The stock photo industry is full of rumors. Weird ones, and even more weird ones ("Believe me or not, either Google or Yahoo will take over GI").
In the last months unsolicited rumors had it that soon a new website called About The Images with the latest news on the stock photo industry and in-depth reports will launch.
StockPhotoTalk jumped at the chance and talked with one of the founders behind the new stock photo industry information resource, Don Farfelloni. He explained that this totally new kind of a website will launch shortly.
"You know, with all the million dollars deals about millions of images in our industry recently, we thought it´s overdue to offer a new kind of quality and exclusivity of reporting, serving the needs of our customers and taking the satisfaction of our future readers to the next level", stated Don Farfelloni. "It´s clearly not about the image anymore, but About The Images. The old times are gone. Definitely."
When visiting the new downtown office of the company, which is still operating in stealth modus, lots of people were coming and going. One perplexed start-up factotum running around, obviously one of the many Don Farfelloni is currently hiring, added all of a sudden the words "Burps! Burps!" to Farfelloni´s explanation. When asked about the meaning of his words, he roared repeatedly the phrase "Apple + Photoshop + ALT + DELETE + ME" into the microphone.
Well guys, Guy says "start-up times are tough times".
Although yet not full publicly available on the net, Don Farfelloni explained mystically: "We wanted that secret kind of soft launch, and we got some very hot stories." Farfelloni unveiled some exciting details of recently updated and highlighted stories About The Images is working on during its secret soft launch period:
- Visual Communications Group sold to Getty Images for $220m
- Kodak introduces E-6 slide films processing services
- ImageState acquires Pictor International
- Corbis acquires ZEFA
- Alan Meckler arrested when visiting the New York Stock Exchange and hiding his bald head under a red-coloured punky iroquois toupee
- Some quirky british Fish&Chips guys about their plans to found a new company called Alamy
- Corbis hires Jennifer Hurshell
This new foundation attracted quickly the attention of well-known media giants in the stock photo industry. Dieter Brinzer, CEO of the company behind the legendary and leading magazine VISUELL, stated: "The success of our recent fax machine optimized user poll was overwhelming. AJAX is just an ancient greek god. We got eight responses so far, including those from our own employees. We will do our utmost to ensure that this young start-up About The Images is supported in any way it deserves."
Other observers of the stock photo industry were also overwhelmed with emotions. Ron Rovtar, Managing Editor of the 20+ people employing company The Stock Asylum, unveiled: "We did some research, and do you know what we discovered? About The Images can be found at Abouttheimages.com."
The CEO of ImøgeSørz added: "I´m spending 500 bucks a month for my haircutter, but this site will be worth every minute it´ll take me to understand it." Bahar Gidwani of Index Stock explained: "Y´all know that my business was recently hurt pretty bad by the Nigeria Connection, the Ku-Klux-Klan and the CIA. I´m a long time player in the stock photo industry, and I´m glad that this new website will introduce a new approach to our business, to our understanding and to the philosophy of the stock photo industry at all, and I´m sure we´ll all will benefit."
Farfelloni announced that the new website of Abouttheimages is currently only available as a tiny preview through domain forwarding, thanks to a cooperation with MadPixBiz.
He added: "The full website, with updated headlines and a huge bunch of new services, will launch in summer 2006, shortly before the CEPIC congress. We will present About The Images during the congress at the Windsor Hotel in Biarritz, with a beach party afterwards. You won´t believe it, but sometimes it´s pure fun to throw the money of your investors out of the window."
Tags: AboutTheImages About The Images
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