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Filippo Ferretti was born in Florence with the certainty that his life would be marked by news. Since childhood, he transformed newspapers into improvised scripts and turned his bedroom screen into a television set. What began as a game became a career of more than two decades in international media, with coverage in war zones, long-form investigations, and an Emmy in his hands.

Based in Tampa Bay for more than a decade, Ferretti has become a benchmark in Spanish-language journalism, despite not being Hispanic by birth. His ability to connect with migrant communities, to listen to their stories, and to convey them through television, radio, and digital platforms has made him a familiar figure.

In a conversation with CENTRO Tampa, the journalist shared details about his origins, his arrival in the United States, his most difficult experiences, and how Tampa became the place where he put down roots.

“I would like the community to remember me as someone who gave them a voice, because for me that is the true mission of a journalist,” he said.

A childhood marked by news

From an early age, Ferretti knew that his destiny was tied to the world of media. He recalled that at only 7 years old, he used the Italian newspaper La Repubblica as a script and pretended to be an anchor in front of a desk he had turned into a set. He would also mute the news broadcasts to narrate the images in his own words, an exercise that shaped his calling.

“My hobby was to use the newspaper as if it were a script. I already had my rundown made, and I would give the news,” he remembered. That passion helped him overcome his shyness and start writing for a local media outlet in Florence when he was just a teenager.

Journalism became a natural path. He studied Audiovisual Communication and Journalism at the University of Florence and later pursued master’s degrees in Milan and Barcelona, where he perfected the Spanish that would later open doors for him in the United States.

First steps in Italy

His professional career began at Mediaset Italia, where he went from assistant to field reporter. That experience was the starting point of a trajectory that took him to more than 20 countries and exposed him to complex scenarios.

Ferretti recalled that television journalism is not always glamorous. “Many people think that working for a TV channel makes you a star, that you have an easy life, but it’s completely the opposite,” he noted. Even so, what motivated him was not the screen but the curiosity to discover what was behind each story.

In Italy, he also witnessed firsthand the slow pace of careers in media, but he learned that perseverance and daily work could open doors. That lesson stayed with him in his next destinations.

Discovering America

Ferretti’s entry into the U.S. market was almost accidental. While working at MTV News, he was offered the Miami bureau position for all of Latin America. He immediately accepted and began traveling throughout the region. The experience took him to Cuba during the opening promoted by the Obama administration, and later to assignments in Colombia and Afghanistan.

“I’ve always liked being where many people are not. I had the chance to cover the war in Afghanistan for almost a month, and that was quite impactful,” he said. There he experienced the constant risks of war, a contrast to the natural disasters he had covered at other times.

At the same time, his time in Barcelona had prepared him to work in Spanish. That training led him to Univision, where he became the first Italian born in Europe to anchor a Spanish-language newscast in the United States, a milestone in Hispanic media.

Tampa, the city that captured him

After working in New York and Orlando, Ferretti found in Tampa Bay a place where the quality of life convinced him to stay.

“A friend told me: be careful, because Tampa will catch you. And it was true. I love the beaches, the view of the Courtney Campbell bridge, all the water spots that Tampa has, I love seeing the landscapes of Ybor City during the day on a Sunday morning when it’s empty,” he said.

At first, the city seemed small to him, but thanks to his work he visited neighborhoods and met diverse communities. That immersion allowed him to understand and appreciate the local dynamic.

“I have truly learned to love this place,” he stated.

Today, Tampa is his professional and personal base. There he combines television with his online and social media episodes in collaboration with several public and social figures from Tampa as well as international ones.

Although he is not from a Hispanic country, Ferretti has integrated naturally into the Latino community. He defines it as an opportunity to maintain a certain objectivity without leaving empathy aside.

“The fact that I am Italian allows me to have objectivity with the news. I can say, I understand you, even though it’s not my problem in the sense that I am not the one experiencing it, but that can really help in understanding communities and different cultures with a more impartial and objective vision,” he explained.

That external perspective has earned him the trust of migrants who seek him out to share their stories and complaints. According to the Italian journalist, the Hispanic community has made him part of its identity and has given him a space he now feels as his own.

