
Project Leader at Department for Development Policy - Ministry of Economic Development
Milan Area, Italy

Project Leader at Department for Development Policy - Ministry of Economic Development
Milan Area, Italy
I am an economist working on creativity as a driver of economic development. My experience, both in the private and the public sector, shows that the creative industries are a repository of innovative capabilities, and that processes can be devised to turn them into actual innovation.
These processes seem to have a lot to do with the kind of trust-building, knowledge-sharing oriented social dynamics that we learnt to associate with social networks and other online communities. Innovation and creativity are highly sensitive to the cultural context; I have therefore devoted quite a lot of effort to designing online innovation-oriented communities.
I have an insider's knowledge of the creative industrie thanks to my background as a gold-record awarded musician, with global record release and touring experience. I know other creative sectors - and the policy framework on the matter, skills agenda included – through my academic interests and my own research work.
I have a strong and diverse publication and presentation record; I regard myself as an excellent communicator. My involvement with academia helps me keep my thinking rigorous, going back and forth between professional experience and model building.
Research, project management, partnership building, integration in policy and governance issues
(Non-Profit; Public Policy industry)
2009 — Present (less than a year)
CriticalCity is an exciting startup consisting of a MMOG that aims at transforming cities. The Advisory board acts as a funnel for a whole lot of solicited and unsolicited advice coming from Marco Magnocavallo and me.
(Government Administration industry)
April 2008 — Present (1 year 8 months)
I lead a project called Kublai. It is a social network geared towards the design of creative projects with regional development implications; it uses many different channels, from the web to Second Life to real life meetups. The idea behind it is that a nonlocal community to interact with is useful for locally active innovative people. The Department is hoping to gain some innovativeness for the projects mix funded by the EU 7th Framework Programme.
(Music industry)
2006 — Present (3 years )
(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Music industry)
January 2005 — Present (4 years 11 months)
I design, propose to clients and implement policy-geared research projects in the creative industries/grassroot creativity in general. This, in a decentralized country like Italy, entails integrating policy for building the creative society into regional development issues.
Heading a small team – built from the ground up - of researchers and facilitators, I also manage a European Commission project in which the company is one of the partners (Booster, IT-G2-ABR-033). I act as content manager (for research output, courses, publications, events) for the whole project and have business planning and budgeting/financial inline management responsibilities for the company's share. All of the reporting needs to be ESF-compliant. We coordinate five partners (TH included) and about 40 public-and private sector organizations.
(Educational Institution; 201-500 employees; Music industry)
January 2004 — Present (5 years 11 months)
(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Music industry)
November 1999 — Present (10 years 1 month)
Fiamma Fumana – Songwriter, accordionist, guitarist (www.fiamma.org)
World music/electronica combo catering to a global niche audience. I wrote most of the material, co-produced the first two albums, acted as liaison between the band and its partners in Italy and, more importantly, in other territories. I also am responsible for the band's internet resources.
At the time of writing Fiamma Fumana's music is released (with physical distribution) in Italy, USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Holland, Belgium, UK with distributors both major or “almost major” (EMI in Italy, Ryko in America) and independent. The group has toured extensively on a global scale, performing in Italy, USA, Canada, Mexico, UK, Holland, Austria, Iceland, Switzerland.
(Government Administration industry)
May 2007 — April 2008 (1 year )
Designing and implementing policies towards the creative industries as a resource for development of disadvantaged areas. Working in close connection with regional administrations. Championing young and creative people with the regional and central administrations.
(Government Agency; 1-10 employees; Government Administration industry)
September 1997 — October 2006 (9 years 2 months)
Heading a team of music biz consultants and in-house workers, I designed and implemented the centre's new projects in the areas of vocational training, startup of music businesses, labour demand- labour supply matching services. I also developed and implemented end-of-job and in-progress assessment procedures for these projects. For all of these activities we needed to apply for funding grants, manage budgets, produce compliant reports.
Main customers and partnerships: Department of Labour, Emilia Romagna regional administration, Regional labour authority, Modena provincial government, City of Naples local authority, various music business trade associations, various Leader II local action groups.
(Privately Held; Myself Only; Music industry)
May 2000 — December 2005 (5 years 8 months)
Main assignments: Promoting a network of art companies by jointly designing and implementing an event and an interaction space for private and public agents (Client: City of Verona Local Authority); Fostering the innovative city (Client: City of Modena Local Authority); Grassroots musical creativity as a resource (Client: The Mario Delmonte Foundation – Modena); A model of business network under strategic uncertainty (Client: University of Ferrara)
(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Music industry)
January 1991 — May 2000 (9 years 5 months)
Punk-folk band catering mostly to a national mass market. I took part in songwriting, production and performance activities. I also launched – in 1998 - and was responsible for the band's website. During this period MCR released five albums that have sold over 400,000 units to date; played over 500 shows in Italy and abroad; and were the sole subject of two books.
(Partnership; 1-10 employees; Government Administration industry)
September 1993 — December 1995 (2 years 4 months)
I headed the company's Environmental IO research unit, doing research on industrial organization and the environment, and on environmental utilities regulatory issues. A large portion of my time was devoted to taking part in two large-scale international research projects funded by the European Commission's DG XII, the unit on technical innovation, in which the company was one of the research partners. I also contributed to designing and implementing economic research projects in the areas of regional development in natural parks and protected areas.
Main customers and partnerships: European Commission DGXII (technology and innovation), Italian Department of the Environment, Emilia Romagna Regional administration, Cerna - Ecole des Mines (Paris), SPRU - University of Sussex (Brighton), Queen’s University Belfast.
M.Sc. , Environmental and Resource Economics , 1992 — 1993
Thesis in Industrial Organization
Laurea , Economics , 1984 — 1989
Thesis in Industrial Organization of Environmental services
Creative industries, regional development, technology, world music
Too many to count
2004 - Penguin Eggs Magazine, Canada – Critics' Best New Discovery of the Year (to Fiamma Fumana)
1999 - Musica! Di Repubblica, Italy - Italian Young Talent Award to Fiamma Fumana's "1.0", best debut album
1998 - Castelfidardo International Accordion Festival, Italy – Golden Reed Award for199 contributing to spreading accordion culture among the younger generations