The celebrity photo agency market has seen a remarkable overhaul during the last 2 years and this announcement from Backgrid completes that overhaul …for now!
Photo agency Backgrid announced this morning they have completed the agency launch with offices now open in the U.S. and the UK. – they say …’this convergence completes our goal to create the world’s largest, most accessible and relevant celebrity photo agency.’ The new agency brings together three of the largest celebrity photo supplies in the world – American based agencies AKM-GSI and FameFlynet and Xposure in the UK. Launched in January 2016 Backgrid first opened in Australia then later that year Germany.
• AKM-GSI, FameFlynet and Xposure will be dropping their agency names to all roll under the new Backgrid company.
BackGrid told PAN: ‘The first of May – May Day – historically marks a worldwide celebration of workers’ rights. BACKGRID is a champion of each of its photographers, making this milestone even more timely and pivotal. This unification will ensure, first and foremost, that photographers and content creators are paid equitably. Last year, the company launched a state-of-the-art, user-friendly portal offering fast, streamlined payments and reporting. It also hosts its own content ingestion, archival, and distribution system built from the ground up for clients and contributors alike. Further, in the age of viral media, it vigorously enforces intellectual property rights to safeguard the livelihood of the many contributors it represents on social and beyond.’
‘Photo editors and clients will still have access to the expansive library they know and love. BackGrid’s vast archive offers millions of the most exclusive celebrity and entertainment photographs and videos, with thousands added daily. It’s content will continue to dominate the front page everywhere, attracting millions of clicks, impressions, and page views across the globe.’
In an announcement to Xposure photographers seen by PAN – owners David and Dan Taylor wrote: ..”As you may already know, we started Backgrid over a year ago to strengthen our presence and sell directly in Australia and Germany. These are very key, strong markets and our direct presence there has made us the leading provider in those territories for celebrity content. We will now bring Backgrid to the U.K. and U.S. and continue to work towards expanding our brand and dominating the global market.”
“None of this would have been possible without the commitment, hard work and trust that you, our contributors, place in us each day. It is with this in mind that we work towards expanding our reach, protecting your work from unlicensed use, and continuously searching out new prospects that will further our growth and secure our future.”
“Though the last few years have been a time of great changes in the market and one in which many media outlets have struggled, we have been committed to finding ways to reach new areas of growth and seek out new technologies and services to help our contributors.” …As of today, our name will change but what will always remain the same is our commitment to our contributors and our dedication to making sure your work is acknowledged and compensated everywhere.”
• View all back grid news on PAN
• PAN Note: Flynet Pictures in the UK are not involved with Backgrid and remain an independent photo agency.
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[…] photographers. Xposure then merged with fellow celebrity photo agencies AKM-GSI and FameFlynet to form Backgrid in 2015 where, along side his son Dan, David remained joint CEO until January 2024. Backgrid was […]