An Emmy with social impact

In 2022, Ferretti received an Emmy for an investigation that exposed a massive fraud against immigrants in Tampa. The case began with a message on social media and led to uncovering a pastor who scammed undocumented families with false legal promises.

“What really outraged me was realizing that the victims were undocumented families, people who had lost their entire savings, many farmworkers who had been scammed,” he recounted. The investigation revealed that hundreds of immigrants had been left exposed to deportation after being deceived.

That work, titled En la boca del lobo, had legal repercussions and resulted in a sentence of more than two decades for the perpetrator. For Ferretti, beyond the award, the important thing was that the families’ complaints found visibility.

In addition to his work in television and radio, Ferretti has taught and mentored, sharing his experience with new generations. For him, integrity and honesty are the foundation of the profession.

“Morality and integrity, empathy, respect for stories, for people, for professional ethics—that has always been the foundation for me,” he affirmed. In his view, journalism must steer away from sensationalism and focus on giving value to information.

He has also been an active representative of the Italian community in Tampa Bay, involved in initiatives that seek to strengthen ties between Italy and the United States.

Recognition and leadership

Ferretti’s trajectory has been recognized by professional organizations and digital platforms. The Society of Professional Journalists has distinguished him several times as Best Journalist for his disaster coverage and investigative reporting.

More recently, the independent company FeedSpot ranked him among the 40 most influential figures in the United States for his communication work in 2024 and 2025. These distinctions highlight his presence beyond traditional screens, in an environment where social media amplifies the reach of his voice.

His role as a public figure has consolidated him as a symbol of credibility among local Hispanics, who see him as a bridge between their realities and the national media sphere.

Asked about Hispanic Heritage Month, Ferretti emphasized the importance of celebrating cultural diversity as part of American identity.

“I think it’s very important to celebrate. It’s a great opportunity to remember that we live in such a diverse community,” he said.

To young migrants who dream of breaking into journalism, he recommended focusing on curiosity and perseverance. “Be curious, don’t be discouraged by closed doors, give your best. Visualize where you want to be,” he advised.

His legacy, he assures, will be having given a voice to those who didn’t have one.

“When you manage with your work to give voice to those who have none, that’s when you really succeed,” he emphasized.

Since his arrival, he has witnessed how the Hispanic community places trust in the media to speed up processes, denounce abuses, or shed light on hidden realities.

“When a media outlet comes into play, things move faster,” he said, aware that his role doesn’t end in telling a story but in helping unresolved issues find an answer. This has allowed him to stay close to people, beyond screens and microphones.

Ferretti insisted that the legacy of a migrant journalist is not written in awards, but in the trace left by the stories addressed. He pointed out that the Hispanic community of Tampa has allowed him to become part of a cultural fabric that renews itself every day.

From local newsrooms to international forums, Ferretti has maintained a constant: giving continuity to stories that would otherwise remain on the margins. With that conviction, he projects his work toward the future, convinced that informing is an act intertwined with the daily lives of those who seek to remain visible in a transforming country.

The journalist holds that the mission of journalism lies in opening spaces and building bridges. His career in Italy, Europe, and the United States brought him to Tampa, where he found a place to continue that mission.

At the same time, he recalled that during his years working in communities outside downtown Tampa, such as Wimauma, he met farmworkers who had spent decades unable to return to their countries or see their parents or children. Those conversations, he said, made him value more what he had and better understand the hardships of thousands of migrants in rural Florida.

“Listening to those stories allowed me to see life differently,” he said.

Likewise, when referring to Hispanic Heritage Month and those who find inspiration in his career, he commented: “To the Hispanic community and to those who want to venture into journalism, I would say never lose your strength, cultivate curiosity, visualize yourselves, and focus on what you want to achieve. Hispanics must value their unity and continue showing this country the importance of their work,” he expressed.

For Ferretti, each broadcast is a way of reaffirming that the news remains alive and that the Hispanic community of Tampa occupies a leading role, with a space that will always have a place among its headlines.