Good news:

It’s easier than ever to target your audience with a message.

Bad news:

It’s harder than ever to compel them to act.

We rectify
the latter.

Simply put, Calaveras creates exceptionally motivating concepts that are the beating heart of all successful marketing efforts, including:

Branding / Strategy / Websites / Digital Display / Social Media / Video / Email / Traditional Media

About our name.

Calaveras are the symbolic skulls focal to the Mexican and Central American "Day of the Dead" tradition. These festivities are a celebration of individual life. We believe every brand has a life, too. And it's our job to make it worth celebrating.

Yes, that’s what we believe.
But we’re not alone. Because our clients believe it, too.

Leadership

Experienced, yet curious. Highly creative, yet strategic. Collaborative with you - yet demanding of ourselves. That describes the leadership at Calaveras. And why clients turn to us to help lead their efforts in new and better directions.

Matthew Axeman

Partner / Creative Director

Matt isn’t a leader who sits on the sidelines, he thrives in the trenches where ideas are born and polished into powerful campaigns. Equal parts strategist and maker, he leads by example, uncovering human truths, shaping them into bold concepts, and then rolling up his sleeves to bring them to life with precision and flair. He’s just as passionate about developing people as he is about developing ideas, mentoring and inspiring his team to stretch their craft and think bigger. With expertise spanning branding, design, and emerging tech, Matt pairs vision with execution to drive work that moves audiences and elevates brands. When he’s off the clock, you’ll still find him tinkering, whether that’s under the hood of a car or experimenting with new creative tools.

Dave Kwasnick

Partner / Creative Director

There are two types of creatives: those who like to wear black and those who enjoy doing the work. Dave is the latter. He’s also a seeming contradiction, employing a rational, strategic approach to create singularly exceptional (and effective) work throughout his career. Dave started as a writer before rising to the ranks of associate creative director, strategist, creative director and executive creative director. Calaveras is his second experience owning an agency. Dave has had the privilege of working with many national brands at agencies in Minneapolis, Chicago and Pittsburgh. He’s the recipient of numerous national and local awards, as well as an inductee into the AAF Pittsburgh Advertising Hall of Achievement. An avid birder and lover of history, Dave enjoys annoying his wife and two children with facts about both.