Wikipedia

Marco Maria Durante

Marco Maria Durante (born March 24, 1962) is an Italian entrepreneur, media strategist, and academic. He is the founder, CEO, and President of LaPresse SpA, an international multimedia news agency.

Marco Maria Durante
Born (1962-03-24) March 24, 1962 (age 62)
Turin, Italy
CitizenshipItaly
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, University Lecturer
Organization(s)LaPresse SpA (Founder, CEO & President)
SpouseThea Aprea
Children3
Parent(s)Silvio Durante (father), Emma Rizzi (mother)
Websitelapressemedia.it

Early life and education

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Durante was born in 1962, in Turin and raised between Italy and New York. His father, Silvio Durante, founded Publifoto Turin, a photojournalism agency. Marco attended Sacra Famiglia High School in Turin and graduated from ISEF in 1988 with a degree in motor sciences. He later pursued studies at Université Claude Bernard Lyon while teaching in France.[1]

In 2013, he earned a master's in criminology and forensic law, and in 2015, he graduated in law from Naples. Durante also completed finance certifications at NYU (2020) and Yale (2021).[2]

Career

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In 1992, Marco Maria Durante began his career at Publifoto Torino, the photo agency founded by his father.[3]

In 1994, he co-founded LaPresse SpA with his brother, Massimo, initially as a photographic agency. Following Massimo’s death in 1996, Durante took charge of expanding the company.[4]

In 2005, Marco Durante founded LaPresse Nuoto Torino, an Italian swimming club. He served as chairman, working with Vice Chairs Lapo Elkann and Cristiano Fiorio t. The club attracted international talent, including French swimmer Laure Manadou in 2007. However, following a disagreement with Manadou's team, Durante decided to dissolve the club.[5][6]

In 2006, Marco Durante led the transformation of LaPresse SpA into a public limited company.[7] By 2008, Durante initiated an international expansion, securing distribution rights for prominent content providers, including Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse, expanding LaPresse's reach in Italy and globally.[8]

During 2007–2009, Lapo Elkann and Marco Durante collaborated in managing media crises related to high-profile scandals such as Vallettopoli, with Durante's LaPresse agency handling public relations and media coverage.[9][10][11] This included managing situations like Elkann's legal confrontations with Fabrizio Corona, where sensitive personal details were made public.[12][13][14]

In 2015, LaPresse SpA expanded its operations by acquiring AGR and A.G.A. (Agenzia Giornali Associati).[15][16] In 2017, the company entered a multi-year agreement with Agence France-Presse to distribute text, photos, and videos in Italy from 2018 to 2020.[3][17] In 2018, the company acquired the photojournalistic, journalistic, film, audiovisual, and photographic branches of Olycom, Publifoto Notizie, Olimpia, Franca Speranza, Archivio Bungaro, Archivio Bernardi.[18][19] In 2019, LaPresse signed a partnership with the Associated Press for Italian distribution of photos and videos.[20][21][22]

From 1997 to 2017, LaPresse served as the official agency for Juventus FC and its Juventus Channel on Sky,[23] later holding similar roles with AC Milan from 2018 to 2020,[17] AS Roma from 2019 to 2022,[24][25] Lazio FC from 2000 to 2005, and Torino FC starting in 2013.

In 2018, Durante established a dedicated television production division under Elisa Ambanelli, while also expanding its management segment to include figures like Barbara d'Urso, Belen Rodriguez, Adriana Volpe, Andrea Iannone, Rita Dalla Chiesa, Luana Ravegnini, Claudio Lippi, Licia Nunez, Elisabetta Gregoraci and Monica Bertini.[26][27][28][29][30][31][32]

In 2020–2023, LaPresse expanded globally, opening offices in major cities such as New York, London, and Tokyo.[33] In September 2021, Marco Durante received the Global Fellowship award from LUISS University.[34] Additionally, in May 2022, he was recognized by Learn Italy, an international Italian communication and business agency, with a special award for his contributions.[2][35]

Marco Durante had a personal and professional relationship with Silvio Berlusconi, including Berlusconi attending Durante’s 60th birthday celebration in March 2022.[36][37] In October 2022, LaPresse, Durante’s agency, released audio leaks involving Berlusconi, drawing attention to their media and political connections.[38]

By 2023, LaPresse further extended its reach to Latin American markets. On June 15, 2023, Marco Durante took over as CEO and president, managing operations from the New York headquarters and establishing relations across the U.S.[4] In 2023, Durante received the Special Award for "Best Italian Entrepreneur in the United States of America" at the Business Care International Award ceremony held in New York.[39]

At the same year, the documentary In Arte Avvocato was shown on RAI Tre, focusing on Gianni Agnelli's life and career. Marco Durante contributed to the production alongside RAI Documentari, presenting Agnelli as a businessman, style icon, and cultural figure.[40][41][42]

Academia

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In 2015, Marco Durante became a professor of business communication strategies at the Faculty of Business Economics at Pegaso Telematic University.[43] He also teaches media and communications at Universitas Mercatorum, a private online university accredited by the University of Italian Chambers of Commerce.[1]

