Wrapbook’s Jeff Caruso will explore global film finance at American Film Market 2025, bridging Hollywood innovation and global insight.
As Los Angeles prepares for the AFM 2025 film finance panel, there’s a growing sense of global alignment — from Santa Monica’s coastline to Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz. Both cities, after all, host markets where art and capital meet, often over espresso and long conversations about the future of storytelling.
Moderating one of AFM’s most anticipated sessions, “Finance I – From Packaging to Payback: Investment, Incentives & International Markets,” is Jeff Caruso, Senior Vice President of Sales and Success at Wrapbook.
“This is the place where capital meets commerce,” Caruso says — and his perspective could just as easily describe the mood at next year’s Berlinale’s European Film Market, where the same conversation about technology, trust, and transformation will unfold.
The Language of Film Finance
Caruso’s excitement about AFM 2025 feels familiar to anyone who’s navigated the corridors of the Berlinale’s Gropius Bau. “The conversations this year are driven by technology — not just how content’s made, but what’s getting made,” he says.
It’s an observation that resonates deeply across European cinema, where funding models are evolving and public incentives now intersect with private investment at an unprecedented pace.
Caruso adds, “The companies that can get out ahead of that, that can use [technology] in a responsible way, are the ones that could very well set the stage for entertainment in the years to come.”
At both AFM and Berlinale, that’s the key tension — balancing creative freedom with fiscal responsibility, and ensuring innovation doesn’t eclipse integrity.
Wrapbook and the New Efficiency
After nearly 13 years at Cast & Crew, Caruso joined Wrapbook, drawn by what he calls “next-generation technology that cuts through outdated manual processes.”
European producers — who often juggle multilingual contracts, regional grants, and EU co-productions — will recognize the appeal. Wrapbook’s tools streamline payroll, incentives, and budgeting, allowing filmmakers to focus on storytelling instead of spreadsheets.
“AI isn’t the job — it’s the tool for the job,” Caruso notes. “It’s about saving people time. We’re helping to make people more efficient in their jobs. Imagine what you can do if you have all of this at your fingertips.”
It’s a message that would feel equally at home in a Berlinale panel or a Kreuzberg café: smart systems can liberate creativity, not replace it.
Where Knowledge Meets Network
Caruso’s AFM 2025 film finance panel, opening November 12 in Century City, features a lineup that would impress any international investor:
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Sam Pressman, CEO of Pressman Film, son of the late Ed Pressman — a producer whose influence stretched from Wall Street to Badlands.
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Josh Rosenbaum of Waypoint Entertainment, championing daring auteurs like Charlie Kaufman and Boots Riley.
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Jeremy Ross, of Black Rabbits, with more than 36 films to his name.
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Janine Davey, who’s safeguarded tax incentives for giants such as Netflix and 20th Century Fox.
“Our panel just lights out,” Caruso says. “They’ve spent their entire careers in this business. They’ll be diving into whether theatrical is still viable, what markets are shifting, and how projects are being financed.”
These are the same questions debated every February in Berlin’s winter chill — how to sustain independent cinema in a globalized, data-driven economy.
Film Finance, from the Rhine to Rodeo Drive
In conversation, Caruso often returns to the importance of process — that unglamorous but vital engine beneath the industry’s glamour. “These are the things you need to do to get things done for your line producers and financiers,” he says.
Wrapbook, he argues, is not just an American solution, but a global one. Its Rate Finder and AI-powered command center could just as easily assist a Berlin producer navigating EU tax credits as a Hollywood accountant balancing guild payrolls.
“This is all about the possibility of what can be done,” Caruso says. “When you have a group of people like we have at Wrapbook — intelligent, positive, energized — we’re unstoppable.”
In a European context, it’s easy to see how that idea could empower cross-border collaboration. Technology isn’t erasing the cultural nuances of filmmaking — it’s connecting them.
Mini FAQ: AFM 2025 Film Finance Panel
Q: When and where is the AFM 2025 Film Finance Panel?
A: The session, “Finance I – From Packaging to Payback: Investment, Incentives & International Markets,” opens November 12, 2025, in Century City on Day One of AFM.
Q: What topics will be covered?
A: Film finance innovation, global incentives, AI integration, and international collaboration — all key to producers who work between North America and Europe.
Q: Why does this matter for European filmmakers?
A: As co-productions grow between Hollywood and hubs like Berlin, Prague, and Dublin, understanding how technology and incentives align has never been more critical.
Global Vision, Local Craft
Caruso’s message is strikingly international: filmmaking may be rooted in culture, but its future depends on connectivity. From AFM’s sunny corridors to the European Film Market’s glass halls, producers are asking the same question — how do we make this system faster, fairer, and more creative?
“We should not settle for outdated processes,” Caruso reminds us. “We can not just be a provider — we can actually help you make things better.”
In an industry where possibility knows no borders, that’s a sentiment worthy of both Berlin and Los Angeles.
Explore Wrapbook’s resources at Wrapbook’s official site
