Amanda Solomon has left her role as chief executive officer at British Columbia-based digital influencer management firm X1 Talent to join Ontario-based digital and social talent agency Viral Nation as its new director of partnerships – talent. In her new role, Solomon will use her experience in the gaming and esports space to create new opportunities for the company as well as spearhead sales and partnerships efforts.
Solomon began her journey with Tyrus Talent Services in August of 2020 as director of sales and influencer marketing, but by March of 2021 she was elevated to the role of CEO. During that time she helped build the company’s sales, marketing, and talent management staff (from two to 20+ employees), overhauled its internal practices, grew its represented stable of influencers and content creator talent, and secured deals with clients such as Netflix, Cartoon Network, Tencent, Epic Games, Bud Light, Gucci, Dollar Shave Club, and more to triple revenue.
She also oversaw the acquisition of Tyrus by X1 Esports (owners of UK-based esports organization RixGG) in July of 2022 for $273K USD ($350K CAD in cash and shares: in July 2022, $1 CAD = $0.78 USD, according to OFX.com), which would later be merged into the entity we now know as X1 Talent.
She joins Viral Nation as it enjoys a period of growth, thanks to some big funding last year. Viral Nation secured an initial funding round of $195M (CAD $250M) in April of 2022, led by Eldridge, with participation from Maverix Private Equity. The company has already used some of those funds to fuel a number of acquisitions in 2022 including content production company Eight Seven Media and influencer analytics firm MediaKits. No doubt Solomon will be helping to some degree in consolidating and streamlining these businesses so they function in the Viral Nation ecosystem.