NEWYORKCITY A Creative Platform

An Interview with , Founder and Chief Executive Offi cer, , Inc.

EDITORS’ NOTE Jon Oringer 200 million images and more than 10 production outlets use more and more stock foot- founded Shutterstock in 2003 with million video clips available. age given the rise in quality and selection at rea- thousands of his own digital pho- In addition to the creative assets sonable price points. tographs. A serial entrepreneur, he Shutterstock sells, we also offer free International expansion is another area of recognized the need for licensable editing tools to our creative custom- importance for us as more regions further real- images at an affordable cost and ers, allowing them to create something ize the value of stock imagery. The future will created the fi rst global subscription unique and personalized for their com- also see growth in some of our offerings including image marketplace. Oringer holds pany or brand. From Shutterstock Editor, Editorial, Music, Shutterstock Editor, and Custom, an M.S. in computer science from you can also post directly to social media which further integrate us into the workfl ow of and a B.S. in which speeds up the whole process for marketing and creative professionals. computer science and mathematics our customers. We also see additional opportunities to from The State University of New We have also seen a rise in the expand the tools we offer our users. York at Stony Brook. Jon Oringer need for authentic branded imagery You place a major emphasis on human that refl ects everyday life on a hyperlo- capital and invest heavily in your workforce. COMPANY BRIEF Shutterstock (shutterstock.com) cal level. As a result, Shutterstock Custom, which What have been the keys to attracting and is a leading global technology company offer- enables businesses to scale creation of custom retaining top talent at Shutterstock? ing a creative platform for high-quality assets, tools branded visual content, is among our fastest- At Shutterstock, we look for talent with a and services. The company licenses images, video, growing products. As methods of marketing and broad range of skills and experience and, because music, and editorial assets – as well as custom con- advertising evolve, we anticipate the demand for of the great schools here in NYC and other great tent tailored to a brand’s needs. Shutterstock offers more diverse and personalized visual content to tech, creative and media companies, we are able a variety of plans for individuals, teams, and enter- continue to rise. to source that talent here. We often look to hire bi- prise customers as well as creative editing and col- Shutterstock also owns Bigstock, a value- and tri-lingual staff and that’s not a problem for us laboration capabilities. The Shutterstock portfolio oriented stock media agency; Offset, a high-end given the international nature of the city. We also of brands includes Bigstock, Offset, PremiumBeat, image collection; PremiumBeat, a curated royalty- have one of the largest engineering teams in New Rex Features and Shutterstock Custom. free music library; and Rex Features, a premier York and as we develop new products and tools, source of editorial images for the world’s media. we continue to expand on this team in particular. Will you discuss your vision for creating Where do you see the greatest opportu- To attract and retain top talent, Shutterstock Shutterstock? nities for growth for Shutterstock? promotes a healthy work/life balance because we I set out to introduce the subscription model We are focused on developing our existing are an entrepreneurial company and depend on to the industry back in 2003. business, particularly the fast-growing areas the innovation and focus of our team. Bringing in At the time, the only option to purchase stock like our enterprise offering and editorial content. fresh ideas, curiosity and excitement on a daily images was to pay per image and you had to Shutterstock has also always distinguished itself basis is key to our long-term success. Every indi- know where you wanted to use the image, for by providing the highest quality customer service, vidual is different in how they choose to strike that how long, in what countries, in what formats, etc. fresh content and the best search experience, add- balance and we encourage our employees to take It was complex and expensive. I knew I could ing up to superior value for the customer. The full advantage of all the great benefi ts we offer change that, so I started Shutterstock with 30,000 company is continuing to build industry-leading to help maintain a healthy balance. For example, of my own images and $10,000 to attract the fi rst technology to improve our offering by leveraging we offer a number of on-site activities to help customers. I understood that Shutterstock could computer vision and AI technology. employees refocus, de-stress and take care of their only be successful if the marketplace had the net- Another pain point the company recognized well-being including daily breakfasts, lunches, an worked effect from both buyers and sellers. From was the need for quick and easy editing tools. As endless supply of snacks, surprise snack attacks, there, we opened up the platform and invited any the role of marketers and social media managers annual , Open Mic Nights and incred- photographer, artist or designer to upload and sell is expanding to include the creation of visual con- ible offi ce spaces throughout the world including their own images. So far, more than 450,000 con- tent that’s needed to support their business, this our HQ in the iconic . tributors in over 100 countries have accepted that new generation of digital marketers has little time You are known as a serial entrepreneur. invitation. to create compelling, beautiful visual content that Did you know early on that you had the How do you describe Shutterstock today accurately represents their brand and engages their entrepreneurial spirit and that you wanted and how have its services and solutions target audience. For these busy, hybrid creative to build your own company? evolved? marketers and small business owners, Shutterstock I always knew I wanted to work for myself. Shutterstock is a leading global technology introduced Editor, an online editing tool allowing I started programming at a young age and I was company offering high-quality assets, tools and users to quickly and easily create high-quality visual always tinkering with business ideas. Before services through its creative platform. Working content to promote their product or business. Shutterstock, I had 10 other startups that I worked with its growing community of over 450,000 Our video business is continuing to grow on until I discovered a business need for licensable contributors, Shutterstock adds over one million rapidly as online advertising moves from a focus images at affordable prices and created the fi rst images each week, and currently has more than on still images to motion video, and as traditional global subscription-based image marketplace.• VOLUME 41, NUMBER 4 POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2018 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. LEADERS 75