Random Thoughts 76

Posted on 4/5/2004 by Jim Pickerell | Printable Version | Comments (0)

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RANDOM THOUGHTS 76






April 5, 2004




Panoramic Images Fire




There was a fire in the Panoramic Images building at 70 East Lake Street in Chicago on April 3, 2004, but there was no heat, water or fire damage to any of the approximately 120,000 images on file there.


The fire started in a ground floor clothing store and arson is suspected. Panoramic's offices are on the fourth floor of the building. Phone and other communication services have been disrupted and it will be several days before it is expected that they will to be back to normal. In the meantime it will be possible to contact Panoramic Images by calling 847-905-1401 or 312-953-7872.


There is a lot of airborne soot in the building and it is unclear at this time how difficult the clean-up will be or how long it will take.



Corbis Partners With InfoSpace Mobile


Corbis and InfoSpace Mobile have announced they will collaborate to provide a series of new, still image and video-based products for delivery to mobile phones, allowing consumers to personalize their handsets with still and moving images.


Under the terms of the agreement, InfoSpace Mobile will enable a portion of Corbis' extensive video library to be merchandised in a wireless environment. Consumers will now be able to personalize their mobile phones with downloadable video with clips that include: time-lapse cinematography, backgrounds and visual effects, action sports and more. Furthermore, InfoSpace Mobile will make a set of Corbis' images and downloadable video clips available to all of its distribution partners in North America.


Product Offerings


InfoSpace Mobile and Corbis plan to offer the Corbis catalog preformatted for use in the following mobile video products:


  • Download video clips. Consumers can download entertaining video clips for local playback on their devices.


  • Video ringers. Similar to audio ringtones in concept, video ringers allow wireless subscribers to personalize their handsets by alerting the user to an incoming call by playing a short video clip complete with sound.


  • Video greetings. For example, send a loved one a moving image of a flaming heart on Valentine's Day.


  • Video caller ID. This content is played on the handset's screen in response to an incoming call from a specific individual or group of callers. Unique video clips can be associated with different callers for better identification purposes.


  • Video screensaver. This content is played on the screen when the handset is in an inactive state. Screen savers could be black and white or color video clips of celebrities, sports stars or other video content.


    "Corbis is always looking for new and innovative ways to distribute its content," said Mark Sherman, Corbis vice president Emerging Markets and Products. "We are very excited at the prospect of leveraging InfoSpace Mobile's core competencies, and technology to extend the usage and delivery of our extensive collection of images and videos to the North American mobile market."


    Handset Requirements


    A variety of phones in the market place today already have audiovisual capabilities that can take advantage of video content and the next-generation multimedia handsets on EDGE, EVDO and 3G networks are being optimized for video media. "Together, InfoSpace Mobile and Corbis are among the first to enable wireless subscribers to take advantage of the device functionality and network capabilities that now exist and as a result allow access to the highest quality and most diverse video content in the world," said Kendra VanderMeulen, executive vice president at InfoSpace Mobile. "Corbis' deep library of video clips and their focus on unique images adds even more firepower to our growing Moviso(TM) Application Portfolio."


    The Corbis video content will be part of InfoSpace Mobile's Moviso(TM) Application Portfolio which brings together valued branded partners and leading wireless carriers in partnership to develop, deploy and market compelling mobile data applications to wireless subscribers.



    ImageState Staff Changes


    ImageState has appointed Alison Jo Rigney as Worldwide Sales Director and John McIntosh as Chief Financial Officer.


    Rigney is a true industry professional with two decades of sales experience in the visual media business, having worked for companies such as Corbis, Image Bank and Index Stock. Prior to her career in stock photography, she worked in magazine publishing as an art buyer for more than ten years.


    Rigney joins Imagestate from Corbis where she was Director of Sales & Service at the company's highly successful New York operation. During her six-year tenure, she was instrumental in building Corbis' commercial advertising business and integrating a strong program of cross-selling across all content collections into new market sectors.


    McIntosh first joined the company in July 2003 as interim Financial Director and was recently named CFO and a member of the Board of Directors of ImageState PLC. McIntosh qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte & Touche, and brings ten years experience of international media and communication businesses, having held positions at International Masters Publishers, the BBC, D'Arcy, Massius, Benton & Bowles and Sony.


    Leslie Hughes, the company's chief executive, said, "We are delighted to have both Alison and John join our team. ImageState is serious about becoming the preferred alternative to its big competitors. To accomplish this, we need to build out our team with experienced and talented professionals like Alison and John."