Personal life

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Durante lives between Milan and New York. He is married to Thea Aprea, and they have three children: Vittoria, Edoardo, and Ginevra.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Marco Durante". executivemanager.it. Archived from the original on 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  2. ^ a b "Marco Durante". Top 100 MANAGER (in Italian). 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  3. ^ a b "Marco Maria Durante – Presidente LaPresse". Lapresse Media (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  4. ^ a b PrimaOnline, Redazione (2023-10-13). "Marco Maria Durante, fondatore de LaPresse, premiato come "Miglior Imprenditore Italiano negli USA"". Primaonline (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  5. ^ Parker, Kevin (2023-11-01). "Dr. Marco Maria Durante, Founder of LaPresse, Honored as Best Italian Entrepreneur in U.S. at Consulate General of Italy in New York City". citybiz. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  6. ^ "Marco Maria Durante: focus sul percorso formativo e professionale del Presidente di LaPresse S.p.A. - News". nellanotizia.net (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  7. ^ "Idea 14 130417". calameo.com. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  8. ^ "Editoria, Marco Maria Durante premiato come "Miglior imprenditore italiano negli Usa"". www.tgcom24.mediaset.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  9. ^ "Inchiesta: dal «metodo Corona» a Vallettopoli bis". Il Quotidiano del Sud (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  10. ^ Lagattolla, Enrico (2007-06-23). "Tutta la verità sul tritacarne degli scoop". ilgiornale.it. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  11. ^ "Vallettopoli, Lapo contro Corona "Deve essere fatta giustizia"". ilgiornale.it. 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  12. ^ "Corona: «Fiat ha bloccato intervista al trans» - Corriere della Sera". www.corriere.it. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  13. ^ "In aula Lapo attacca Corona". www.liberoquotidiano.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  14. ^ "Corona a Matrix: "La mia verità"". www.tgcom24.mediaset.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  15. ^ "TSX Global Base Metals EW Index (TXBE) Quote - Press Release". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  16. ^ "LaPresse: celebrating 30 years of Marco Durante's company". Macau Business. 2024-07-02. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  17. ^ a b B, Matteo (2017-08-22). "Milan, ufficiale: partnership quadriennale con LaPresse". Milanlive.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  18. ^ PrimaOnline, Redazione (2024-06-18). "Le foto del Monza passano da LaPresse". Primaonline (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  19. ^ "LaPresse acquisisce gli archivi e i brand Olycom e Olimpia - LaPresse". www.lapresse.it (in Italian). 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  20. ^ "LaPresse Archivio Multimediale - About us". archivio.lapresse.it. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  21. ^ Cafasso, Samuele (2019-02-15). "LaPresse soffia all'Ansa i contenuti di Associated Press". Lettera43 (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  22. ^ "Marco Durante negli States per consolidare la svolta internazionale di LaPresse - LaPresse". www.lapresse.it (in Italian). 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  23. ^ "LaPresse cresce ma potrebbe perdere Juventus Channel". Calcio e Finanza (in Italian). 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  24. ^ "LaPresse SpA partner della AS Roma per quattro anni". Sport Business Management. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  25. ^ "Siglata la partnership tra l?agenzia LaPresse e la AS Roma per la distribuzione di fotografie in esclusiva in Italia e Mondo". La Stampa (in Italian). 2017-05-22. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  26. ^ Vitali, Mirko (2021-03-30). "Belen sbarca a LaPresse, Barbara d'Urso va via: coincidenza? Retroscena". Gossip e Tv (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  27. ^ Fabbretti, Fabio (2021-02-11). "Belen Rodriguez cambia agente e si affida a La Presse". Davide Maggio (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  28. ^ "Adriana Volpe accusata dal marito, l'agente rompe il silenzio: "Gelosia possessiva, Marco è gay"". Today (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  29. ^ Redazione. "Marco Durante (LaPresse) festeggia i suoi primi 60 anni. "Il mio unico desiderio? Che LaPresse diventi la più forte nel mondo"". www.ilgiornaleditalia.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  30. ^ "Luana Ravegnini, dopo dieci anni da mamma torna in tv: "È stata dura,..." Oggi - People (in Italian). 2021-07-26. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  31. ^ Brucalossi, Daniela. "Il Presidente di LaPresse Marco Durante in esclusiva: "Con Barbara d'Urso ecco come è andata"". www.ilgiornaleditalia.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  32. ^ "Dal 9 luglio entra in LaPresse con la carica di Head of entertainment Elisa Ambanelli". mediakey.tv. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  33. ^ "LaPresse apre una nuova sede a New York". Affaritaliani.it (in Italian). 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  34. ^ "Luiss, al via prima edizione Global Fellowship - LaPresse". www.lapresse.it (in Italian). 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  35. ^ Rossi, Maria Teresa (2022-11-05). "LaPresse: la comunicazione multimediale mondiale parla italiano". Osservatorio Roma (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  36. ^ Redazione. "Marco Durante (La Presse), le FOTO della festa per celebrare i suoi 60 anni". www.ilgiornaleditalia.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  37. ^ PrimaOnline, Redazione (2022-03-27). "Grande festa per il compleanno di Marco Durante". Primaonline (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  38. ^ Arnese, Michele (2022-10-21). "Chi festeggia per gli audio putiniani di Berlusconi? Il caso LaPresse-La7". Startmag (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  39. ^ VG-Editore (2024-09-23). "Il presidente di LaPresse Marco Durante vince il premio come 'Miglior Imprenditore Italiano negli Stati Uniti d'America'". La Voce dei Giornalisti (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  40. ^ PrimaOnline, Redazione (2023-03-13). "LaPresse e Rai Documentari presentano "Gianni Agnelli, in arte l'Avvocato"". Primaonline (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  41. ^ Aricò, Giacomo (2023-03-16). "Gianni Agnelli, in arte "l'Avvocato": il documentario tv che racconta l'uomo dallo stile inconfondibile". Vogue Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  42. ^ Nata, Camilla (2023-03-17). "In arte l'Avvocato", un documentario racconta Gianni Agnelli a 20 anni dalla morte (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-03 – via www.rainews.it.
  43. ^ "Marco Maria Durante - Presidente E CEO E Fondatore at LaPresse SpA". THE ORG. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
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