University of Westminster

University College School

Highgate School

Managing Director at Prosecco International, Prosecco.com & related wine brands. Entrepreneur & Growth Hacker.

Prosecco International is proud to offer a range of sustainably produced Italian wine brands, including Bella Principessa, Signorina, and Bella Vino. 

Our vision is to establish Bella Principessa as Prosecco's most recognized brand. 

We craft our wines in partnership with skilled fourth-generation winemakers using the finest grapes from a single estate in Veneto.

Our portfolio of wines offers something for every occasion, ranging in price selected for their exceptional taste, all-natural ingredients, and sophisticated packaging. 

We strive to give our customers a memorable wine experience, offering a taste of the good life through our unique and instantly recognizable brands. Our wines stand out on the dining table and retail shelf with their exceptional taste, visually appealing packaging, and authentic heritage. 

We dedicate ourselves to offering our customers a luxurious and memorable drinking experience. 

We aim to attract the next generation of consumers who desire unique and memorable experiences. 

Our cultural values of inspiration, sophistication, and creativity guide us as we create a brand that embodies the good life for our customers. We prioritize product knowledge, customer relationships, and excellence; these values consistently motivate us to improve and strive for excellence continually.

Are you looking to join a dynamic team that values excellence and innovation? We offer unique branded premium experiences and operate in major markets, including the UK, USA, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. If you want to join our team, don't hesitate to reach out and learn more about what sets us apart.

Key Competitors: Bacardi | Diageo | E & J Gallo | Constellation Brands | Treasury Wine Estates | Pernod Ricard || Vina Concha Y Toro | Accolade Wines | Freixenet Copestick | Antinori | Cantine Riunite & CIV | Santa Margherita | Frescobaldi | Off-Piste Wines | Enotria | Bibendum | Berkmann Wine Cellars

Prosecco.com - Prosecco International

Founder/Managing Director

I have strong analytical skills and am directly responsible for conceptualizing, developing, and problem-solving the (Prosecco) Company's growing intellectual property portfolio, including trademarks, proprietary packaging, brand development, brand management & targeted online real estate.

-  Leadership: I oversee all aspects of the Company's operations, from concept to procurement to product and customer development. As a young company, we seek ways to establish our brands by out-thinking, not out-spending the competition.

- I work with our sales partners to help them reduce their reliance on selling the same old beverage brands as everyone else by introducing higher quality, higher-margin alternatives that their customers will love.

- Teamwork: I collaborate with the team to develop and manage route-to-market through wholesalers & retailers.

- I build partnerships & collaboration opportunities with industry leaders to increase consumers' appreciation and awareness of our beverage brands through trade shows, events, & digital promotions.

- In 2018, I tested the viability of launching a challenger Prosecco brand by sponsoring the official Swim Week fashion shows in Miami and IMG"s New York Fashion Week to support early sales via social proof. Hundreds of female influencers like our brand experience enough to post about us on their Instagram.

- Press mentions in Elle Magazine, W Magazine, The Daily Mail, and others demonstrated our brand was not just a drink but perceived as a fashion accessory. A brand strategy we intend to build on.

- I work closely with key personnel and vendors to improve the Company's Marketing Communications, including Marketing Management, Integrated Marketing, Product Management & Sales Management.

Founder

VenCat Capital, short for 'venture catalyst,' is a locally deep, globally connected personal investment vehicle and corporate advisory firm connecting London and Los Angeles. My role as a deal architect was to identify, pursue, source funding, and create valuation-changing partnerships opportunities in Entertainment IP and Consumer Products. www.vencatcapital.com 

Web3 Strategy: While blockchain offers transparency, trust remains elusive. My approach moves beyond the hype, focusing on 'Proof of Work' narratives that enhance usability, foster adoption, and deliver real value.

- In 2018 I identified and participated in a co-investment opportunity to finance a $30M entertainment project with a tax credit scheme that recouped 28% upside per year for its investors over two years.

- In 2016 I identified & represented an investment group that acquired the Chinese Broadcast Rights to the Golden Globes in a low seven-figure deal via Dick Clark Productions. Details subject to NDA.

- In 2015 I invested in a legal cannabis/CBD retail outlet in California, led the acquisition of the necessary legal permits. Successful exit via a mid-six-figure business sale to a private equity fund.

