So I'd love to dive into it. I know we've been connected for a while, but we haven't like, you know, had a one on one combo. So I'm super stoked to dive in. What led you to starting get engaged and when did you officially start the company?

Sure. So we started in 2016. It was my business partner Ben and myself. And then a year or so later, Alex Dermer came on as well. We're all considered co founders and we, we were helping a lot of artists in Atlanta and it's probably primarily in the hip hop community. We're helping them with social, with, you know, doing touring and helping them monetize their presence. And it just expanded. Like, you know, we would, we would do something for an artist and they would say, hey, can you do this? Can you do that? So we take, took a step back and said, how do we create an agency model out of this? So, you know, from the Waka flockas to the TI's, who we, who we were working with, it just, it expanded from there and we're glad it did.

It's so cool, man. And you guys do such a great job. I've seen what you guys have done. It's super cool to see when it comes to the music side of things, like what is most important when working with and developing an artist today. Because I know, you know, firsthand, it's, it's changed so much since 2016, I'm sure from the social strategies. Like where do you guys primarily spend your time when working with artists specifically?

Yeah, a lot of the time is spent on just, you know, with their everyday social presence. And they're artists first, that's what they're good at. They can, you know, go in the studio, record a song, they can make their appearances. But some of them are really, you know, good at social media, but, you know, and some aren't. And we just, we help them expand their footprint. You know, how do we, how do we help them monetize, how do we help them expand on their Brand to their audience. How do we connect them with brands and opportunities there? How do we help them with touring and content creation, et cetera? There's so many facets of it that we work with them with. It's really just. It's no one size fits all model. It's really. We try to find a niche and where we can help and expand. Stand on it.

I love that. So I'd love to take a step back and dive into, you know, like, where you, where are you from? Family growing up? Like, what did that look like in your life?

Yeah, so I grew up, mom and dad in the house. We grew up. I grew up in Johns Creek, Georgia, which just was considered Duluth growing up, but it incorporated into its own city now. So it's about 35 minutes north of Atlanta city. So Georgia was me. I went to lsu, played football there out of college and then ended up transferring to NC State and finishing up there.

Got it. What. What position in football?

So I, I went in.

I didn't realize how tall you are. I was like, oh, God.

I thought I went in as a tight end and I left as a center.

Okay. Yeah. Very cool.

So put a little, put a little weight on in college.

Yeah. Yeah. Did you grow up playing football?

I did, I did. Football was my number one love. You know, when you're, when you're a kid growing up or, or for me, I always thought I had potential to go play pro football and like, that was the dream. But, um, you know, sometimes take a different path in life and, you know, different things work for, for different reasons. And. Yeah, I'm glad, I'm glad it didn't. Yeah. Because I, I feel like there's more potential for me in business and, and that's what's. What's currently transpiring.

I love that. I, I can relate. Not from a college perspective, but I played hockey for 10 years growing up in Virginia, Travel all up and down the East Coast. I actually had. There was a tournament in, in Georgia. I was younger, which is cool. But then I played lacrosse. And then sophomore year of high school, that's when I got injured. Neck brace for six months. And that dream sort of died right there on the spot. But on a positive note, like, for you, it's like going to college and, you know, you talk about having that dream of going pro. I think a lot of people, whether that's pro sports or business or whatever it may be, everyone has goals and sometimes it's okay to, to pivot and to change gears for you. Like when did that moment happen?

Right.

Like you're going to college, I'm sure with the intent to go play pro or see, you know, what happens there. Like, what was that transitional period in your life post college into business.

Sure. So in college, you know, there's a lot of politics when it comes to college football. So I, Yeah, I signed with lsu. The day, the day after I signed, my coach leaves to another program. So I get there, I have a different coach, coach. And it's, it's, it's. They like to, to honor and play their recruits that they recruited, which is. I get it. And then I transferred to NC State. Wonderful coaching staff with Tom o' Brien and you know, they get fired after a year of me being there and a new coach comes in. So I just, I kind of got a little burnt out on it. It was a lot. Sometimes you can't control your own destiny.

Yeah.

When it comes to college sports, which, which is fine. But I think the switch came my, my junior year in college and I had started a sports website.

Okay.

And we were local, Southeastern, primarily college news and lifestyle. We did a lot of on camera interviews. So I would, I was like you when I was young. Like, I would reach out to people. I had no business reaching out to them. I would try to like, you know, chase them down, down to see if we can get an interview with them. And you know, we ended up doing a lot of on camera interviews with talent. And I just, I just saw, I saw potential in business. I just, I felt like I had a knack for it. I wasn't, I didn't have all the answers at first, but I felt like I could figure it out.

