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 Earliest Event reported) — April 2, 2018 (April 2, 2018)

MDC PARTNERS INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

745 Fifth Avenue, 19^th Floor, New York, NY 10151
(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

(646) 429-1800
(Registrant’s Telephone Number)

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:

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 ¨

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.     ¨

Item 3.02 Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.

On April 2, 2018, MDC Acquisition Inc. (“Purchaser”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of MDC Partners Inc. (the “Company”), entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Instrument Holdings Inc. (“Seller”), pursuant to which Purchaser purchased from Seller 51% of the membership interests of Instrument LLC, a digital creative agency based in Portland, Oregon (the “Transaction”).

The purchase price for the Transaction was paid in full at closing, consisting of a cash payment and issuance by the Company of 1,011,561 shares of the Company’s Class A subordinate voting stock (the “Shares”). The Company issued the Shares in a transaction exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Such issuance did not involve any public offering or general solicitation, nor were any commissions paid by the Company to any person in connection thereto.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

On April 2, 2018, the Company issued a press release announcing the Transaction. A copy of the Company’s press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

The foregoing information (including the exhibit hereto) is being furnished under “Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.” Such information (including the exhibit hereto) shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

The foregoing information and the exhibit hereto contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are based on present expectations, and are subject to the limitations listed therein and in the Company's other SEC reports, including that actual events or results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

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.