Tasks included:

Fund Raising: Identify and vet deal flow for introductions to strategic funding sources

Strategic partnerships: Business Development, Outreach, Distribution, Agreement Negotiations

Consultancy: Planning, Positioning, Marketing Resources, Identifying and Recruiting Key Personnel, Customer and Product Development.

VenCat Capital

Venture Catalyst

I founded StunMedia, an online marketing & consulting agency that drives targeted audiences and monetizes the web. Clients included record labels, publishers, celebrities, athletes, politicians, consumer brands & digital media companies.

- I was responsible for new business development, developing & maintaining monthly client billings of mid-six figures.

- As a Growth Hacker, I developed & implemented digital strategies to increase revenues & user adoption rates for publisher & app clients.

- I provided publisher clients with a managed solution to supply geo-targeted online traffic, optimized for a higher engagement at lower costs per visitor (compliant with DoubleVerify, IAS & MOAT click fraud prevention). I provided app clients with a managed solution to acquire real users at lower costs (geo-targeted installs, ratings & incentivized reviews). Managed/analyzed campaign data from digital and programmatic buys.

- I provided clients with deal-making opportunities, senior-level strategy, fundraising support, counsel, market research & recommendations for best practices in social media & tech.

- I worked with clients on both sides of the deal-making process for onboarding celebrity talent. I have experience & relationships to connect clients with influential social media personalities. 

- In 2014, I initiated & completed a seven-figure sponsorship deal for Cristiano Ronaldo to endorse a public company seeking social influence.

- Original series for Endemol.

- I provided high-profile clients with customized short-term & long-term Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Reputation Defense solutions for (U)HNWIs.

- I helped clients establish greater significance, influence & value through social media marketing campaigns to increase sales (Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube).

- I assembled, directed, & supervised specialist teams to develop User Experiences for numerous websites, eCommerce, social media apps & SMS gateways. Project budgets $25K to $200K

Stun Media

Chief Marketing Officer

I founded a creative agency that provided clients with creative support, production services, post-production, & media planning. 

- I was responsible for bringing in new clients & personally managing numerous production budgets that ranged from $50K to $250K.

- I oversaw marketing communications, online advertising, and production of multi-season print & video advertising campaigns for fashion brands XOXO, ABS, Allen Schwarz, Tadashi, Nike, Rocawear, & Disney Buena Vista. 

- I established, and maintained key contacts with magazine publishers, advertising agencies, catalog houses, fashion brands, PR firms. 

- Channel management and communications team oversight. 

- I gained extensive experience creating, reviewing, and negotiating print media and video production estimates for both advertising & editorial purposes.

- As part of the Company's turnkey solution to clients, I partnered with top photographers to acquire numerous fashion, beauty, and entertainment clients, including Kohl's, Target, JC Penney, Lord & Taylor, Speedo, Disney & CBS.

- I produced 100's of editorial print campaigns with various photographers and celebrities for placement in multiple magazines: Vogue, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Movieline, In Touch, In Style, Maxim, GQ (Germany, US), Elle (France, Holland), Cosmopolitan (US, UK), California Apparel News, Men's Health, Zink, Cirque du Soleil.

- I established various athlete endorsement initiatives & negotiated sponsorship contracts for emerging action sports athletes in 2001. Sponsors: Nike, Activision, Club Med, Liquid Force, Fox Racing, Jet Pilot, Smith Optics.

Extensive production experience: Client Relations, Budgeting, On-Site Management, Talent (Casting, Negotiating, Booking), Sourcing Creative Teams & Crews, Locations (Studio Rentals, Permits, Insurance), Travel Arrangements, Equipment Rentals, Digital & Conventional Photography, Green Screen, Graphic Design, Image Retouching, Print Supervision, Behind-the-Scenes Video Direction.

USA Group Agency

Managing Partner

A video networks company.

- I co-developed, patented, and commercialized ground-breaking technology that allowed remote online viewing of multiple video camera feeds through peer-to-peer networking applications. The primary markets serviced included security, daycare, and franchise monitoring.

- I was jointly responsible for writing the patent and developing the underlying technology that was the basis of the company's webcasting and video management solution for remotely hosted "real life" camera networks. - I gained extensive experience with design & testing phases of User Interfaces (UI) & Software Delivery.

- I managed a team of several Sales and Marketing executives and support personnel; The company retained me to identify, educate, and service our business-to-business customers; I trained new personnel in sales strategies and product knowledge; I was effective in jump-starting the company sales push to establish core accounts in verticals, including Loss Prevention, Franchise Monitoring & Consumer Monitoring.

