Hero Image

People Behind the Vision

Every Vision Starts with
a Conversation

People Behind the Vision is a curated video

format created by Simone Massaro, in which he invites creators

strategists, and executives to share the unfiltered doubts and

critical decisions made behind closed doors.

Fresh Perspectives

Latest Episodes

EP. 02

19 ott 2026

Inside the Studio of Maestro Salvatore Russo | Simone Massaro

I stepped into the studio of Maestro Salvatore Russo, a space that began as an atelier and over the years became his home, where every inch tells the story of a life in painting. We talked about journeys and the longing to return, the weight of the word “maestro”, the fear of the blank canvas, and what art can still teach children growing up in front of a screen. His path was “very much uphill”, like everything that matters. And his idea of the artist is someone who refuses to give in: for the paranoid, two plus two makes four, but he cannot accept it. The only way out is to pour his own world onto a blank canvas.

THE PEOPLE

Who Are the People Behind the Vision?

Putting Human Capital Back at the Centre

The people behind the vision are those who changed course after meeting Simone Massaro. Without him, they might have taken a different path, and their journeys are the most honest measure of his vision.The people Simone has met, mentored, and empowered form the most authentic biography of who he is and how he works. They are more credible than any corporate portfolio and more powerful than any keynote.That is why People Behind the Vision does not put Simone at the centre. It presents him as the silent origin of stories that speak for themselves.

What Is Simone Massaro's Role?

SIMONE’S ROLE

The Silent Origin of the Stories

Simone Massaro is not the protagonist of each story. He is its origin and its point of view.

Editorial

He is the person who sees potential where others see only the ordinary.

Simone Massaro's editorial role is to spark the story, not to take centre stage. Every episode begins with the guest: the person at its centre, their challenge, their turning point.

Implicit Authority

Viewers recognise his signature not in what he says, but in what the people around him have become. It is an authority that is never declared, only demonstrated, episode after episode.

Key Principles: Defined Narrative Role · Narrative Catalyst · Turning Point ·

Frequently asked questions
about People Behind the Vision

What is People Behind the Vision?

People Behind the Vision is a curated video format created by Simone Massaro. In each episode, a creator, strategist or executive shares the unfiltered doubts and critical decisions made behind closed doors. The format tells the stories of people Simone has met, mentored and empowered, whose journeys show his vision in action.

Who is the guest of the first episode of People Behind the Vision?

The first episode features Giovanni Cantarella, CEO of Free Mind Foundry, the innovation campus in Acireale, Sicily. Titled “From Gamer to CEO”, it explores his move from executor to context builder. It also covers his shift from a world of rules and systems to leading people, teams and companies.

What is Simone Massaro's role in People Behind the Vision?

Simone Massaro is the origin and point of view of each story, not its protagonist. Every episode starts from the guest, their challenge and their turning point. Simone appears as the point of contact where something changed. His authority emerges from what the people around him have become, not from what he says.

Why does People Behind the Vision focus on human capital?

People Behind the Vision focuses on human capital because the people Simone Massaro has met, mentored and empowered are the most credible proof of his vision. Their journeys, told in their own voices, say more about how he works than any corporate portfolio or keynote could.

What does it mean for a leader to become a "context builder"?

A context builder is a leader who creates the conditions for others to decide well, instead of executing tasks or directing every decision. Those conditions are clear goals, shared information and trust. This shift is explored in the first episode of People Behind the Vision, in which Giovanni Cantarella, CEO of Free Mind Foundry, describes his move from executor to context builder.

Rotonda Fontanarossa:
the story of
Captain Giovanni Massaro's Fiat G.91T

The Fiat G.91T at the center of the Via Fontanarossa roundabout in Catania is the aircraft once flown by Captain Giovanni Massaro, Simone Massaro's father. Its story runs from the 41st Wing at Fontanarossa to a monument for the whole city.

1965

1965 – The 41st Wing in Catania

On 1 October 1965 the 41st Wing (41° Stormo) of the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) was re-formed as an anti-submarine wing, with its 88th Group based at Catania Fontanarossa; in 1971 the group moved to nearby Sigonella. During the Cold War the wing carried out surveillance and patrol activities across the Mediterranean, and the Sicilian bases played a strategic role in controlling the air and maritime space of the area.

1965 – The 41st Wing in Catania

Bright Start:
building opportunities that last

For me, Bright Start is a way to give philanthropic work continuity, structure and accountability. The objective is not simply to fund an activity. It is to help create opportunities that can open new paths for people and communities, while building the conditions for those opportunities to continue over time.

-cit. Ing. Simone Massaro

The individual projects may differ, but they share the same principle: an initial contribution should create value that can continue beyond the moment in which it is made.

Bright Start is the foundation through which I am developing a long-term approach to philanthropy. My aim is to transform resources into opportunities, inclusion and better places for the communities around me, starting from Catania and Sicily. I do not see philanthropy as a series of isolated contributions, but as a way to create the conditions in which people, organisations and communities can grow.

Oratorio Contemporaneo

Oratorio Contemporaneo is a cultural project in development, promoted by Simone Massaro: a living, constantly evolving space where gesture, community and language intersect to generate something new. It is conceived not simply as a physical place but as a cultural ecosystem that transcends the traditional boundaries of art and gathering, connecting urban expression, creativity and collective growth. Every action will become part of a broader system: an open dialogue between individuals, ideas and territories, capable of building authentic and lasting relationships.

Oratorio Contemporaneo is designed with new generations in mind, yet it speaks to anyone who feels the urgency to actively engage in change, offering tools, spaces and visions to transform talent into impact. Its communities will not merely exist. They will be built, cross-pollinated and strengthened, giving rise to a new shared language that connects culture, identity and future.