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massimiliano

I am Massimiliano and I founded MASSIMEDIA in 2002.

When I started, cameras still used film much more than pixels, and you would communicate on newspapers and magazines, and not on social media. I have since been combining my impactful consulting with my academic research to produce sensible and impact-driven change.

Indeed, I built my academic expertise with two University doctorates (Venice, Italy and Exeter, UK) between 2008 and 2014. I researched how to effectively use storytelling, and, specifically, visual storytelling, to understand cultures and societies.

As Associate Professor at the University of Westminster (UK), I was awarded a grant to ideate and produce the mobile app MIA – The Meta-Image App – to empower anyone with a smartphone to hands-on learn visual storytelling.

In parallel to my academic research, I have been working for 25+ years for a wide array of international institutions and partners, with clients ranging from UN agencies to national governments, as well as from private enterprises to third sector global players.

By combining truly multi-cultural global consulting with my first rate academic research and teaching, I R&D-ed impactful storytelling campaigns from Morocco to China.

If images and the visual have steadily established a pivotal centrality across all forms of communication, then knowing how to ‘read’ the visual format becomes the asset to successfully drive your professional activities.

The Tentmakers of Islamic Cairo is just one example of the framework I have enhancing for more than two decades.

why me?

I had the pleasure of attending the “Storytelling, Image and Strategy” course. His practical and engaging approach brought real value to my work. I improved my skills in digital storytelling and communication, learned how to better organize visual content using mind maps and storyboards, and developed stronger narrative and pitching techniques

A due anni di distanza, constato con soddisfazione i risultati ottenuti grazie al percorso intrapreso con il professor Fusari nel corso di 4 weekend in Storytelling Immagine Strategia. Oggi riesco a decodificare con chiarezza e precisione la struttura comunicativa di un messaggio, intervenendo in maniera mirata sia sulla forma che sul contenuto, con l’obiettivo di massimizzare l’efficacia della comunicazione

Il percorso formativo con il professor Fusari durante il corso di Visual Storytelling si è rivelato fondamentale con alcuni vertici PwC. Un progetto durato 3 giorni tra interviste a stakeholders e analisi, mi sono personalmente occupato della costruzione della narrativa e di come far passare al meglio il messaggio. Risultato ottenuto: presentazione di sole tre slides con meno di 70 parole di testo riassumendo tre giorni di lavoro, ricevendo il premio al miglior storytelling

Le ore trascorse in formazione con Massimiliano sono state non solo piacevoli e coinvolgenti, ma anche sfidanti e dense di contenuti. Tanto che ho deciso di proseguire questo percorso con una formazione più strutturata e approfondita, sempre con lui, per consolidare ulteriormente pratiche e prospettive del “ben pensare” e del “ben comunicare”

When I took a course on storytelling, I was struck by the depth and unusualness of Massimiliano's approach. He teaches not only storytelling strategy, but also the meanings that we want to convey, how to hook an interlocutor, investor, client. I would like to recommend it to everyone because this course really gives you the opportunity to look at communication from a new perspective which could really improve your business and personal life

Lavorerai con un professore universitario con 20 anni di esperienza in consulenza professionale che ti trasmetterà la passione e la dedizione per lo storytelling dal primo minuto in aula e che userà tutte le sue energie per tenere l’attenzione e stimolare la partecipazione di tutti.. Come è successo a me, dimenticherai tutto quello che credevi di sapere sullo storytelling, per un approccio creativo e di ragionamento che non usiamo nel lavoro come nella vita quotidiana

Between June 2012 and June 2015 Massimiliano Fusari collaborated several times with me as a trainer, when I was Director of the Diplomatic Institute of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome (Italy). During his consultancy, Massimiliano critically assessed the visual medium in today’s global cultures, and convincingly established the centrality of storytelling as a strategic format of communication for the International Relations field, and specifically so, for diplomats. He successfully argued to prospective diplomats the relevance of the visual medium in today’s forms of political communication

