About us
Smart Consulting Group, an idea that comes from afar.
It was the end of 2007 when Gaetano Blandini, former General Director of the audiovisual department of the Ministry of Culture, involved me – at the suggestion of my friend Professor Mario La Torre – in drafting the decrees of the law on tax benefits for the film sector, following the approval of Law No. 244 of 2007 (Finance Act 2008).
Thus, a team was formed, coordinated by the General Director, which worked for over a year with the support of technicians from the Ministry (among whom it is worth mentioning Roberto Lo Surdo and Massimo Baraldi) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (including, in particular, Bruno Izzo).
After numerous and hectic meetings in Brussels with representatives of the EU Commission, we managed to design a regulatory framework in line with the discipline of “State Aid” and consistent with the spirit of the Italian legislature and the needs of our audiovisual industry.
The basic idea was to (i) simplify the mechanisms of public support to the film sector by introducing a system based on “automatic” tax credit reserved for all players in the sector (producers, distributors, and exhibitors), as well as external subjects who could contribute to the growth of the sector and (ii) create conditions to make our country attractive to international productions. A framework that has maintained its initial characteristics intact, even in light of the expansion of benefits to audiovisual works, which occurred through a subsequent process, initiated by the current General Director, Nicola Borrelli.
In the context of continuous and constant interactions with trade associations, mainly aimed at providing adequate interpretations of the decrees, we created a “team” by integrating financial, tax, and managerial skills with legal ones, thanks to lawyer Barbara Bettelli.
From this partnership, Smart Consulting Group was founded in 2011, driven by an effective collaboration between professional partners, and a team of young men and women who had a passion for the audiovisual sector and an adequate training having participated in the FARM Master’s program at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” (directed by Professor Mario La Torre). Today, it is a great satisfaction for me to see that a reality such as Smart Consulting Group – born from the interaction of friends – continues to offer its services to a wide range of clients and that even today some of the “youngsters” of that time (Federico Giuseppini and Francesca Barzé) hold significant roles in it.
Gian Marco Committeri
Behind every success, there is always an explanation
The passion for the world of cinema and professional activity in this specific sector are the two elements that have guided the birth of Smart Consulting Group (SCG), a reality that for almost 15 years has played a supportive role for an increasingly vast number of national and international players.
Expertise, availability, and independence are the three milestones that have guided SCG during this longlasting journey.
The combination of expertise (tax, legal, financial) and deep knowledge of the sector and its dynamics (and therefore, also its weaknesses and critical aspects) has certainly been the element that has led many players to choose SCG as an advisor to support their business.
The availability of the SCG team has contributed to expand the services offered more and more, seeking to support players in all their needs: from the preliminary analysis of projects, to the optimization of financial resources obtainable from tax credit or other soft money tools, to the reporting and cost audit, up to the management of the ministerial procedures.
Independence (alongside confidentiality, applied scrupulously) is finally an element that we have always sought to guarantee and that has rewarded SCG, which has managed to work with almost all players who have evidently recognized it as a “safe harbor”. My sincerest thanks goes to all SCG clients and the entire SCG team.
Barbara Bettelli
The approach is Smart, but quality is the countersign
I was only 30 years old when in 2011 I was offered a significant role at Smart Consulting Group. It was certainly a challenge because it involved being the first entity to provide services in a completely new context, the tax credit reserved for companies in the film industry.
We created a team of individuals who prioritize the execution of activities with the utmost expertise and reliability, with the aim of ensuring customer satisfaction.
After many years, I can affirm that it was the right choice, as proved by the ongoing growth of SCG activities. Starting from the filling of tax credit requests, we broadened our services to the proactive analysis of projects, identifying national and European soft money tools to optimize benefits for our clients.
The results have been achieved through relentless commitment and constant, transparent dialogue with all stakeholders involved, from Direzione Generale Cinema e Audiovisivo of the Ministry of Culture to the audiovisual industry associations (in particular, ANICA and APA).
The goal is to become a one-stop-shop for the audiovisual industry, continually implementing our activities to provide clients with increasingly comprehensive services in the fields of Accounting, Tax, and Finance.
Stay Tuned!
Federico Giuseppini