Expanding the Map: Amerge Joins the Podean Family | The Ad Project

Joe Shelerud, EVP of Enterprise Tech at Podean, sits down with Will Fisher — Chief Commercial Officer and co-founder of Amerge — to talk through the announcement that Amerge is joining the Podean group, just weeks after Ad Advance's own acquisition. They cover Amerge's origin story, international expansion, proprietary tech, Amazon Partner Awards, cultural alignment, and what this partnership means for brands advertising globally on Amazon and beyond. Chapters: 00:00 — Welcome & Context: Two Acquisitions, One Direction 01:30 — Amerge Overview: The Agency Will & His Co-Founders Built 04:00 — Ex-Amazon Roots & the Tech-First Approach (Emerge Engine & Emerge View) 07:00 — Expanding from EU to the US: Why Launching in Europe First Was a Strategic Edge 10:30 — Non-Endemic Clients & Building Advanced DSP Capabilities 13:00 — Amazon vs. Other Retail Channels: Why Amazon Remains the North Star 15:00 — Building a Global Team with Local Market Expertise 18:00 — Amerge's 5 Core Values and How They Scale Culture Across Markets 21:00 — Why Cultural Alignment Trumped Deal Structure in the Podean Decision 24:00 — What the Podean Group Is Building (and Why 8 Founders Is a Feature, Not a Bug) 27:00 — Advice for Agency Founders Considering Partnerships 29:00 — What's Next: The Podcast Revamp & Closing CTA 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on Amazon advertising, retail media, and agency growth. 🌐 Podean: https://www.podean.com 🌐 Amerge: https://www.amerge.com 🌐 Ad Advance: https://www.adadvance.com