The Mega Agency are having an agency building week with their second announcement here in 24 hours –
They say: New media company The Mega Agency continues its rapid global expansion with the opening of offices selling directly in Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. The agency, founded by former Splash owner Kevin Smith, is launching with an archive of 30 million images and has vowed to disrupt the content licensing industry.
Mega’s latest hires include Ulrike Ben Mansour , who will run the company’s German operation, while Sonia Zavattini, and twin sister Marina, the Italian team. All are vastly experienced in the world of picture agencies.
Ulrike Ben Mansour heads up the Mega Germany office
Sonia and Marina Zavattini head up the Mega Italy office
“Ulrike, Sonia and Marina are well known in this industry and have strong relationships with European publishers and content creators alike. We are delighted to have them onboard,” said Smith.
“Photographers need to know that their content is in good hands and Ulrike, Sonia and Marina are known for their tough negotiation skills. They fully appreciate the hard work and dedication that content creators have and aim to provide them with maximum rewards for their endeavors.”
Mega has announced they intend to sell direct in multiple countries around the world and further announcements about the expansion are expected in the coming weeks.
Mega CEO, Tom Tramborg said: “We are only in the early stages of rolling out our global sales strategy, but staying true to our mantra of being the photographers’ friend, selling direct is a key differentiator in the market. Many photographers have had to settle for a ‘cut from a cut’ for years, which significantly affects their earnings – Mega is changing that.
“I am confident that our model will appeal to a large number of contributors and can’t wait to share our strategy with the photographic community.”
A keen travel and fashion photographer, Ulrike, who is fluent in German, Italian and English, has been running her own agency, Ugpix, for the last three years. Among the agencies she has previously worked for are Splash/Corbis, Magnolia Press, Granata Press Service and SuperStock, Italy.
Sonia, who speaks English, French, German and Italian, studied foreign languages at Milan’s Superior School for Interpreters and Translators in Milan.
Like Ulrike, she has worked for Splash/Corbis, Makros, where she was a co-founder, Granata Press, where she was in charge of the international division, Kappa and Liverani.
Marina, who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera, in Milan, joins Mega from the photo agency Twin Pics, which she founded with her sister in 2000. She has also previously worked for Splash/Corbis.