Yeah.

And my, my father is an inspiration to me. He, he is an entrepreneur himself. He has his own business. He's, he's been very successful within, within his, with his expertise and work. And you know, I just, I relied on him because at the end of the day, he, he played college football himself.

Oh, wow.

And he had a back injury which took him out of the game. So he just always stressed to me there's more to life than sports. Yeah. I don't want this to be a total sports conversation, but like, it's just, I'm glad my path is going where it is.

I love that. I'd love to dive into how you guys work with creators. I love, I get engaged because as you know, my company media kits were very heavily creator first and you know, the creator economy has changed and grown and evolved so much over these last four or five Years that I've been involved in it, especially the last year and a half since we launched media kits. But when it comes to creators like influencer marketing, how do you guys look at the landscape on where it currently is and how are you guys capitaliz, capitalizing on it for talent?

Sure. So the, primarily the brands will come to us and identify their targets and what they're going after. We'll help them as well understand how, how the digital footprint and the influencer world works. But we'll, you know, once we identify with the brands, the brands are more of our clients, the record labels are our clients. And through that process we've accompanied a lot of influencer relationships, etc. So they back to expand on what you were saying.

Yeah, just like how, where do you see the current landscape in terms of the opportunity for influencers and how are you guys capitalizing on that for your talent?

Yeah, I think influencers are more important than ever right now. I think that it's all about how you do it. You got to be very targeted and specific and you can't just throw something at the wall and expect it to stick. You got to understand the region they're from, the age group they're in, you know, what makes them tick, how do they identify with the brand, do they really care about the brand, et cetera, and engagement rates. I mean, everything's constantly changing within the industry when it comes to influencers. But we found a lot of success in just licensing content. So an influencer will create content and will license that and put paid, et cetera, behind it. And there's different tactics that we use for brands that, that were, that are evolving. And I mean, the influencer spend from, you know, at the start of quarantine to where it is now is just exponential. You know, a lot of these companies were stripping billboards and radio spots and putting them into digital because these are what, these are the kind of people that people look up to and want to know what they're doing and follow them for them.

Yep. So no, I, I did that for sure. When it comes to your day to day, where do you spend your time and what really, you know, makes you tick and fuels you?

So my day consists of a lot of zooms, for sure. So talking to clients, you know, pitching different celebrities, influencers, management companies, record labels on, you know, different opportunities, you know, at hand. I think a lot of this, we're opening, we opened up the national office like we talked about, but a lot of energy has been focused there and, and just really at this point of our company, just how we're scaling and putting together the blueprint on, it's different when you have 15 to 20 employees. Now you have, we have 80 employees or just around 80. And it's just, there's a lot of nuances with it. It's focusing on, you know, more of the back end, you know.

Yeah.

Pr, HR and just making sure pretty much everything's running smoothly. I have really good business partners that help every step of the way. And it's honestly been key to have a good team.

Absolutely. Are you guys planning on having all 80 people in house? In office?

So we always used to think in house is the way to go because you can collab and people can, you know, bounce ideas off each other, which is all. It's, it's very true. It's great. But during quarantine and with zoom and the way that all transpired, you can work outside of the office and it doesn't matter where you are. If you get the job done, you get the job done. So we have a lot of people in house, but we have people spread out the country and we have people that, that aren't in the office. And it's just about figuring out workflow and understanding how you work best.

Yeah, absolutely. What's been the growth trajectory in terms of getting to 80 people when it comes to last year team and how you guys have grown from there and then also the forward looking.

Yeah, it's just, we're playing it day by day. I mean, we understand within our financial model how we need to hire people, know what makes sense when it comes to, to, you know, growth. We, to be honest, we're, we don't have all the answers. We're, we're figuring out as it goes. You know, this is our fir, this is our first company together that we've really grown from scratch. If I, I had the sports website before, but this is an actual agency company, so yeah, we've relied heavily on good, good mentors, you know, good counsel, etc. And we're just really just paying attention and soaking it up and learning as much as we can.

I love that I can say, and I relate to you in terms of you, you have a vast network. You're, you know, we have a lot of mutual friends. But when it comes to networking and how that has moved the needle in your life when it comes to people, how have you gone about building a network and how has it impacted your life and your business overall?

I think networking is key. It's very Very important to have the relationships it's about. At the end of the day, I want to provide value to people. I want to help people as much as possible. I have good intentions and a good heart and I think that's just allowed people to gravitate like you. You're young, you're a good guy.

