Category: PACA
The Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) is considered one of the largest trade organization representing stock archives, picture libraries, and content licensing companies from individual artists to large corporations in The United States and North America. Founded in 1951, its membership includes over 100 member companies and more than 50 international members. PACA provides its members with many important industry resources including its Annual International Conference. This noteworthy industry event provides opportunities to discuss important issues, participate in seminars, and make connections with potential trade partners and vendors from around the country and the world.
Key executives:
Maria Kessler - President (Jupiterimages)
Christina Vaughan - Vice President (ImageSource)
Nancy Carrizales - Secretary (Animals Animals/Earth Scenes)
Dave Herbig - Treasurer (Danita Delimont Stock Photography)
Nancy Wolff, Esq. - PACA Counsel (Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLC)
Cathy Aron - Executive Director
PACA - Antipiracy Statement - Members Survey Results
PACA (Picture Archive Council Of America) have released an antipiracy statement titled ‘Putting our focus on piracy - Unauthorized use and the media licensing industry.
The effect of piracy and unauthorized use on media licensing businesses should not be underestimated. As an industry, we face a threat that is hard to measure accurately and even harder to prevent. But we do know its outcome: loss of revenue and an eroded ability to protect and monetize our creative property. PACA is taking a stand against theft, evangelizing its impact and what we can do to combat it.
We’re reaching out to our members and sister trade organizations, publishing and publicizing information on piracy, and sharing our findings with representatives in government, especially those focused on trade and copyright. And we need you to join us in this critical fight.
Survey says
To help us better see what we’re up against, PACA conducted an online survey between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 specifically focused on the impact to revenues for the commercial and editorial image and motion licensing industry from unauthorized use. We concentrated solely on the US market, and invited all relevant PACA members to participate, as well as a number of non-members. The results were striking, but not surprising.*
Event Report: PacaSearch at Visual Connection NY
Pat Hunt and Lynn Eskenazi at PacaSearch have sent AboutTheImage.com this report from their recent visit to the Visual Connections event in NY last week:
“PacaSearch saved my a--!”
This is a phrase expressed more than once this year at the Visual Connections Conference in New York City in October. Among the other great image collections that demonstrated their uniqueness to potential clients, PacaSearch had a popular booth at Visual Connections. click through Read More below for the report.
PACA Conference Round-Up and Feed Back
AboutTheImage.com covered the lead up to the PACA Conference in New York last weekend - now we are reporting feed back on the event from those who were there, listed below as they come in:
Sheron Resnick- 20/20 Software: “I would say that, in general, the conference seemed well attended and I think there were a lot more individual agent/subagent meetings than in the past. It seemed to me that the agent/subagent networking was equally as important to the libraries as the speakers this year. Also, I had the sense that business is cautiously on the upswing and the mood was generally positive and upbeat.
From a 20/20 Software point of view, there did seem to be more of a mix of stills and footage being discussed, and more people had serious inquiries about footage with us. I think that means that more libraries are beginning to think about including footage, and more libraries with high quality footage are coming into the market.”
Victoria Hulett-Gross Venus Stock : “How many people do you know that can say “it went better than expected”?
I feel so fortunate and had such a fantastic experience at this years PACA meeting and Visual Connections. I was feeling a bit out of my league, coming into the event as the “new” agency, but… was overwhelmed with the fantastic response to Venus Stock. I am truly invigorated. More inspired than ever to produce great content and look forward to growth in all areas for Venus Stock. The Distribution partners that we have decided to partner with, made it all worth while. Thank you Will for taking an interest in the small steps...towards building our brand, from the ground up!”
Ross MacRae - BikiniLists: “This was the first time I have been to the PACA conference - great! - scheduling the event on Fri/Sat/Sun allows you to relax and be more focussed than you would if it was during the week. Visual Connections Expo two days earlier made the trip to NY a no-brainer… Great to meet with friends / existing subs and connect with new ones. Interesting sessions / conversations on image marketing ideas, new media opportunities for stock agencies and - typically these days - footage, footage, footage. As a non-stock agency attendee, I got some fresh insight into where the industry is and is going.. Looking forward to PACA 2012”
Alison Hoy President - iCLIPART.com / www.iPHOTOS.com: “The PACA conference in New York was excellent again this year. It was great to reconnect with old friends as well as meeting lots of new faces! Every session we attended introduced interesting new ideas and thought provoking moments. For sheer entertainment value the keynote presentation by Kathy Ryan won hands down. We really look forward to taking part again next year.”