Grazie all'acquisizione di nozioni teoriche e, soprattutto, alla pratica con casi reali durante le lezioni, ho potuto costruire passo dopo passo una mentalità solida per strutturare uno storytelling efficace, dalla precisa individuazione della target audience alla pianificazione di una strategia verbale e visiva per ottimizzare la comunicazione. Le conoscenze apprese durante il corso sono incredibilmente versatili, sia nel contesto lavorativo che personale

I would like to enthusiastically recommend Professor Max Fusari for his teaching in the Global Executive MBA module on Marketing Strategy. I experienced firsthand the depth of his expertise, the effectiveness of his instruction, and the lasting impact of the skills and tools he imparts. Professor Fusari's unique emphasis on visual storytelling and digital marketing concepts has impacted my professional activities. His comprehensive coverage of digital marketing concepts provided practical insights that are directly applicable to contemporary business challenges. I wholeheartedly endorse Professor Fusari as an exceptional educator in the field of marketing strategy and visual storytelling

DISRUPTIVE - Divertente, coinvolgente, porta con sé un metodo, l’individuazione di un focus e pochi semplici steps di immediata applicazione nel proprio ambito professionale. Si sperimenta personalmente ed in team quanto sia complesso e stimolante il lavoro che la comunicazione visiva comporta e dopo se ne verificano i risultati, portando a casa uno schema di lavoro semplice da memorizzare e veloce da recuperare per l’applicazione in ogni ambito lavorativo e personale

Dr. Fusari researched and produced a comprehensive series of bespoke workshops to develop participants’ theoretical competencies and their practical skillsets in digital media, visual storytelling and strategic communication. The consulting combined articulated theoretical research with sensible hands-on sessions to make participants practice real-life examples and case studies through simulation and role playing. All activities aimed at advancing participants’ gender awareness and promoting gender mainstreaming for State institutions, social stakeholders and private partners of the Government of Kosovo

Ho partecipato con piacere e onore ad una giornata di formazione con il Prof. Fusari con alcuni colleghi Wealth Manager vincitori di un Contest Azimut. Il tema trattato in aula è stato lo “Storytelling visivo” e devo dire che è stata una sorpresa e una conferma su un tema fondamentale e sostanziale per la professione del consulente finanziario attuale e futuro

Devo dire che le mie aspettative erano alte, ma il corso è riuscito a superarle in modo sorprendente. Ho già iniziato a utilizzare alcune delle tecniche che ho imparato nel mio marketing e ho notato un miglioramento significativo nell'interesse e nell'engagement del mio pubblico

Sono state 3 giornate per me molto faticose, dove ho dovuto destrutturare tutte le mie convinzioni e ricominciare a reimpostare dalla basi, dove l’interpretazione lascia lo spazio all’ #IOVEDO. Ne esco rafforzato con dei Pitch già pronti all’uso e con una cassetta degli attrezzi più completa (abbiamo lavorato su ritmo e storyboard) ed organizzata

Throughout the duration of this Digital Catapult acceleration programme he not only advised startups around their product and business development via 1-on-1 sessions, but also ran general hands-on workshops for the cohort. I was impressed by Massimiliano's constant proactivity - he would always seek to improve and tailor his innovation support so it would really contribute towards startups journey to growth

He proved to me the power that strategic communication has in transforming not only lives, but entire communities from Morocco to Afghanistan (he speaks both Arabic and Persian). Massimiliano has been a mentor, a couch and a brilliant strategist. I gained a deeper understanding of how storytelling might be impactful in shaping cultural and political change. This helped me in refining my consultancy in alignment with my own personal story and what I want to say about me

Dr. Fusari spares no effort when it comes to engaging his students. He spreads the love of creativity and imagination coupled with realistic strategy and the knowledge to build a successful product, venture, idea. It was a great experience to be taught and mentored by him during my studies

Professor Massimiliano is one of the BEST professors I have ever met. I took the Creativity for digital media and communication major. When we learned to be creative in the media area, he gave us step by step suggestions. From the basic mind map to combining different visions of thoughts. He provided various examples and personal advice to students

I worked closely with Massimiliano in 2021 and 2022 as part of DiploFoundation’s online courses and the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy. He conceptualised and delivered the training on visual storytelling and visual communication, as specifically tailored to institutional and diplomatic activities. He excelled in bringing current and highly relevant examples to the discussion, making complex topics easy to understand, and successfully engaging participants in a number of exercises

