Ep. 61 | Dexter Dethmers (Hi Energy): Fixing Affiliate Complexity for Publishers with AI & Automation

In this episode of Performance Marketing Spotlight, Dexter Dethmers, co-founder of Hi Energy, joins Marshall to discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities in affiliate marketing today—especially from the publisher perspective.

Dexter shares his journey from lead generation in Australia to running programs at CJ and Honey, and ultimately launching Hi Energy to solve the growing complexity in the affiliate ecosystem. He dives into how fragmented platforms, inefficient workflows, and outdated attribution models are holding publishers back—and how AI and automation can change that.

The conversation also explores affiliate marketing as a testing ground for brands, the rise of new discovery channels like Reddit and LLMs, and why the industry must evolve beyond last-click attribution. Dexter offers a candid look at what it’s like building a company, balancing product vision with market demands, and why the future of affiliate depends on empowering the next generation of publishers.