Velocity Capital Management, a private equity firm focused on sports, media, and entertainment, has acquired a stake in the combined LV8 and Mirage businesses. Griffin Haddrill, who founded both companies, will continue to lead the merged entity as CEO. The announcement did not disclose terms.

LV8 is a social-first brand services agency based in Los Angeles and Las Vegas that offers Influencer Marketing, content creation, digital advertising, and social media management. Mirage, founded in 2021, is a digital video publisher that operates more than 70 owned content channels across social, FAST, and the web. It reports more than two billion views across its network and content, and more than 400 creator partnerships.

The companies describe the combination as a platform connecting brand marketing, cultural content, audience distribution and owned-media monetization. LV8’s agency capabilities and brand relationships will be paired with Mirage’s content network, infrastructure and recurring revenue streams. According to the release, the pairing addresses a gap between brand marketing and scaled content distribution.

“LV8 and Mirage are bringing together an industry that has historically been fragmented, connecting brands, creators, content, distribution and monetization in one platform,” Haddrill said. “We’re not just participating in the media ecosystem; we’re building the infrastructure that connects it.”

Erin Edwards, a Partner at Velocity, said the two businesses are “highly complementary.” Velocity plans to support the team as it scales, expands its owned-media footprint and deepens relationships with brands and partners, Edwards said.

The combined company will also pursue strategic M&A across marketing and the Creator Economy. Ross Williams of Reed Smith served as legal counsel, and Mike Booth of RockWater advised on the transaction.

Funding and Structure

ADWEEK, which first reported the merger, said the newly integrated firm is raising an equity round in the “high eight figures” from Velocity. Haddrill told the publication the combined business will generate “high eight figures” in annual revenue and will operate under the LV8 brand.

Haddrill has sold a company before. According to a December 2024 Entrepreneur profile, he co-founded VRTCL in 2019 and served as its CEO. Create Music Group acquired the marketing agency in 2022 for eight figures. The profile said he worked with artists including Justin Bieber and Lil Nas X, and described him as a co-founder of LV8.

Deal Market Context

The transaction lands in a market where media and agency assets draw buyer interest. Quartermast Advisors counted 70 Creator Economy M&A transactions in the first half of 2026, up 23% year over year and the strongest first half it has tracked. Media accounted for 27.1% of deal volume, the largest share of any category and the first time media has led. Agencies followed software at 21.4%.

Quartermast’s valuation data shows how those categories are priced. Media properties ranged from 2.0x to 10.0x EBITDA, with premium valuations tied to owned audiences, four or more revenue streams, and monetization density above $40 RPM. Agencies ranged from 3.5x to 10.1x EBITDA depending on recurring revenue share, margins and growth rate. Premium agency assets carried at least 70% recurring revenue.

Large agency deals have also featured in the year’s activity. Quartermast estimated Accenture Song’s acquisition of creator agency Whalar at $500 million. Ad holding companies and consultancies are buying the firms that supply content and organic reach at scale.

Quartermast also found that emerging and growth-stage companies made up most acquisition targets, which it attributed to buyers consolidating talent, expanding distribution, and building platform capabilities ahead of peak scale.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Check Out Our Podcast