Mercato Partners Portfolio Adtech Company, MNTN, Acquires Ryan Reynolds' Creative Agency

SALT LAKE CITY, June 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercato Partners Traverse Fund company MNTN (pronounced 'mountain') today announced the acquisition of Maximum Effort Marketing, Ryan Reynolds' and George Dewey's creative advertising hot shop. The deal brings together the fastest growing company in adtech with one of the rising stars of the creative world.

"We are thrilled to see the cutting-edge integration of creative and media that the MNTN and Maximum Effort Marketing combination represents," said Joe Kaiser, director at Mercato Partners Traverse Fund and MNTN board member. "MNTN has developed an incredibly accessible and powerful platform for companies of all sizes that taps into the exploding connected TV marketplace. Maximum Effort Marketing's signature content creates bonds for brands with this new generation of connected viewers, perfectly complementing the MNTN platform."

"I genuinely love marketing and I have been gobsmacked by how much fun it has been and how fast we have grown," said Ryan Reynolds, actor, producer and co-founder of MNTN. "We wanted a future for our marketing arm that ensured we could continue to move fast, have fun and do really rewarding work. I was blown away by the simplicity and speed of MNTN's technology and how it opens up access to TV for advertisers who can't afford upfront agreements. I believe the combination of our companies will create a 1+1 equals 3 situation, assuming my math checks out. It was never my strong suit."

Maximum Effort Marketing will retain its identity and will continue to operate as a creative agency within MNTN. Ryan Reynolds will become Chief Creative Officer of MNTN and George Dewey will become Chief Brand Officer and continue in his current role of President of Maximum Effort. Maximum Effort Productions is not part of the transaction and will continue to operate as a standalone company.

"The explosion of the Connected TV presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring creative and media back together," said Mark Douglas, CEO of MNTN. "Creative is the center of the advertising industry and I've always thought it odd to have creative and media walled off from each other. Maximum Effort's work speaks for itself and having spent a lot of time with Ryan, I know I've found a partner who likes to move fast and take big swings."

ABOUT MNTN
MNTN builds advertising software for brands to drive measurable conversions, revenue, site visits and more through the power of television. MNTN Performance TV is the world's first and only Connected TV advertising platform optimized for direct-response marketing goals. It redefines what advertisers can do with television, giving them the power to tie performance directly to their TV campaigns. For more information, please visit https://mountain.com/.

ABOUT MAXIMUM EFFORT
Maximum Effort makes movies, tv series, content, ads, and cocktails for the personal amusement of Hollywood Star Ryan Reynolds. We occasionally release them to the general public. For information, please visit https://www.maximumeffort.com/. 

ABOUT MERCATO PARTNERS
Mercato Partners is a multi-strategy investment firm that specializes in overlooked and underserved markets. As the growth fund at Mercato Partners, Traverse leverages the breadth of its team's investing and entrepreneurial experience in targeted geographies to provide both capital and operational guidance for rapidly scaling companies in the technology and branded consumer segments. For more than a decade, Mercato Partners has found, funded and collaborated with high-growth companies to help them achieve transformative growth and long-term value for our investors. For more information, please visit www.traverse.mercatopartners.com.

SOURCE Mercato Partners