Massimiliano joined DiploFoundation faculty in 2021, bringing his unique skills, knowledge, experience, and teaching style to communications training, focusing on the role of the visual in today's politics. He helped students improve their communication and presentation skills in an online environment. The practice-led workshop addressed the political and diplomatic forms of communication and asked the students to apply theory to practice

Massimiliano brought creativity, commitment and a playful spirit to his teaching and research at the University of Westminster. He was always willing to take on challenges and teach new things and played a key role in establishing our MA in Digital and Interactive Storytelling. He also took on a popular Year 2 module on creativity and made it even more popular with students from across the university

Massimiliano played an important role, contributing to both our Digital Media: Development and Production and Digital Media: Marketing and Distribution courses. He is an excellent teacher and highly popular with postgraduate students. He approached the task of managing and teaching our modules with huge enthusiasm and creativity and motivated our students to produce some excellent work

I was initially introduced to Massimiliano by Digital Catapult, as I was looking for a mentor for an innovative AR/VR client. From the very first introductory call, I found Massimilano to be a very capable, thorough, experienced and passionate mentor, with a real flair for storytelling. He took time to prepare the session, and was also easily able to "change tack" and be flexible, picking up on what was being said and giving some great guidance and examples of how to present in a more engaging way

My team connected with Massimiliano when we were selected for the UK's leading immersive accelerator programme with Digital Catapult. Our startup Overview Ark leverages multiple visual mediums, and Massimiliano a mentor and teacher on the program, helped us to concisely develop our brand aesthetics and techniques. Thank you!

Massimiliano was invited by the Council of Europe’s European Youth Centre Budapest to run a workshop for the participants of the study session “Fighting for a Greener Digital Future." Massimiliano is an engaging and enthusiastic speaker and pays attention to using interactive methods. His input combined theoretical and practical information in a well-balanced manner. The team of organisers and participants were highly satisfied with his contribution

If you are looking for an extremely professional trainer, able to energize the most inactive crowd, with little interest on the training agenda, distrustful of the benefit of the training purpose and outcomes, well, look no further, Dr. Fusari, is your trainer. As the Project Team Leader, I am asked by my project beneficiaries, time and again: "Is he coming back?" In the field of the consultancy service and working on gender equality issues, regrettably, we do not witness such accolade very often

Dr Massimiliano Fusari is an expert digital visual storyteller who opens up new ways of seeing and revealing the world around us through the image. He is professional, creative and engaging, with the ability to inspire through his work. He was invited to give a presentation on digital visual storytelling at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. This followed a successful mission teaching at the ILO's 'Gender Academy' attended by gender experts, NGOs and civil society organizations from around the world. The Geneva presentation proved to be extremely popular!

Massimiliano taught me the incredibly fascinating creativity module at Westminster University - throughout this time, Mass was able to captivate the entire room in his lectures with his eloquence, energy and humour! He inspired the students and enlightened them with the fascinating debates around creativity, and was brilliant at stimulating debate and enthusing the audience. I highly recommend Massimiliano for any role as he is hugely dedicated and contagiously enthusiastic!

Over the last decade or so, I have been crossing Massimiliano’s photographic paths both in their theoretical and practical dimensions. I feel absolutely confident in assessing his qualities as a persistent, curious and always pro-active photojournalist who is perfectly at ease in almost any corner of the Middle-East. I also appreciate the rather heterodox perspective of his theoretical research and the way he dissects the photograph to explore the trans-media component of today’s visual cultures

Massimiliano was contracted as a Voter Education Officer because of his in depth knowledge of the regional culture, behaviour and understanding. Due to international personnel's shortage at the time, he was assigned to deal with completely different scope of works - procurement and logistics. His understanding, fast adjustment and strong dedication to effectively complete assigned task proved him as skilled professional able to manage procurement and logistics for the whole Iranian mission

