Co-founder of Lexington-based Fooji named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list

Just four years after co-founding a Lexington-based firm that helps worldwide companies go viral, Erik Zamudio has been named to a prestigious Forbes list.

Zamudio, a University of Cincinnati graduate who founded Fooji with University of Kentucky graduate Gregg Morton, was included in Forbes 30 Under 30 list for marketing and advertising that was released Tuesday. The 27-year-old Zamudio was chosen by a panel of experts in their respective fields, according to Forbes.

Fooji did more than $1 million in revenue in its first year, and that number has ballooned to more than $20 million since the company was founded in 2015, Forbes said. The company’s roster of well-known clients includes Disney, Amazon and Netflix.

Fooji helps movies, TV shows and consumer products go viral on Twitter. Fooji often asks people to tweet a hashtag for a product it is advertising, and many of those people get swag in return.

Recently, Fooji has given away Frozen 2 gear from Kohl’s, a new flavor of Pringles chips and an Italian dinner courtesy of Disney Plus, which was marketing its new “Lady and the Tramp” movie.

Zamudio told Forbes that Fooji is “completely changing the way brands are able to engage with their fans by letting them get a physical product delivered to that fan within an hour.”

Neither Zamudio or Morton had any marketing/advertising agency or media experience before they founded Fooji, Zamudio told Forbes.

Morton told the Herald-Leader in 2017 they look at themselves as “super influencers.”

Forbes’ article on the 30 under 30 reshaping marketing and advertising was led by Zamudio and Fooji, who the author says is reinventing paid media.

This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 3:04 PM.