Matt Hamer - Media Storehouse: “This was my first visit to PACA so wasn’t sure what to expect. Unfortunately I didn’t get to many of the seminars but that was only because I was so busy meeting new and existing clients. I found it an excellent networking opportunity as it was the decision makers that attended the event. I’m sure that we will see lots more business as a result of attending this event and it will easily pay for itself.”
We have other comments coming in though the day, so do check back and if you would like to add your report on the event please email
Download: PACA Conference Program
PACA have made available the program for the 16th PACA Conference taking place this weekend in New York - get your copy here.
Global ImageWorks Head Up PACA Conference ‘Motion Panel’
Jessica Berman-Bogdan at Global ImageWorks will be moderating the PACA Conference Panel, Motion Panel: “Clients Using Motion”. Global ImageWorks, are one of the few footage houses who are now available through the PACA photo agency image company search platform Pacasearch.
The Image Works Welcome Special Guest Agency At Visual Connections
Katherine at Woodstock, NY based photo agency The Image Works writes “ We have a special guest at our booth, A8, at Visual Connections NY. Chris Barwick from our affiliate agency Majority World will be joining us. Chris will be talking about Majority World, a new global initiative that champions the cause of indigenous photographers from the developing world. The Image Works is the North American distributor of Majority World.
Visual Connections is in New York City, Thursday October 20th from 10am through 7:30 pm at The Altman Building, 135 West 18th Street Between 6th & 7th Avenues.
Capture releases ‘Rapid Editing Module’ At PACA
UK based photo library platform software company Capture will be showcasing their Rapid Editing Module (REM) at the PACA Conference in New York this week. The new module allows you to edit and mark-up low resolution images before the final high resolution files flow into the Capture Digital Asset Management system. Direct integration with Adobe Photoshop is built into the web-based workflow, allowing editors to mark up and annotate required changes and automatically feed these back to photographers - who can then edit and upload their high resolution files accordingly, which are then intuitively updated with the corrections as they flow into the Capture DAM system.
Media Storehouse Attend PACA Conference
UK based photo library print store specialists Media Storehouse will be attending the PACA Conference for the first time this year.
Matt Hamer, MD at Media Storehouse told AboutTheImage before boarding his plane: “I’m very excited to be attending my first ever PACA Conference. Media Storehouse has been providing e-commerce systems to image owners for 8 years and can count many BAPLA members as clients. We make their images available to retail customers as quality printed products through personalised print stores. We handle all of the production, delivery and customer service. With our new US production facility we will be able to offer local fulfilment and listings on Amazon to PACA members.
Matt is in New York from Thursday and will be at the conference all day Saturday and Sunday he will be very happy to discuss the potential of working with your library. Call or email Matt on +44(0)7710 146180
Venus Stock To Launch At PACA Conference
Los Angeles based Venus Stock will be launched at Visual Connections and the 16th Annual PACA Conference in New York this week.
‘In addition to meeting the creative and editorial media needs of many businesses, Venus Stock provides high-end, Rights-Managed content for the multi-billion-dollar medical and pharmaceutical industries. With today’s health-conscious consumer in mind, Venus Stock supplies this explosively growing market with experienced artistic direction, custom client solutions, and a dynamic online image library.’ Venus stock utilises the Picturemaxx image library platform.
Owner at Venus Stock - Victoria Hulett-Goss - told AboutTheImage.com this morning: “We are so very excited to be launching Venus Stock at PACA ! This is such a fantastic community and we are so proud to be a part of it.”
PACA’s 16th International Conference 21-23 Oct - NY
Last chance to book in advance for the PACA (Picture Archive Council of America) Conference in New York (Midtown at the New York Marriott East Side) - October 21-23, 2011.
They sat: ‘This year, building on the agenda of previous years, our program will focus on the hot issues affecting the stock media industry. As ever, we’ll be looking to the future with our opening keynote speaker and carrying this inspiration through the PACA Conference program’.
Insights from a visionary software company on issues such as piracy will lead on to our legal session, looking at intellectual property and copyright from the stock industry standpoint.
Read on for the Speaker Program for 2011 International Conference below:
PACA Invites Photographers To Annual Meeting
‘16th annual event promises a broader range of photography industry attendees with greater networking opportunities and in-depth discussions on critical topics’
...With the digital and creative landscape evolving at the speed of a shutter it is critical to collaborate on solutions that impact the entire image community. This year’s program was built in conjunction with partner associations American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) and American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP) to bring attendees a selection of sessions from outside the usual stock imagery view point. Attendees can expect presentations and conversations that deliver a more broad range of topics which encompass the entire creative industry....
Creative Content Key To PACA Event
The 15th Annual PACA -Picture Archive Council of America- International Conference in New York features a program highlighted by a keynote presentation on “The Impact of the iPad and the Future Use of Content”.
