Massimiliano Zane on His Career Turning Point in Cultural Design

Massimiliano Zane, a cultural designer and consultant in cultural economics, describes his career turning point not as a single prestigious appointment but as a shift in perspective around 2014/2015 when he began working directly with digital innovation processes applied to culture. Collaborating with companies, developers, designers, economists, curators, and public institutions, he realized his role was to build connections between different worlds, leading him to define himself as a cultural designer. Academic and institutional collaborations with universities, public bodies, and European organizations helped him develop technical, administrative, and strategic skills. By 2018/2019, cultural economics became the core of his career, applied as an operational tool for heritage valorization. In 2020, he began collaborating with the Italian Ministry of Culture, an experience he considers a watershed moment, confirming that culture is a strategic platform capable of dialoguing with innovation, territorial development, technology, and social cohesion.