Thank you.

You, you connect people, you help people. It's just, it's just natural synergy.

Yep.

So.

Absolutely. Because I know too, like from a music side, you know, Will and the guys at Taylor Gang, they've been super cool to us immediate kids. And it's so cool because like, and I'd love to like dive into a story if you have one that comes to mind. Like when I talk about Will and Wiz and Taylor Gang, you know, I, I first interviewed Ludy Boy, which is like a part of Taylor Gang, that I ended up interviewing Will and then when we were initially raising our precede round for media kids, Will invested and then was performed at our launch party last August. And I always like to like connecting the dots, looking back because that's how I can identify and you know, match up with like someone who I meet today. You never know what it will lead to. Right. So I'd love to ask you, and I love storytelling, if there's a story or a person in your life that has been a mentor figure that has, you know, come about in a very unique way or has led to more over time. Yeah.

I think first of all, Will and, and Taylor Gang, they're unbelievable. I love them. Like from Wiz to Nate, Will.

Yeah. Great people shout out to shout out Taylor Gang.

I'm sure you have a lot of stories with them, which, which is great. But I think that person in my life, you know, as of recent, has been more of the Gaio series and the G Robersons that have helped our company. You know, they're, they're just guys that, that see us as young entrepreneurs that are, that are hungry and, and really just gave us a chance and guidance and are just helping us through the fold because, you know, people like Guy is, I mean, from what he's done with Madonna and U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and, and translated that into what he's doing now with, with Ashton and the investment world. It's. There's more to music than, than just, you know, everyday management and that whole, whole nine yards. But G as well, I mean, GS managed the biggest artists in the world from Kanye to Nicki Minaj, Drake, Lil Wayne, but he's catapulted into all these different investments and ventures. And I think that's the biggest thing that we've learned is, you know, we're a service based company, which is awesome. It's great. But, but how can we translate our skills and our marketing efforts into some of these companies that are, you know, in their, their seed rounds and are in series B, series C? And how can we help them propel and, and, and get to the next round of funding and, and, and have ownership? And that's. Yeah, that's, it's, this is all a platform, but, but ownership is the next level. And that's what I've really learned over the, is the importance of that.

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's super on point. Like when you're working with these brands, it's like getting a piece of the pie and actually having a, you know, a motive outside of the payments when it comes to helping them grow 100%.

It's a, it's a long term approach for sure. Always the most comfortable. Yeah, but if you look at it and you're surrounded by, you know, good people that give you good advice and companies you really believe in, I think it's something that, that you put inside your model if you're an agency.

Yeah, I love that it shows how you guys are thinking about it in the way that I think, you know, a lot of people that may have agencies out there should think about it in terms of ownership. When it comes to team, you know, what are some core philosophies and pillars that you guys live and breathe when it comes to the organization and the culture?

Sure. We just, we try to have people hold each other accountable. That's the biggest thing. We try to provide a, a good work environment. We care about our people, we want everybody to win. But at the end of the day, you got to hold each other accountable because we have a goal, we have jobs and we, and we line those up. At the beginning of each year we have our leadership and all of us mark out their goals for the year. And at the end of the year we go back and say how did we restructure and how do we complete those goals? Or if we didn't, it's okay. But what do we do next year to make it better? And I think that's been a big part of it. And you know, we have really good leadership in our company, which I'm very proud of. We're a very diverse company, which is I believe in wholeheartedly. And you know, having good leadership allows Others to excel and grow. And if you show that growth path for people, people want to stay, people want to be a part and like totally experience the wins.

Yeah, I love that. In terms of just like leadership and what it means, I'd love to ask you, you know, like, what does leadership mean to you and what makes a good leader great?

I think a leadership means to me is, is helping people achieve to their fullest and get the most out of them. I don't think there's a, there's, there's many definitions to being a good leader, but if you, if you hold each other accountable every day and, and get the most out of, out of everyone and set goals for each other, I think that's what, what makes a good leader. I also think there's, there's a few different leadership qualities. There's the rah rah, rah in your face or there's, you know, you got to teach.

Yep.

But if people aren't grasping after you're, after you're teaching, then you need to figure out what's going on. But I believe in more of don't blow up. Help people understand. Because the whole blow up stuff nowadays doesn't work as much.

Yeah, totally.

People don't want to hear it anymore in my opinion. But, but yeah, very cool.