    AbleStock Adds Partners


    Hemera(r), has added four content partners to their AbleStock.com(r) site with the launching of version 4.0. The partners are: Art Parts by Ron and Joe, Image DJ Corporation, New Vision Technologies and Pixoi Ltd. Users of this subscription model RF site may simultaneously search for images in any or all collections, totaling more than 80,000 stock photos, raster illustrations, vector illustrations and Photo-Objects(r) images.


    Customers can purchase and download images as single-image purchases, or sign up for a 6-month or 1-year subscription and get access to an entire collection. Current subscribers to individual collections get rebates on subscriptions to other collections available at www.ablestock.com .


    The five collections offer high-resolution photography and illustration files in sizes between 18 and 67 MB.


    "The five collections complement each other perfectly," said Alison Canavan, vice president of marketing at Hemera. "AbleStock.com now offers high-resolution stock photos and Photo-Objects images, as well as backgrounds, textures and raster and vector illustrations in one convenient location and at a very competitive price."


    Pricing and subscription information


    AbleStock - 46,000 images


    Single image: stock photo $199.99; Photo-Objects image: $199.99; vector illustration $24.99


    Subscriptions: 1 year: $799; 6 months: $599


    Subscription renewals: 1 year: $699; 6 months: $499


    Art Parts - 6,000 images


    Single image: raster illustration $199.99; vector illustration $49.99


    Subscriptions: 1 year: $699; 6 months: $499


    Subscription renewals: 1 year: $599; 6 months: $399


    ImageDJ - 5,000 images


    Single image: stock photo $199.99; Photo-Object: $199.99; raster illustration $199.99; vector illustration $49.99


    Subscriptions: 1 year: $599; 6 months: $399


    Subscription renewals: 1 year: $499; 6 months: $299


    NVTech - 10,000 images


    Single image: raster illustration $199.99; vector illustration 49.99


    Subscriptions: 1 year: $599; 6 months: $399


    Subscription renewals: 1 year: $499; 6 months: $299


    Pixoi - 15,000 images


    Single image: stock photo $199.99


    Subscriptions: 1 year: $599; 6 months: $399


    Subscription renewals: 1 year: $499; 6 months: $299


    Rebates are also offered and customers who buy two or more 6-month subscriptions will save $50.00 off each subscription. If they buy two or more 1-year subscriptions the saving will be $100.00 off each subscription. Buy any combination of 6-month and 1-year subscriptions and receive $50.00 off each 6-month and $100.00 off each 1-year. All prices are in US dollars.


    Index Stock Imagery Names Portuguese Distribution Agent


    Index Stock Imagery, has named CVL-Comunicação Visual, Lda as its new image distribution agent in Portugal. CVL will offer Index's broad collection of stock images in digital format to all of its clients, directly and through their www.casadaimagem.com , the Portuguese Image Portal.


    CVL has been in business since 1998 and represents Rights Managed and Royalty Free imagery for use by editorial and advertising/commercial end-users. Alexandre Cordeiro, President of CVL says, "Our unique selling proposition relies on proposing only high-end quality imagery solutions to our clients. We also pay weekly visits to the most important editorial clients, and from time to time, all the others."


    This year the company launched the first Portuguese Image Portal with four other companies under the same ownership. It offers more than a million high quality Rights Managed and Royalty Free images and some footage through a searchable site located at www.casadaimagem.com .


    Peter McClusky, VP of International Business Development at Index says, "We like to work with agents that have an advanced Web site including sophisticated search tools. CVL is well run and well established, and we look forward to a profitable future licensing stock photography with them in Portugal." In addition to CVL, in the past year it has replaced agents in Italy, England, Germany, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Mexico and Chile.


  • Copyright © 2004 Jim Pickerell. The above article may not be copied, reproduced, excerpted or distributed in any manner without written permission from the author. All requests should be submitted to Selling Stock at 10319 Westlake Drive, Suite 162, Bethesda, MD 20817, phone 301-461-7627, e-mail: wvz@fpcubgbf.pbz

    Jim Pickerell is founder of www.selling-stock.com, an online newsletter that publishes daily. He is also available for personal telephone consultations on pricing and other matters related to stock photography. He occasionally acts as an expert witness on matters related to stock photography. For his current curriculum vitae go to: http://www.jimpickerell.com/Curriculum-Vitae.aspx.  

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