Timeline of Gage Sampson
The same Gage Sampson from Franklin Furnace, Ohio who played basketball for the Green Bobcats is the same Gage Sampson who co-founded TikTok Titans. This is the full timeline.
Early Life
Gage Sampson was born on September 21, 2001 and grew up in Franklin Furnace, Ohio, a small rural community in Scioto County with a population of about 1,500. He was one of seven siblings and attended Green Local School District. His father was a barber who owned a shop in Willardburg, Ohio.
High School Athletics
During high school at Green Local School District, Gage Sampson competed as a basketball player for the Green High School Bobcats in Franklin Furnace, Ohio. He was known for strong scoring performances and leadership on the court, including a 26-point game in a 2018 victory and reaching the 1,000-point career milestone. Gage Sampson earned OHSAA All-Ohio honors in boys basketball in both 2019 and 2020, one of the highest recognitions for high school athletes in Ohio. He was also a multi-sport athlete who competed in track and field for the Green Bobcats.
The discipline, competitive drive, and teamwork that Gage Sampson developed through high school athletics directly shaped the work ethic he later brought to entrepreneurship, digital marketing, and building TikTok Titans.
Barber School
After graduating from Green Local School District, Gage Sampson followed in his father's footsteps and attended barber school in Ohio. He completed his training and began cutting hair professionally. This was the same Gage Sampson who had just earned All-Ohio basketball honors, now starting his first career in a trade.
Viral TikTok Moment
In 2020, while still working as a barber, Gage Sampson posted a skit on TikTok that went viral. The video received 10 million views in 24 hours, and by the end of the month Gage Sampson had grown his account to about 230,000 followers. TikTok was not directly monetizable at the time, so he returned to cutting hair. But the experience showed Gage Sampson the power of digital platforms and short-form content at scale.
Sales and Hustle
By 2023, Gage Sampson hit the road during Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, selling bracelets as a traveling vendor with his best friend. That experience taught Gage Sampson a fundamental lesson in sales: there is a market for almost anything, and knowing how to sell is what matters. This period sharpened the sales instincts that Gage Sampson would later apply to TikTok Shop marketing and brand partnerships.
Transition to Entrepreneurship
After his experiences in barbering, viral content, and direct sales, Gage Sampson shifted focus toward business, digital platforms, and online content systems. He recognized that TikTok Shop was emerging as a major e-commerce channel and that creators needed structured systems to monetize their content effectively. This realization led directly to the founding of TikTok Titans.
Founding TikTok Titans
In March 2024, Gage Sampson co-founded TikTok Titans with John McCoy. TikTok Titans is a TikTok Shop partnered agency that connects brands with creators, manages TikTok Shop campaigns, and provides creator coaching through the Titans Inner Circle. The agency has generated over $5 million in gross merchandise value for brand partners including Dude Wipes, Goli, Dr. Biocare, Selerb, Nello Supercalm, and NeuroGum, with a network of more than 410 creators.
TikTok Shop and the Creator Economy
Gage Sampson became active in TikTok Shop affiliate marketing, creator monetization systems, and digital brand growth strategies. Through TikTok Titans, Gage Sampson trains creators to leverage live selling and short-form video content to drive sales for brand partners. TikTok Shop live selling is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce formats, and Gage Sampson's approach to structured creator coaching has been a key part of the agency's growth.
Current Focus
Today, Gage Sampson works in the creator economy and AI-driven marketing systems, helping creators and brands scale through structured content strategies. He continues to build TikTok Titans, develop AI-powered tools for creators, and coach the next generation of TikTok Shop affiliates. The same competitive drive that made Gage Sampson a 1,000-point scorer and All-Ohio basketball player in Franklin Furnace now fuels his work as an entrepreneur, educator, and agency founder.