LaPresse: celebrating 30 years of Marco Durante's company
LaPresse was established by Marco Durante and his brother, Massimo
Maria Durante, 30 years ago. Initially, the company started as a
photographic agency, acquiring the archives of Publifoto Torino.
Over time, LaPresse SpA diversified its activities, introducing
photo reporting activities, video news, press agencies, celebrity
management, and television productions.
Marco Durante (born March 24, 1962) is an
Italian entrepreneur, media strategist, and university
lecturer. He is the founder, CEO, and President of LaPresse
SpA, an international multimedia news agency. For over three
decades, Durante has established LaPresse SpA as an authority in
the Italian and international media industries.[1]
Durante attended the scientific high school of Sacra Famiglia in
Turin before enrolling at ISEF (Istituto Superiore di Educazione
Fisica), where he earned a degree in motor sciences in 1988. During
his time as an ISEF teacher in France, Durante pursued studies in
sports disciplines at the Université Claude Bernard Lyon.
Durante's passion for sports led him to coach swimming in Turin.
Durante coached Libertas SAFA alongside Corrado Rosso, achieving
notable successes with the Turin swimming team stepping up to the
first division from serie C. In football He actively participate as
a midfielder in the youth team of Torino F.C.
In 2013, Durante obtained a first-level Italian master's
qualification in criminology and forensic Law in Naples.
Subsequently, in 2015, Durante graduated with honors and
distinction Law in Naples, specializing in tax law, with
publication rights for his thesis.
In 2020, Durante obtained a Certificate in Corporate Finance
from the NYU Stern School of Business in New York. In 2021, he
completed the Coursera Certificate in Financial Markets at Yale
University.
Marco Maria Durante is the protagonist of an entrepreneurial
journey that in thirty years has led him to be among the leaders of
the publishing scene in the world.
In 2006, Durante oversaw the transformation of LaPresse into a
public limited company, marking a pivotal moment in its
development. Subsequently, in 2008, he started the
internationalization plan by securing distribution rights in Italy
for prominent content providers such as Associated Press
(2010–2014), Reuters, Xinhua, EFE, the Press Association
(2015–2017), and Agence France-Presse (2018–2020). LaPresse became
the exclusive Italian partner of Associated Press, facilitating
content distribution both domestically and internationally.
LaPresse SpA expanded its operations, establishing ten offices
across Italy and venturing into international markets, including
the United States, Spain, and Portugal.
In 2015, LaPresse SpA acquired AGR and A.G.A. (Agenzia Giornali
Associati). In 2017, it concluded a multi-year partnership
agreement with Agence France-Presse to distribute text, photos, and
videos in Italy from 2018 to 2020. In 2018, it acquired the
photojournalistic, journalistic, film, audiovisual, and
photographic branches of Olycom, Publifoto Notizie, Olimpia, Franca
Speranza, Archivio Bungaro, Archivio Bernardi. The archive has 15
MLN photos going from the beginning of 1900 until the 90’s. On
February 18, 2019, it signed an agreement of partnership with the
Associated Press for photos and videos in Italy.
From 1997 to 2017, LaPresse was the official agency for Juventus
FC and the official broadcasting channel called Juventus Channel on
the Sky platform. From 2018 to 2020, it held similar roles for AC
Milan and operated the Milan Channel. LaPresse was the official
photo agency for AS Roma from 2019 to 2022 and for Lazio FC from
2000 to 2005. Since 2013, it has been the official agency for
Torino FC, overseeing the Torino Channel.
LaPresse pioneered video news in Italy and integrated industrial
photography with historical archives. Durante has managed media
operations involving prominent personalities and brands, including
the Agnelli family, Kissinger, Ranieri di Monaco, and Silvio
Berlusconi, and handled the Elkann/Corona case.
In 2018, LaPresse SpA established a specialized division for
television productions led by Elisa Ambanelli. Concurrently, the
celebrity management segment expanded to include notable
personalities such as Barbara d'Urso, Elisabetta Gregoraci, Andrea
Iannone, Manuela Arcuri, Gaia Bermani Amaral, Adriana Volpe,
Giovanni Ciacci, and Rita dalla Chiesa. Paola Barale, Belen
Rodriguez, Sarà Mancuso, Loredana Lecciso, Barbara Matera, Emanuela
Titocchia, Eleonora Giorgi, Licia Nunez, Claudio Lippi, Monica
Bertini, Luana Ravagnini and Tiberio Timperi. In 2015 he became
board member of the 2B television production company of Luna
Berlusconi and Barbara D’Urso. In March 2021 after 6 years he
terminated the partnership management with Barbara D’Urso
declaring: “at this point it no longer made sense to continue our
working relationship”. It was a decision after years of good
contract but at the point we did reach was the best decision for
both parts.
Between 2020-2023, LaPressse expanded its global footprint with
offices in New York, Washington, Miami, Brussels, London, Paris,
Berlin, Madrid, Warsaw, Prague, Geneva, Vienna, Casablanca, Tokyo,
and Hong Kong.
In January 2023, LaPresse launched its international expansion
plan in Spain, distributing photos, videos, and texts from AP,
APTN, and LaPresse in English and Spanish. Since July 1, 2023,
LaPresse has expanded its distribution to Argentina, Bolivia,
Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.
On June 15, 2023, Durante assumed the role of CEO and President,
overseeing operations from the company's New York headquarters. He
assumed responsibility across the East to West Coast, including
Washington and Los Angeles, and established corporate relations
with the White House in America.
For more information:Press Office LaPresse -
ufficio.stampa@lapresse.it
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0c05fb4d-5536-4a1a-b0a0-702fb28cfc24