When it comes to, you know, traveling. I know you said you come out to LA twice a month. What does your travel schedule look like? And you know, when it comes to having co founders and partners, how do you guys delegate responsibility? Because I think, you know, I'm, I've learned this a lot just with my partner Kieran the past year and you know, I'm always learning about better ways to delegate and how we cover our own grounds. But we'd love to hear how you guys think about that.

For sure. We divide and conquer as partners. We all do things differently. We all do things well. We sometimes don't do things as well, but we balance each other out and we're cohesive. In going back to leadership, you got to have good leadership because us three as partners are very hands on and we think we can. We've, we've been there since the start and we've done everything like Ben used to run our books and you know, Alex helps with, you know, the lawyer process and you know, we help with it with HR in the beginning and just I think we've learned that like, you know, you want to have that hands on approach, but as you scale, you can't as much. You got to really rely on good Leadership.

Absolutely. I love that. When it comes to how you guys think about the future of the agency and also just like digital marketing, you guys are at the forefront of that. What have you noticed, you know, over the years when it comes to the change of where you guys are thinking about digital, obviously with platforms like TikTok or Clubhouse, like how are you guys tapping into these new platforms and where do you see it going?

For sure, I, I don't, I don't know where it's going. You know, it's, it's something new each day. But I'll tell you what, as soon as TikTok was, was prevalent and everybody started to get to know, we, we dove in, we've, we've dove into NFTs, we've doven into Clubhouse, especially over quarantine. I got a lot of knowledge and met a lot of people on there. It was, it was great. Such a good tool. But we're always trying to think ahead. I think we're at the expense of different platforms and algorithms. But I'll tell you what, we're studying the game and we're constantly trying to improve there and we always send articles around to all of our team members. We have newsletters within our, our company, just talking and there's an email that goes out every week that talks about new trends, what people are doing in the industry. So I think if you have the full scale knowledge of, of, of the industry as a whole, it's very key.

Absolutely. I'd love to dive into how you guys think about NFTs because I had Blau on the podcast here. He was sitting in that chair back in October and we were talking about his company Royal, like digital, you know, ownership for musicians and their fans. How do you guys think about that in terms of NFTs for musicians, for influencers or just overall?

I think it's the next wave. I mean we're in between an era of digital 2.0 and 3.0, where I feel like we're at 2.5 right now.

Where.

It'S here, it's coming. I believe in NFTs. There's some really big power players in the space right now that we're trying to align ourselves with. And I'm fully supportive. I'm trying to learn every day about it, you know, watching YouTube videos, reading articles, understanding what's going on. But we're involved with different projects, helping to market it or we've invested and it's coming, like I said, for sure.

It's, it's very real, totally I love that. And I think like staying on top of trends is not only a, a massive advantage but it's, it's what makes the magic happen. Right. Because everyone likes to follow the trendsetters and whether that's something that fizzles out, you know, eventually sooner or later you're going to be early to one that actually hits. When it comes to just like day to day life outside of business. Where do you spend your time and what are some things that motivate you that you're passionate about that you, you know, try to spend time doing? Sure.

So I like to travel first of all. I love to stay on my feet and understand different cultures. Tennessee has allowed me to really get outdoors and start golfing and playing pickleball.

And I. Pickleball, I've heard that word three times today.

Yeah. It's actually the, the. I think it's the fastest growing sport in the US No.

Oh my God. My, you know, my business partner Kieran, he would love to hear that. He's, he's playing pickleball a couple times a week right now.

It is so fun. So I joined a, a club in Nashville called the Troubadour and they have six pickleball courts.

Oh my God.

It's, it's like an adult playground. But I like, I like to, to play those two games right now. Like I said travel and yeah. It's just the golf thing is, is, it's tough but wow. Is it, is it fun? Especially having a good group of people out there and for sure a lot of like minded people especially. It's, it's, it's, it definitely can control some time.

100. No, I, I try to go like once a month golfing but I, I haven't been in a couple months. I'm, I may end up going this weekend but I, I've been, I've been since I was like 8 years old. My grandpa put me on and it's been something I was, tried to do a lot of but for sure, slowly but surely it's, you know, it's hard to keep up unless you have like a group you're going with consistently.

No doubt. And it's a great place to, to bring someone because you get three hours of their time.

Yeah.

Where they don't look at their phone as much.

Yeah.

And you can just like let the guard down and, and be yourself. So that's why I like so much about it.

Very cool. When it comes to music, I know you are not only in the music space but I know you're out here in Vegas, there's country music awards, all these different things. Has music always been something that you've wanted to, like, be in the business of, or did that just come about naturally over time?

