8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

_____________________________________________________________________________________

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 9, 2021

IZEA WORLDWIDE, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Nevada	001-37703	37-1530765
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

501 N. Orlando Avenue, Suite 313, PMB 247 Winter Park, Florida	32789
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (407) 674-6911

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4 (c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share	IZEA	The Nasdaq Capital Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

    Emerging growth company o

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On February 9, 2021, Jill Golder was elected to the Board of Directors of IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (“IZEA”). Ms. Golder has over 30 years of finance, accounting and corporate governance experience and has served in leadership roles at a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Ms. Golder was previously a member of IZEA’s Board of Directors from May 2015 to September 2019. Ms. Golder was most recently the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., from April 2016 to December 2020. She was previously employed at Ruby Tuesday, Inc. from April 2013 to April 2016 where she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Ruby Tuesday, Ms. Golder served as Chief Financial Officer for Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants. Prior to her tenure at Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Ms. Golder spent 23 years at Darden Restaurants, holding progressively more responsible positions in finance including Senior Vice President of Finance for Olive Garden, Smokey Bones, Specialty Restaurant Group and Red Lobster. She serves on the Board of Directors and Audit Committee member of ABM Industries, Inc. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Economics at Kalamazoo College and a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Ms. Golder will receive compensation for her service as a member of the Board of Directors in accordance with IZEA’s compensation program for non-employee directors. Ms. Golder has not engaged in transactions with IZEA during the last two fiscal years reportable under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K and there is no arrangement or understanding pursuant to which Ms. Golder was selected as director.

Item 7.01Regulation FD Disclosure

On February 11, 2021, IZEA issued a press release announcing the appointment of Ms. Golder to its Board of Directors. The full text of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

The information contained in this Item 7.01 of this report is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section. The information in this Item 7.01 shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Item 9.01.Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d)   Exhibits.

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release issued by IZEA Worldwide, Inc. on February 11, 2021, furnished herewith.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	IZEA WORLDWIDE, INC.
Date: February 11, 2021	By:/s/ Edward H. (Ted) Murphy     Edward H. (Ted) Murphy Chief Executive Officer

EX-99.1

EXHIBIT 99.1

Jill Golder Rejoins IZEA Board of Directors

Former Chief Financial Officer of Cracker Barrel brings 30+ years of Fortune 500 Experience to the Company

Orlando, Florida (February 11, 2021) – IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: IZEA), the premier provider of influencer marketing technology, data, and services for the world’s leading brands, announced the addition of Jill Golder to the company’s Board of Directors. Ms. Golder served as the Chief Financial Officer for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (NYSE:CBRL) until her retirement on December 31, 2020. As Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Golder managed all areas of Corporate Finance, Accounting, Investor Relations, Internal Audit, Strategic Planning and Information Technology for the company. Ms. Golder currently serves as a Board Member for ABM Industries (NYSE: ABM), a Fortune 500 company and leading provider of facility solutions with offices throughout the United States and various international locations.

Ms. Golder has 31 years of finance, accounting and corporate governance experience and has served in numerous leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies. Prior to joining Cracker Barrel, she was Chief Financial Officer for Ruby Tuesday. She served as Chief Financial Officer for Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants prior to Ruby Tuesday. Ms. Golder spent 23 years at Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI), holding progressively more responsible positions in finance. During her last 10 years with Darden, Ms. Golder held the position of Senior Vice President, Finance, leading finance for brands including Olive Garden, Red Lobster and the Specialty Restaurant Group. Earlier in her career, she served in strategic planning, corporate analysis, and finance roles with Domino’s Pizza and Walt Disney World.

Ms. Golder served on IZEA’s Board of Directors from 2015 to 2019. She stepped down due to competing job priorities, at the time serving as CFO of Cracker Barrel as well as participating on several Boards.

“We are delighted to welcome Jill Golder back to the IZEA Board of Directors,” said Ted Murphy, IZEA’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Jill was with us through our formative years as a public company, originally joining IZEA prior to our up-listing to NASDAQ. She assisted our leadership team and Board in laying strong groundwork for IZEA’s foundation, which has allowed it to grow into the company it is today. Jill brings extensive experience in public finance, accounting, and governance at some of the world’s largest organizations. We look to forward to her contributions as we embark on an ambitious next phase of growth.”

The appointment of Ms. Golder to the Board of Directors is part of IZEA’s ongoing effort to enhance the company’s depth of leadership and bolster its corporate controls and governance.

“I am excited to work with IZEA’s board members and leadership team once again,” said Golder. “Over the years, I have had the opportunity to witness the tenacity, creativity, and constant innovation of this group of people. I have long believed in this team, the mission of IZEA, and the vast opportunity the influencer marketing industry presents. I look forward to contributing to the company’s commitment to growth and building value for shareholders.”

Ms. Golder earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Economics, at Kalamazoo College and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

About IZEA Worldwide, Inc.

IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (“IZEA”) operates IZEAx, the premier online marketplace that connects marketers with content creators. IZEAx automates influencer marketing and custom content development, allowing brands and agencies to scale their marketing programs. IZEA creators include celebrities and accredited journalists. Creators are compensated for producing unique content such as long and short form text, videos, photos, status updates, and illustrations for marketers or distributing such content on behalf of marketers through their personal websites, blogs, and social media channels. Marketers receive influential content and engaging, shareable stories that drive awareness. For more information about IZEA, visit https://izea.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement

All statements in this release that are not based on historical fact are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “hope,” “estimate,” “believe,” “intend,” "likely," "projects," “plans,” "pursue," "strategy" or "future," or the negative of these words or other words or expressions of similar meaning. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding expectations concerning IZEA’s ability to increase revenue and bookings, growth or maintenance of customer relationships, and expectations concerning IZEA’s business strategy. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, as a result of various factors including, among others, the following: competitive conditions in the content and social sponsorship segment in which IZEA operates; failure to popularize one or more of the marketplace platforms of IZEA; our ability to establish effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting; our ability to satisfy the requirements for continued listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market; changing economic conditions that are less favorable than expected; and other risks and uncertainties described in IZEA’s

periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements made in this release speak only as of the date of this release, and IZEA assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in expectations, except as otherwise required by law.

Press Contact

Martin Smith

IZEA Worldwide, Inc.

Phone: 407-674-6911

Email: ir@izea.com