---
schema_version: "secwatch.filing_event.v1"
accession: "0001628280-25-028575"
form_type: "8-K"
ticker: "DRCT"
cik: "0001880613"
company_name: "Direct Digital Holdings, Inc."
filed_at: "2025-05-30T23:59:59+00:00"
generated_at: "2026-05-20T04:54:09.788045+00:00"
event_type: "leadership"
sentiment: "neutral"
materiality_score: 0.6
calibrated_materiality_score: 0.6
confidence: "high"
source: SEC EDGAR
---

# Direct Digital Holdings amends executive employment agreements for CEO, President, and CFO

## Summary
- Mark Walker (CEO), Keith Smith (President) and Diana Diaz (CFO) entered into amended employment agreements effective May 27, 2025.
- Annual base salaries remain unchanged: $500,000 for Walker and Smith, $350,000 for Diaz.
- Change-in-control severance lump sum increased from 1x to 2x target bonus, and non-compete extended to 18 months post-CIC.
- Severance eligibility limited to events within two years following a change in control, not any time after.
- Good reason definition revised to include base salary cuts over 20% (affecting only non-proportional reductions) and relocation over 50 miles.

## SEC filing metadata
- accession: 0001628280-25-028575
- form_type: 8-K
- ticker: DRCT
- cik: 0001880613
- company_name: Direct Digital Holdings, Inc.
- filed_at: 2025-05-30T23:59:59+00:00
- event_type: leadership
- sentiment: neutral
- materiality_score: 0.6
- calibrated_materiality_score: 0.6
- confidence: high
- sec_items: 5.02, 9.01
- EDGAR index: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1880613/000162828025028575/0001628280-25-028575-index.htm
- EDGAR primary document: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1880613/000162828025028575/drct-20250527.htm

## Machine-readable alternates
- HTML: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001628280-25-028575
- JSON: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001628280-25-028575.json
- Plain text: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001628280-25-028575.txt

This AI-assisted summary is a reading aid. Review the linked SEC EDGAR filing before relying on any specific claim.