Yeah, I think music's been a very big part of my life. I. I'm a music fan. I love, you know, hip hop, country, 80s rock. I'm kind of genre agnostic, but I like the. I like connecting sports and, and. And music. I think every athlete wants to be a musician. Every musician wants to be an athlete. It just coincides and. I don't know, man. I just. Music as a whole is just having a. Being a part of it just. It's like. It's fun.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

No, I love that. I don't know who told me this, but it's like every athlete wants to be either a musician or they want to be friends with the musicians. That's why they all get along so well. Right? It's like top performers in other verticals. It's. It's very serendipitous that they all come together. And I'm sure that you've, you know, you work with athletes and musicians because it's so natural to, you know, the industry. A couple more questions before we wrap up. When it comes to, like, your vision and beliefs as a founder, what are some lessons that you've learned over the years from mentors in your life, whether that's guy or whomever it may be that you've instilled into your business today that are like pillars to how you think about business and building an organization?

I think at the end of the day, just if you like, I like what I do, and if you like what you do, it doesn't feel like work. And I just, I just wholeheartedly believe in that, that I bring it. I bring it every day just because I have fun doing it. And that's the biggest thing of what those kind of people would say to me is put your all in it, because why not build something? Build something with purpose. That's been my main driving force. It's fun to create a team and work towards goals and help people achieve. Marketing, for example, is. Is you're just telling someone's story and helping amplify what they're trying to portray. And it's all like a puzzle to me. It all fits together and it's just. I don't know, I'm just. I love we're at. As a company, but I feel like there's much more and every day I get up. Just what else can I do to add to the team and to help us go to where we want to be?

I love that for sure. When it comes to, like, the similarities of sports and the mindset you have in business, do you have any, like, overlapping skill sets or, you know, like the mindset that you've taken from sports that you utilize in business? Because I, I can say as an athlete myself, not at the college level, but I, I always talk about that in conversation because it's something that I've noticed very apparent.

So I, I had a quote by a coach back in college that says, you'll, you get up one more time, that you can be knocked down and there's going to be curveballs every day that are thrown at you in business, but you just got to get up and keep going and brush it off. It's always the next play. You have a bad, but you have a bad play in football, don't focus on it, because that's going to affect the rest of the game. Move on to the next play and keep it going. You have a vision and you have, you have goals in mind. Focus on it. Keep rolling.

Yeah, I love that. Last question before we wrap up, Cam. If you were to give yourself advice to your younger self, whether that's just personal advice, business advice, whatever, what would that advice be and why?

I would tell myself that it's a good question. Never really thought about that. I would tell myself that, you know, it's not always, it's not always so serious. Have fun with it. Roll with the moment and enjoy it. You know, at first, and I am, but at first, you know, I took everything so seriously and literal, and it wasn't having, I was just trying to figure it all out. Wasn't having as much fun with it, even though I love what I do and I'm very blessed. But, you know, just, just take it in and, and, and ride, because at the end of the day, this is a blessing in what we're doing.

Love that.

Yeah.

Very cool. Well, before we wrap up, I want to, you know, let you say to all the viewers or watchers, where's the best place that everyone can follow you? They can learn more about get engaged and just follow you along your journey Overall.

Sure. So GettingGage's Instagram handle is at Getengaged. Mine is at Cam Fordham. Those are the primary spots that we, we interact with content on.

Yep.

And yeah, we're, I, I, I love, you know, doing these kind of things with people like yourself, because every time. It. It allows me a chance to. To tell our story, tell my story. And, you know, so that's. That's been a goal of mine this year, is to really try to get out there and explain a little bit more about what we do. So I appreciate the opportunity, of course.

I have to get you connected with some cool people I know and to get on their shows for sure.

Vice versa, man. You let me know. Anything I can help you with. I really. I really enjoy your. Your work ethic and what you're doing, and it's very inspiring because you're still. You're how old? 19?

21.

21.

I wish I could still say that.

Yeah. Hey, you're 21 for sure. Keep. Keep it going. Keep killing it. You got a fan in me.

I appreciate that, Cam. Well, for everyone watching or listening, thank you so much for tuning into today's show. And of course, thank you, Cam. And thank you, Blue Wire Studios, for having us. And I will talk to you guys soon.

Monarch Legacy of Monsters An Apple Original Series the world is on fire. I decided to do something about it. On 11-7-17. This place. It's not ours. Believe me, the most massive event of the year arrives. If you come with me, you'll know everything. I promise. Monarch Legacy of monsters streaming November 17th only on Apple TV. Plus.