Izea Inc., an influencer marketing firm in Orlando, Fla., has acquired Sherman Oaks’ Ebyline Inc., an online marketplace for freelancers, for an initial price of $1.2 million.

That number could rise to more than $20 million by 2017 should Ebyline hit annual revenue targets, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Izea shares are traded on the OTC market.

Founded in 2009 by former Los Angeles Times executives Bill Momary and Allen Narcisse, Ebyline’s website connects media organizations and brands to its network of more than 12,000 writers, journalists and illustrators in more than 73 countries.

Associated Press and Tribune Media Co. are among its customers, as are brands such as Microsoft Corp. and Levi Strauss & Co.

The company has raised $6.5 million in financing, the majority of which came from Cincinnati’s E.W. Scripps Co.

Ebyline’s marketplace will now be integrated into Izea’s own network of more than 250,000 social media influencers, which it connects with brands looking for online sponsors.

Momary, Ebyline’s co-founder and chief executive, said in a statement last week that the acquisition enhances his company’s ability to connect publishers and brands with content creators.

Check out the Business Journal’s previous coverage of the rise of influencer marketing firms in Los Angeles,