Articles by Author

I'm Back

By Jim Pickerell | 209 Words | Posted 6/1/2020 | Comments

I've been on hiatus for about a month. My wife and I have just sold the home where we've lived for 42 years and moved into a condo apartment about one-third the size of our former residence. Making such a move, only about five miles from where we formerly lived, and getting rid of a huge amount of the stuff that we've collected over the years has been a challenge.

Shutterstock Reduces Royalty Rates Dramatically

By Jim Pickerell | 1547 Words | Posted 5/29/2020 | Comments (2)

On May 26th Shutterstock announced that in an effort to cut costs and increase profits as of June 1, 2020 it would dramatically reduce future royalty rates paid to contributors. The new rates will no longer be based on a contributor’s lifetime earnings. At the beginning of each year all contributors will start with zero downloads/licenses and a 15% royalty rate. Previous sales history will be disregarded when it comes to determining royalty percentage. The number of downloads needed to rise to a higher royalty level are as follows:

Shutterstock Ten Year History

By Jim Pickerell | 728 Words | Posted 5/1/2020 | Comments

The chart below allows you to easily track the last 10-year growth trend of Shutterstock quarter-by-quarter and see the number of images in the collection, number of downloads and the gross quarterly revenue at the end of each quarter. You can also see the average revenue-per-download and revenue-per-image-in-the-collection trends.

Can Stock Photography Be A Profitable Activity?

By Jim Pickerell | 1541 Words | Posted 4/28/2020 | Comments

Considering the cost of producing stock photos, it is hard to see how an average annual return of $0.49 per-image accepted into a stock photo collection can be enough to cover out-of-pocket costs let alone provide any kind of hourly return for time expended. Hourly return will certainly be far below the U.S. minimum wage.

Shutterstock Q1 2020 Financial Results

By Jim Pickerell | 1369 Words | Posted 4/27/2020 | Comments

Shutterstock has reported Q1 2020 revenue $161.3 million compared to $163.3 million in Q1 2019 and down from $166.4 million the previous quarter. Revenue per download remained flat at $3.42 per-image compared to Q1 2019 and down from $3.44 the previous quarter.

Footage Industry Pandemic Impact Survey Report

By Jim Pickerell | 516 Words | Posted 4/24/2020 | Comments

Footage.net has published the results of the Footage Industry Pandemic Industry Survey, which captures a real-time snapshot of how footage companies are responding to the pandemic-related disruptions that began to take hold worldwide in early March.

Cutcaster Closes On Saturday

By Jim Pickerell | 225 Words | Posted 4/24/2020 | Comments

Founder John Griffin has announced that he will be closing the microstock site Cutcaster on Saturday April 25, 2020 after nearly 12 years of operations. He gave everyone a few days notice so buyers could make use of any existing funds they have on account and he encouraged contributors with more than $5 on account to request a payout before the closing deadline.

ITV Extends Exclusive Shutterstock Distribution Deal

By Jim Pickerell | 312 Words | Posted 4/24/2020 | Comments

Shutterstock, has announced a three-year extension to its long-standing exclusive distribution deal with the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, ITV. Currently, this collection contains 40 million news, sports, entertainment and archival photos and they add 20,000 images of current events daily.

Shutterstock New Footage Subscription Offer

By Jim Pickerell | 470 Words | Posted 4/17/2020 | Comments

Shutterstock, Inc has launched an annual subscription for Shutterstock Footage. Shutterstock’s collection of 18+ million HD and 4K video clips are now available for license through a range of cost-effective monthly plan options or for less than $9 per clip through an annual plan.

Elaine Vitt New DMLA Executive Director

By Jim Pickerell | 202 Words | Posted 4/13/2020 | Comments

The Digital Medial Licensing Association has appointed Elaine Vitt as Executive Director. Ms. Vitt brings a unique set of skills to DMLA, with significant experience in journalism, international marketing & communications, non-profit trade association management, event planning and content generation.

About Michael Masterson

Michael Masterson has a broad range of experience in marketing, business development, strategic planning, contact negotiations and recruiting in the photography, graphic design and publishing industries. In addition to his long experience at the Workbook and Workbookstock, Masterson owned and was creative director of his own graphic design firm for several years.

Masterson has been a speaker or panelist at industry events such as Seybold, PhotoPlus Expo, Visual Connections and the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) national conference. He is currently the national president of the American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP). He also serves on the board of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council in his Los Angeles community. He chaired the marketing committee for the Los Angeles Conservancy, a historic preservation advocacy group, for many years.

He currently heads Masterson Consulting, working on projects ranging from business development for creative companies and sourcing talent for them to promoting and marketing industry events as well as providing resume and professional profile services for job-seekers. He can be reached at zvpunryqznfgrefba@tznvy.pbz.