- I was instrumental in developing key business partnerships and financial commitments of US$4M in seed capital to support the company's evolution from a 'New Media Company' to a technology-driven 'Application Service Provider'.

01/2000: I co-founded Global Webnet. Clearview Networks purchased the company's assets following the rapid demand for private surveillance camera systems in the aftermath of 9/11. The company moved away from nitetime.net (below).

Clearview Networks Inc.

Co-founder & Partnerships Director

I founded and managed a Full-Service Event Marketing Company. Our promise was "to connect established brands and services with leading-edge consumers, celebrities and tastemakers who influence consumer spending." The company's promotions, experiences, and marketing communications emphasized securing the right attendees, talent & media.

- During my brief time at this venture, I raised over $1M in sponsorship fees deployed over 12 months to subsidize the overhead costs for several high-profile pop-up events in Los Angeles, CA. Satisfied clients and sponsors include Red Bull, Asahi, Brown-Forman Company, and others.

- I was one of the first promotion companies to syndicate a team of nightclub professionals to pre-sell VIP tables in Los Angeles. Each event generated over $75,000 in bar sales. 

- I created a mutually beneficial profit-share with a local bar and catering license holder as part of this deal. I learned various aspects of hospitality management by overseeing the day-to-day administrative, operational, and commercial activities required to monetize this license at our events. 

- During this time, I learned event planning and production. I managed a team of more than 50 hospitality staffers per event: bar managers, bartenders, bookkeepers, guest relations, music talent, staging, power, sound, lights, permits (Fire Department, Police, Alcohol Beverage Commission), ticketing, security, and insurance.

- I oversaw all aspects of creative continuity for event presentation (print, radio, web), and onsite event aesthetics were consistent with the brand aesthetics of key sponsors & partners.

-	I oversaw the integrated marketing objectives of all sponsors to ensure brand consistency wherever guests met the brands that participated in our events.

Spirit Entertainment Inc.

I was the co-founder of Nitetime.net, a branch of Global Webnet, an interactive nightlife web portal that used the company's unique patented camera technology to provide live video feeds of listings by location.

- I developed strategic Sales and Marketing message points and company positions; I directed a nationwide sell-in program to targeted restaurants, bars, and nightclubs; I created a multi-venue on-premise partnership program with Guinness UDV Diageo.

- I negotiated the placement of our camera technology in over 100 venues for our first clients, providing proof of concept for the franchise monitoring solution that became CVN. Locations included Crunch, LA's Reebok Club, 24-Hour Fitness, and nightclubs in New York, Los Angeles & Chicago.

- I led the development of the company's 'grassroots' marketing program supported by monthly image campaigns in alternative media (Village Voice, LA Weekly, New Times, and others). The program generated over 500,000 new online users between November 1999 and February 2000.

- I led a team to develop the first online virtual bartender application sponsored by Guinness UDV Diageo hosted on our online nightlife portal.

Branded content production:

- I supervised the website's integration of 'On-Demand' video content.

- I produced 100s of branded short-form video segments involving nightlife.

- I managed and coordinated parallel film crews to meet content submission deadlines in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. 

- I was responsible for all aspects of video content production: budgeting, staffing, scheduling, and hosting. I produced style guides to ensure consistency with filming, directing & editing.

nitetime.net

Founder & Head of Branded Content

Crystal Sky Pictures is a rapidly expanding independent film and television company credited with producing over 100 commercial movies.

I was successful in spearheading a multi-million-dollar licensing program for the Sony Pictures kid's movie "Baby Geniuses" in all product categories: Toys (Marvel / Toy Biz / Tiger Electronics), Publishing (Scholastic / Harper Collins), Clothing (various children's sportswear and sleepwear), Accessories and Novelty Items.

I successfully initiated, pitched & maintained communications with key retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, Toys 'R Us) who cleared space on their plan-o-grams for what was at the time an unproven entertainment license.

I worked closely with the CEO on a medium-term strategic plan and short-term marketing plan for the slate of movies and related merchandise. Prior: 07/96 – 02/97 Executive Assistant to CEO. Coordinated all management and policy tasks of the CEO's office for several functional areas: Operations, Sales, Production, Creative Development, Special Effects, and Legal.

Michael J. Goldstein