Studio, streamer and production access
Introductions at the level where projects and partnerships are decided — from partners based in Los Angeles who work inside the industry.
Sectors · Media, entertainment & creative industries
British creative work travels. British creative businesses need a map of who actually buys in America.
Studio, streamer, production and brand relationships — from partners who work inside the industry, in the city where the industry lives.
Practice lead — Carlo Cavagna, Los Angeles
The challenge
The UK’s creative sector — film and television, games, music, advertising, VFX and post-production, design — sells into the US constantly. But selling a project and building an American business are different problems.
Commissioning has consolidated around a small number of streamers and studios. Production incentives shift state by state — and moved materially in California’s favour in 2025. The guild and union landscape shapes budgets and structures. And the relationships that greenlight work are personal, layered and largely invisible from London.
What we unlock
Four channels. One firm.
Structure and rights
Co-production, licensing and services structures that hold up under American counsel — with specialist counsel alongside.
Incentive and location strategy
State programmes compared on what they actually net after caps, qualified-spend rules and timing — not on headline percentages.
Brand and commercial partnerships
Where British creative businesses meet American marketing budgets — agencies, brands and the platforms between them.
The method, applied
Think slow: we map the buyer landscape for your slate or service — named companies and named people, not “Hollywood”.
Act fast: our partners are in the rooms in Los Angeles, and introductions come with context, not cold.
Win big: ongoing output deals, supplier relationships and partnerships — not one-off sales.
Asked often
Do we need a US entity to work with studios and streamers?
Often, for services and co-productions. Structure should follow the deal type — and getting it wrong is expensive to unwind.
Are state production incentives worth chasing?
Sometimes. Headline percentages mislead; caps, qualified-spend definitions and timing determine what a programme actually returns.
How do UK companies get in the room?
Through people. Markets and festivals open doors occasionally; sustained access comes from being introduced by someone the room already trusts.
Where will you play in this market?
If what you build is proven at home and under-realised here — we should have a conversation. AXEL assesses fit before committing. The conversation is the first step, not the commitment.
Begin a conversation →