Three senior news executives have joined Kevin Smith’s new media company,
The Mega Agency. Smith is delighted to announce that Paul Tetley, David Leigh and Karlo Pastrovic have joined the Mega team.
Smith, who sold Splash in 2011 after making it one of the most recognizable names in the entertainment business, promised his new venture would bring ‘exciting and innovative new technologies to shake-up the agency world.’
Tetley, previously VP Global News and Entertainment at Corbis, will be Mega's Chief Operations Officer (COO). Tetley first worked for Splash, and then Corbis, for 14 years.
Tetley said, “While the media environment has continued to change and evolve over the years, one thing we have never lost sight of is that content creators will always be at the heart of our business.”
Leigh, a former News and Foreign Editor at the Daily Mirror and Assistant Editor, News, at the Daily Express, in London, will be Chief Content Officer (CCO). Leigh, who first met Smith during their early reporting days on the Evening Argus, Brighton, is an award-winning hard news journalist, who also served as Senior News Director at Splash for 11 years.
Pastrovic joins Mega as Photo Editor, having most recently served on the photo desk at the New York Daily News. Pastrovic's resume also includes seven years at the New York bureau of Australian Consolidated Press, and a stint as Splash's East coast Photo Editor, before joining News Corporation's first digital newspaper venture, The Daily.
Tom Tramborg, Mega’s CEO, formerly a Senior Director at Getty Images, worked with all three when he ran All Over Press International in Scandinavia and said having such experienced photographic agency hands on board was a massive coup for the company.
"I am really excited at the team we're assembling," said Tramborg. "Having Paul, Dave and Karlo's knowledge and expertise available to us as we prepare for launch will help boost both innovation and content, which is what Mega is all about."
He said Mega was still assembling its global team and further announcements were imminent. There will be offices across the U.S., Europe and Australasia.
He added: “The Mega Agency intends to disrupt the content licensing business and scale at a rapid pace through innovative technology and new revenue models.”
Noted Leigh: “It’s great to be working with Kevin again. I’ve known him since we worked together on the Argus, when we were young reporters trying to make a name for ourselves. Mega will be like a breath of fresh air: new and exciting ideas, a friend to photographers, and a different option for clients. I can't wait to get going.”
Pastrovic added: "It’s exciting to be working with people who have always been super responsive to finding the latest technology in getting pictures and videos to our clients quickly. This passion to be first is electrifying and it makes my job as a photo editor all the more gratifying. I’m so excited to be starting something great again from the ground up.”
The Mega Agency is global media company created to revolutionize the world of distributing and selling all forms of visual content. As the name suggests, MEGA is big and bold and set to shake up the media world with exciting and totally new ways of doing business.
For more about the Mega Agency check out
this story published in March.