Carlo Cavagna
Partner · Los Angeles — leads media, entertainment & creative industries
“Most companies don’t fail in America because they lack ideas or a quality product. They fail because no one translated their story into American terms that motivate potential partners. Translation — of purpose into initiatives, of vision into results — has been my focus for twenty-five years.”
How Carlo works with clients
Whether a company is entering the US for the first time, returning after a difficult first attempt, or scaling an already successful operation, Carlo works with each client to identify what is working and what opportunities are being missed. Together, you assess the effectiveness of your offer to the US market and pinpoint the introductions that will make a difference to the bottom line.
How he thinks about US market entry
Carlo has seen hundreds of first entries up close, and that experience will help you avoid months of preventable and costly mistakes. Too often, European companies assume their business practices will translate and their offer will be compelling on arrival. The United States is a mature and noisy market for most products and services, and often an impatient one. That requires a more focused approach — narratives built around problems solved and new opportunities accessed. Ultimately, the most effective market entrants are the ones that invest time thinking about the goals and needs of the individuals they target.
Selected engagements
Drawn from Carlo’s cross-border career; described by sector and result.
A UK curated-cinema experiences company
Launched a broad US expansion, with projected sales in the tens of millions. Support: location sourcing, connections to local authorities and business partners, regulatory-compliance guidance, and marketing amplification.
An independent UK film and television production company
Sought to raise its profile, find partners, and vet potential investors. A curated, week-long meeting programme and a high-end reception targeting studios, distributors, and investors — secured investments and partners for the company.
An annual US-market programme for UK music professionals
Secured hundreds of sync-licensing deals across film, television, advertising, and games, with coverage in the leading music and entertainment press.
Background
Carlo is a strategist who has spent his career at the intersection of European and US business — whether leading economic development for the UK or representing European companies in Los Angeles. He specializes in working with companies that create value from creative and intellectual capital, and that need someone to help them crack the US market.
As Regional Director for the UK’s Department for Business & Trade, Carlo led the United Kingdom’s business-development efforts and commercial relationships across Southern California, managing a team of up to 23 executives. Before that, as Sector Director for creative and media industries with UK Trade & Investment, he advised and matched hundreds of UK exporters to US partners. His experience across both private and public sectors includes running US operations for a UK animated-entertainment production company, managing business development for Lionsgate’s video-on-demand venture CinemaNow, and shaping international trade policy for the US government’s International Trade Administration.
Carlo co-founded PageCraft with his wife Heidi, scaling a program that includes screenwriting labs, creative-development services, coaching, an extensive curriculum, and scholarship programs for underrepresented writers funded by outside partners. Like AXEL, PageCraft runs on the conviction that success turns on crafting and communicating a vision well.
Considering the US market?
Start with a conversation. We will listen, ask sharper questions than you expect, and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit. AXEL assesses fit before committing. The conversation is the first step, not the commitment.
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