Keynote speaker Richard Levine, Vice President of Editorial Operations at Condé Nast, will discuss the future of content. He will talk about how the editorial market consumes and views media after the introduction of the iPad. Levine will address how the new e-reading platform offers magazines significant opportunities to greatly expand and enhance their content; and how his staff adapts in this rapidly evolving environment. Condé Nast launched their Wired application and iPad versions of GQ and Vanity Fair earlier this year.
Another noted speaker, Brian Storm, Executive Producer at MediaStorm will be presenting: “Multimedia Storytelling @ MediaStorm”, tells the story of how a company utilizes multimedia and the power of still photography to create diverse content that speaks to the heart of the human condition. Brian spent two years as Vice President of News, Multimedia & Assignment Services for Corbis.
News
ASPP and PACA launch “REINVENTION WEEKEND” conference for photography professionals
The American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP) has teamed up with the the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) to produce a “Reinvention Weekend” conference in Boston on April 15th – 18th. The focus of the conference is to aid attendees in Reinventing, Reimagining and Reinvigorating your career or your approach to the photography business. The conference is being structured to foster spirited dialogues with photo contemporaries including: stock agents, researchers, editors, publishers, art buyers, photographers and consultants.
News
PACA back in NYC for 13th annual international conference in October
The Picture Archive Council of America (PACA), a trade organization for stock licensing companies, has announced that it will be hosting its popular annual international conference in New York City’s world-famous Financial District from October 24 - 26, 2008. The timing of the event has been coordinated in order to coincide with the photo industry’s biggest events including PhotoPlus (October 23-25) and Picturehouse (October 29) bringing photographers, stock agency personell, and photo buyers, to NYC from all over the world for an action packed week of networking and industry activity.
News
PACA Orphan Search matches lost image to its creator in less than 60 minutes
In response to concerns about Orphan Works legislation and what qualifies as a “reasonable search” effort to identify the copyright owner for a particular work, the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) has launched surprisingly low-tech solution to assist buyers in finding the creator of an orphaned image. All the buyer has to do is email the image to and a PACA staff member forwards the image to its entire list of members and affiliated associations. In a recent test this solution was able to locate the rightful owner of an image in less than 60 minutes.
News
Photo News Round-Up
• Photographers deserve more credit, says reader of UK paper. Click here to read an excellent letter to the editor brought to our attention by Linda Royles, Executive Director of the British Association of Picture Libraries and Archives (BAPLA.)
• Moving Up: Maria Kessler has taken the helm as President of the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA.) Christina Vaughan will serve as Vice President. Click here for more info.
EditorialsFeatures
Editorial: photolibrary deserves better
In a complete and concisely worded release, photolibrary answered its critics over its handling of back commissions owed to Index Stock photographers for periods previous to photolibrary’s acquisition of Index in October of 2006. To this writer, the explanations given by Tim Moore, photolibrary’s CEO, demonstrate the company has acted in good faith and continues to do so. Those still inclined to suspect photolibrary of being less than forthright with the Index contributors would do well to consider the following:
News
photolibrary awaits PACA’s assessment of the facts in commissions snafu
The Sydney-based photolibrary finds itself in an uncomfortable position over a November 11 email to Index Stock photographers from photolibrary’s then recently hired controller, Carlos Santos. In the email, Santos contradicts earlier claims by the company that it had paid all outstanding commissions to contributors of Index Stock, which photolibrary acquired in October 2006. In fact, Santos wrote, the company still owes $2.2MM to photographers. Santos has since lost his job, the Stock Artists Alliance is crying fowl, and the Ethics and Grievance Committee of the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) has agreed to review the case.
News
Obituary: Jane Kinne, friend
The photography community mourns the loss of Jane Kinne, who passed away early Saturday morning. Mrs. Kinne spent over fifty years as a photo agent, consultant to photographers and agencies, and an expert on copyright and other legal issues concerning images and image reproduction. Along the way, she brought her boundless and positive energy to bear on the creation and management of several photo industry trade associations. Most importantly, as a good friend and mentor, she gently but firmly coaxed from those of us lucky enough to know and work with her, an eagerness to bring our own positive energy to the business at hand.
News
PACA releases free PowerPoint on copyright education
The Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) has placed on its web-site, a valuable resource to any creator or user of photography – a PowerPoint presentation that provides a thorough review of copyright law in the United States and how it applies to the use of imagery in advertising, the news media and fine art. The presentation includes real-world cases with images and detailed explanations of how the parties viewed the claimed infringements and how the courts assessed them.
