COMPANY PROFILE
FOTOLIA > WELCOME TO THE DIGIT
You don’t have to be a professional photographer to know that digital technology has changed the means and methods of sharing images forever.
Fotolia is a company that has tapped into the digital image-sharing market, as it creates opportunities for professionals in the media and communication industries worldwide, including artists, photographers, designers, creative directors, and more, to connect.
The company offers businesses and individual consumers the option to download and purchase their choice of more than 9 million royalty-free photographs, vectors, and HD videos. Importantly, it is also a space where artists, designers and photographers can expose their work to thousands of buyers, selling creative files to consumers and professionals of all kinds.
Recently, MacDirectorycaught up with Jennifer Laraway, the director of communications for Fotolia in North America, to get more information on the company and the products and services it offers.
MacDirectory > Jennifer, can you tell readers how Fotolia got started?
Jennifer Laraway > Thibaud Elzière began developing the business concept for Fotolia in 2001 while he was working as a communications intern at a website hosting company. Over the next two years, as Elzière finished his Masters, Fotolia took shape. In 2004, Elzière partnered with Oleg Tscheltzoff, who provided funding for the 2004 launch of .
MD > Is it true that Fotolia serves artists and buyers worldwide?
J > Fotolia became the leading microstock company in Europe within a very short period of time. Today, expansion continues as Fotolia localizes in new regions and partners with industry powerhouses such as Microsoft and Adobe. Fotolia currently offers service in 10 languages and 12 countries/regions.
MD > What does the company offer buyers?
J > Buyers are able to download high- quality images for some of the most affordable rates on the web – either one at a time or within a subscription plan. If you only need a few images, you can buy exactly the credits you need – there are no bundles forcing you to buy more than you need. Just buy 10 credits or more – you decide. With over nine million images, including premium content in our Infinite Collection, our aim is to be the one stop for all image needs.
On Fotolia, each image automatically comes with a very simple and broad royalty-free license, which means buyers are able to legally use the image in all print, broadcast, and online material for as long as they need to without any geographical limits. Fotolia is one of the only microstock agencies to have no run limits. The buyer can use the image in limitless projects and produce unlimited copies of their product.
MD > What does the company offer artists and photographers?
J > For artists and photographers: selling on Fotolia is absolutely free. Contributors enjoy some of the highest commission rates (between 25 and 63 percent) on Fotolia, and never have to pay portfolio management fees. With our international market presence, Fotolia has a uniquely global market advantage. We have a direct connection to buyers and business partners around the world, which works in the favour of our contributing artists.
MD > Does the company utilize Apple products?
J > Fotolia is a big fan of Apple products. Most of our office relies on Mac computers and products. But, Fotolia also has an iPhone app that searches our content of over nine million images. We also have plans for the iPad to ensure we stay at the forefront of social media innovation and product integration.
AL IMAGE-SHARING MARKET WORDS BY ALISON FRIEDOW
MD > What are the primary goals of Fotolia at present?
J > We are continuing our aggressive expansion efforts by tapping into new markets that hold a
lot of potential for microstock. Fotolia is also continuing to pursue cross- promotional and business development opportunities with major players of the online community. Our partnerships with Microsoft, Adobe, and GoDaddy have worked very well for us; in addition, we also are looking inward by developing user-experiences that will enhance the image buying process. We are very excited about what 2010 holds for Fotolia.
MD > Where do you see the future of the photography industry headed in the next 20 years?
J > It’s hard to predict where most industries will be in 20 years with the rapid development of technology, but it’s safe to say that the photography industry will only become more accessible, affordable, and user-friendly. One of the comments we hear over and over again at Fotolia is that contributing artists wish they knew about us years ago so that they could have been ahead of the curve and be amongst the top earners. To that we say, keep your eye on micro-video. It’s the next big trend and developing a signature product will be the key to being among the top earners.
MD > Where and how do you see Fotolia fitting in this future?
J > Fotolia already promotes videos on our site and recently launched Flixtime, a site where people can take their photographs and videos and blend them into a video complete with voiceover, music, and professional transitions. Fotolia’s future depends on staying ahead of the trends and listening to both our buying and contributing community. We look forward to expanding even further, whether that’s localizing or through new product development. We expect our customer base to grow rapidly from millions to tens of millions – this is the digital age and we have the digital product to feed the passion for visual expression.
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