A single storytelling session in Professor Fusari’s class at H-FARM College transformed my perspective towards everything. Professor Fusari's class is more than an educational encounter; it's a journey into the heart of what it means to truly understand and connect with the world around us. As I continue my academic journey, I carry with me the invaluable lesson that stories are everywhere, in every data point, every historical event, every scientific discovery

I contracted Massimiliano for a commissioned work for the Italian National Broadcast Service, RAI. We used his photographic reportage on China for the opening theme of a TV show. He submitted to us a splendid selection of beautifully shot and carefully edited photographs we then mounted with no problem at all. He proved to be extremely professional and always receptive to our requirements, thus making the collaboration a very positive and smooth experience

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I grew up in a world that would identify enemies through colours: black and yellow in relation to identity stereotypes, and red and green to identify ideologies.

In the early 1990s, I enrolled at the University of Oriental Languages because I wanted to first hand explore the realities behind the representations.

I have since defined my professional life around the pivot of the relation between the real and its representations

For 30+ years, I worked as comms officer, radio presenter, political analyst, journalist and eventually photojournalist.

All these experiences made my theoretical understanding and practical skillsets thicker and thorough. I came to appreciate the extent to which problems are increasingly complex.

For instance, how could I tell visually a culture that is not represented but by stereotypes?

Let me share with you the challenge I devised for my PhD research: how to show the richness of the social space of the Hawza (the Koranic Seminaries) to a Western audience that has no but a negative storytelling of it.

The storytelling I devised in response is simple in spite of the complexities of the problem: the people in the seminaries between Syria and Bahrain belong to an age where cultural transmission was a chain based on recognised masters rather than books.

Problems are increasingly complex. Though, solutions can be simple.

I like to borrow an image that the great photographer Toscani used for photographers: (visual) storytellers are plumbers.

Like plumbers, storytellers have practical abilities and dedicated strategies and skillsets. When called to solve a problem, the more experienced ones are confident to go beyond the best practices and use “whatever it takes” to deal with a leak.

Similarly, as a storyteller, I have a practical and sensible approach to solving my clients’ problems with whatever I think might work. This is not, in any way, an incitement to overlook ethical or moral concerns: these too are part of the complexities of any issue of representation.

Let’s say, instead, that my 30+ years of turning high-level academic research into sensible training and practical consulting turned me into the kind of plumber that solves his client’s problems with creative effectiveness. Like good plumbers, when I intervene, I leave the toilet clean.

What I offer is not life-changing promises, but the sensible delivery of impactful and cost-effective communication for your enterprise.
I do so by combining training with consulting.

I pivot my training around the skillsets and competencies that I have built in almost 30 years of worldwide consulting and academic teaching on how the visual form shapes today’s businesses and social issues.

I worked as a professional photojournalist for almost 10 years. I produce long-term photographic projects that I turn into impactful communication, like I did for The Tentmakers of Cairo.

My practice continues to enhance my academic research, as much as the latter extends the former. By combining practice with research I develop a more thorough understanding of my client’s problems, to offer sensible and cost-effective storytelling solutions.

training

I like to train to the job by hands-on making artefacts: this is the great lesson of master handcrafting, that – to me – seems having been forgotten after the great Bauhaus experience. Surely, theoretical expertise is key not to reinvent the wheel over and over, as we should take advantage of being on the shoulders of the giants that came before us.

In my training, I promise to you that I will use any strategy to keep you engaged to discover the solution together. I will not tell you what is right, I will take you through a journey of discovery of how you can use my expertise and my toolkits to solve the problem yourself because if there is one and only one rule in storytelling is that there is never any pre-arranged template to implement. Solutions to complex problems require commitment, creativity and expertise. Without your commitment, my creativity and expertise will not bring no result.

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consulting

Show, don’t Tell

“Show, don’t tell” is key to powerful communication. Words describe, but only images can propel your communication to the level of storytelling.

Don’t tell that a brand is innovative, show how that happens: this is the difference between poor marketing and impactful storytelling

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MIA

MIA is just one of the way through which MASSIMEDIA integrates training with consulting

Problem-driven Solutions

Professional development is both a personal journey and an everyday commitment.

It’s best enacted without slides by turning high-level academic research into sensible know-how to respond to your problems.

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