Leave Nothing to Chance

Carlyle Street is a brand consultancy that provides certainty to CEOs, government officials and celebrities in an increasingly complex global political and media landscape.

Service Offering

High-profile people and organizations are in a tough spot. It has never been harder to navigate the increasingly tumultuous waters of today’s news and social media cycles.

Fans expect more from their favorite celebrities. Voters want perfection from their elected officials. And consumers demand social activism from their favorite brands.

We work hand-in-glove with executive leadership teams to deliver extraordinary solutions to these critical challenges.

Strategic Communications
  • The construction of a short, medium and long term communications plan
  • Rapid response assistance surrounding campaigns or pressing issues
  • Strategic media placements and targeted publicity
Crisis Management
  • Minute-to-minute guidance on how to strategically engage the media, shareholders and other stakeholders as a crisis develops
  • Outward-facing engagement with press and/or tactical advice to internal staff on press management mid-crisis
  • The creation and execution of a post-crisis brand rehabilitation roadmap
Political Affairs
  • Specialized guidance on how to effectively engage and influence public sector decision makers on pressing issues
  • Assistance with securing meetings with principals and senior advisors in Congress and the administration
  • Counsel on the most effective ways to deploy financial contributions
Media Relations
  • Aggressive shaping of stories with reporters to elevate the client and anonymously besmirch opponents
  • Media training and interview messaging practice for principals

Political Intelligence

Our new political intelligence offering provides clarity in a chaotic geopolitical environment.

Deal Briefings

Bespoke reports outlining the geopolitical risks of potential investments and acquisitions.

Roadshow Meetings

An on-campus visit for boards of directors and leadership teams who need clarity and forward-looking insight on decisions from Washington and London.

The Wrap-up

A weekly briefing detailing the latest on-the-ground intelligence from Democratic and Republican offices around Capitol Hill.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries

STATE OF PLAY: We’ve helped propel one of the Democratic Party’s preeminent stars in Washington and played a central role in advising him on communications strategy and stakeholder engagement.

MEDIA RELATIONS POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS POLITICAL AFFAIRS

Chief Executive Officer + Brand Development

STATE OF PLAY: We were retained by a CEO who sought assistance in strengthening his personal brand and advising his company’s communications personnel on how to write more effectively for the C-Suite. We’ve since helped position that individual as a leading executive voice on issues in his sector.

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

NFL Star + Crisis Management

STATE OF PLAY: We helped an NFL veteran protect his reputation as he faced an onslaught of negative performance-related news stories. We counteracted the damaging stories, inserted positive news and took his foundation’s work to the next level with partnerships on Capitol Hill. He subsequently signed a lucrative deal with a new team.

MEDIA RELATIONS CRISIS MANAGEMENT POLITICAL AFFAIRS

Celebrity + Political Activism

STATE OF PLAY: We developed a standing-room-only panel centered on the passage of the nation’s first criminal justice reform legislation, the First Step Act. The forum included Grammy Award-nominated musician Meek Mill, bill sponsor U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, CNN contributor Van Jones and author activist Michael Eric Dyson.

MEDIA RELATIONS POLITICAL AFFAIRS STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

Our Founder

Michael Hardaway is founding partner at Carlyle Street, where he leads engagement on crisis management, strategic communications, media relations and political affairs.

A Capitol Hill veteran, Hardaway began his career as an early part of President Obama’s team in Chicago and went on to work in multiple capacities for Obama through his rise to the presidency. Hardaway also worked for Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin and Bill Nelson, a former U.S. Senator who is now NASA Administrator under President Biden.

Read More +

In his final role in public service, Hardaway worked as Congressman Hakeem Jeffries’ top advisor on messaging, communications and stakeholder engagement. As Jeffries’ longest serving communications director, Hardaway helped him become one of the sharpest messengers in American politics. When Jeffries was elected to Democratic leadership, he appointed Hardaway to serve as head of communications for the House Democratic Caucus, where he advised its 239 members of Congress on media relations, strategic messaging and crisis management.

Hardaway is the publisher of Hardaway Wire, a political intelligence briefing read by CEOs and government officials across 59 countries. He founded the Bipartisan Dinner Group, a private gathering of government officials, lobbyists and reporters committed to mending relationships across the aisle. And he is a member of UNICEF’s Next Generation.

Every challenge has a solution.

Our tactical team will develop a custom battle plan that moves the needle on the issues that matter to you.