Founded in 1997, Azzurro was America’s first all-digital, HD facility for co-location, traditional video switching and distribution. Over the years the company expanded to IP technology and remote controllable broadcast studios.
To protect and service its customers, Azzurro operates Network Operations Centers in New York and Connecticut. Both locations are staffed by technicians trained across multiple platforms and studio operations. All services are monitored by manual and automated systems.
Azzurro HD delivers the engineering & transmission services needed to keep your operations at the leading edge.
Meet the Team
Francis G. Luperella
President & CEO
As President & CEO, Francis is responsible for the strategic vision and new service development of the company. He oversees all business units and day to day operations of Azzurro HD.
Before forming Azzurro HD, he served as Senior Vice President, Global Operations for Ascent Media Network Services (AMNS), with facilities in metro New York, Minneapolis, Burbank, London and Singapore. In this capacity, Francis was responsible for program network origination, fiber & satellite distribution and post production around the world for customers including: Discovery Asia, MTV Asia, Nickelodeon Asia, A&E TV, YES Network, ABC, CBS, NFL Sunday Ticket, TVN, Court TV, History Channel, Biography Channel and FOX News Channel.
Francis led the group of assets under AMNS which included: Waterfront Communications, Atlantic Satellite, Group W-Stanford, Group W-Minneapolis, Group W-Asia, 4MC-Burbank, 4MC-Asia and TVN-London.
Prior to Ascent Media, Francis served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Waterfront Communications and Atlantic Satellite Communications (units of the Video Services Corporation) and was responsible for expanding Waterfront into the largest independent video switching facility as well as making Atlantic Satellite one of the most successful Teleports in the United States. He entered the media services industry after serving in senior financial management positions with Ericsson North America and Beirsdorf North America.
Mr. Luperella received both his undergraduate and MBA diplomas from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.
John Bonaccorso
Senior Vice President, Enterprise Account Operations
“JB” joined Azzurro in 2010 to launch Azzurro IP, a new Department created specifically for IP broadcast. His first project was to build out NFL Network’s TeamCam system. Working closely with the League, robotic camera studios and MPLS circuits were installed at every NFL team training facility as well as multiple ‘at-home’ analyst locations.
In January of 2013 John took over all HD Operations, taking responsibility for every video signal in and out of Azzurro’s Network Operations Center. John was promoted to Senior Vice President in July 2021. He works directly with Azzurro’s CEO and President. John is responsible for client experience and the marketing function of Azzurro. He interacts regularly with clients to provide high-quality customer service, striving to build strong business relationships with existing and prospective clients to increase brand loyalty and generate more business.
Prior to joining Azzurro, he served as Director of Operations and Programming for HTN Communications, where he managed its growing operations division, oversaw construction of a multi-million-dollar fiber network and helped place broadcast equipment in nearly every sports venue in the US and Canada. He came to HTN from GlobeCast, where he worked as a Customer Service Representative and Project Manager. He entered the business in 1995 as an operations technician for Rainbow Network Communications.
Diana Colonna
Senior Vice President, Accounting & Administration
As Senior Vice President of Accounting and Administration, Diana is responsible for all the Accounting Functions, Financial reporting, Cash Management, Payroll and Human Resources. Prior to joining Azzurro in 2008, she was Accounting Manager promoted to Controller at RLA Advertising with the majority of her career prior with Video Services Corporation for 21 years rising into the role of Treasurer.
Jorge Montoya
Vice President, Operations & Engineering
Jorge has been part of the Azzurro team since joining the company in 2008. Coming onboard as an operator, he advanced to his current position as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Jorge is responsible for overseeing the operational and engineering needs of Azzurro HD. He comes from an IT background, which has proven to be invaluable to Azzurro HD’s extensive IP footprint.
During the early months of 2020, Jorge worked closely with customers to help them transition, from the comforts of their studio workflows to at-home productions. Further extending the reaches of Azzurro HD’s IP network and putting their technology at the forefront of the industry.
In order to provide Azzurro’s customers the best possible solutions in the ever-changing IP landscape, Jorge continues to expand his knowledge in computer networking. Achieving several industry leading certifications over the past years, he understands the need to constantly grow with the rapid changes in technology.
Chris Puzzio
Vice President, Product Development
As Vice President of Product Development, Chris is responsible for designing and developing new products and services, as well as supporting the mature product offerings.
From streaming technologies to software and hardware, Chris is responsible for keeping Azzurro at the forefront of technology in this dynamic industry. Chris is the sole developer of the NICO control software for remote broadcast production and handles all internal software development needs at Azzurro. In addition to research and development, Chris is manager of the manufacturing and production operations and oversees bench testing and quality control.
Chris received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and his M.S. in Mathematics in Finance from New York University.
