Company Info

The Broad Strokes

Masterfile is a visual content provider - a stock photo agency - with a large collection of Rights-Managed and Royalty-Free photos and illustrations by world-class artists covering a wide range of subjects. Images are licensed to commercial buyers for use in advertising, editorial and other media. Royalties are paid to the contributing artists. The images are stored digitally, showcased, licensed and delivered instantly to business clients worldwide via the Internet 24/7. This is a business that has truly benefited from new technology.

In a $2 billion industry that is dominated by large corporate enterprises - including Getty Images (NYSE:GYI) & Corbis Images (owned by Bill Gates) - Masterfile is the leading independent among hundreds of privately-owned competitors around the world.

A global business headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Business development offices are located in New York and Chicago. Masterfile has its European Headquarters in Düsseldorf (Germany) and sales offices in London, Milan and Paris. Additionally, the company has strategic alliances with independent agents in 35 other countries.

There's always something new at Masterfile. The constant interaction between its editors and photographers around the world, combined with the strategic addition of third-party collections, has the company adding thousands of exciting new images to its website every month to meet an insatiable market demand.

Proven business practices. Masterfile has developed business practices and technical infrastructure that enable it to track its rights-managed images and how they are being used around the world. This allows the company to grant exclusive rights to clients in minutes without risking conflicts between competing users.

Personal service. Masterfile has a service-based culture that extends to every part of the business. This has enabled the company to gain market share through turbulent times.

A tough market. The worldwide market for stock photography has experienced a turbulent period that included global recession in the advertising and media sectors, erosion by low-priced products, corporate consolidation and downsizing, and a technological race to transition from an analog business model to a digital one. Competitors have come and gone, but Masterfile remains solid and is growing. It is one of the few stock agencies in the world that had the critical mass, financial base, systems and experienced personnel to weather the tremendously difficult challenges of recent years.

The future is good. Creativity cannot be commoditized. Clients want creative alternatives and Masterfile is meeting the challenge. Artists want a safe haven in a strong company that will treat them as people, not simply a supply chain. Masterfile continues to grow by sticking to its time-proven policy of combining excellent product, personal service and superior processes to make Masterfile a better choice for all its clients, artists and stakeholders..

Updated: 2005-12-09