Invision Agency

Invision Agency is a failed celebrity entertainment photo agency formed in 2012 by The Associated Press and several photographers in the entertainment industry. It was conceived by Blake Sell, at the time the director of photo products at The Associated Press and shortly after being presented as a viable business model to AP's management committee, was approved by AP's board of directors, moving substantially AP's entertainment photo operations to the new company.^[1]

The company was jointly owned by AP and leading entertainment industry photographers and has offices in Beverly Hills, New York and London.^[2] The company was headed by Managing Director Dan Becker^[3] who was fired from the company on July 31, 2016.

In addition to providing media coverage of celebrity entertainment events for the Associated Press, including movie premiers and award shows such as the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Emmy Awards, MTV Awards and others, Invision provided commercial photography and video services for major entertainment producers, publicists and advertising agencies backstage and on the set of television, movie and other celebrity events and product launches.^[4] Invision photos were published daily in the world's largest print, broadcast and online media organizations through distribution by The Associated Press, including People Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, OK! Magazine, Us Weekly, Yahoo!, ABC, BBC, FOX, NBC and others.^{[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]}

History

The launch of the Invision Agency on May 24, 2012 was reported widely within the entertainment industry as an alternative to the dominance of Getty Images in celebrity entertainment photos, including a headline article in the entertainment trade publication Variety^[12] and in the photo industry publication Photo District News.^[13] The digital industry news site PetaPixel headline read "AP Challenging Getty’s Supremacy by Spinning Off a New Photo Agency" to underscore Invision Agency's goals.^[14] The company was dissolved on July 31, 2016 with authority reverting to AP Images.

Expansion and Decline

On Jan 9, 2013 Invision and The Hollywood Reporter announced a partnership to cover celebrity entertainment events using Invision Agency photographers exclusively.^[15] "Invision's world-class photographers, combined with AP's long history of journalistic excellence, will make a perfect partner for The Hollywood Reporter as we continue to build upon our unprecedented access to entertainment industry events and provide a showcase for photography on many platforms," THR editorial director Janice Min said.^[15] The collaboration eventually ended, and in October 2015, the Hollywood Reporter announced an exclusive partnership with Invision rival, Getty Images.^[16]

Invision deepened its ranks of leading celebrity entertainment photographers when Eric Charbonneau became a part owner on Feb. 28, 2013, joining Jon Furniss, Matt Sayles, John Shearer and Jordan Strauss.^[17] John Shearer left the company in 2015 to become Nashville Bureau Chief for Getty Images.^[18]

For a period, leading music and entertainment photographer, Frank Micelotta joined Invision in April, 2013 bringing a large roster of A-list clients including relationships with key music entertainment productions and key performers such as Madonna and Beyonce.^[19]

Other leading entertainment photographers who once worked for Invision Agency included Annie I. Bang, Richard Shotwell, Evan Agostini, Chris Pizzello, Casey Rodgers, Joel Ryan, Victoria Will, Katy Winn and Todd Williamson.^[1]

Coverage

Highlighting Invision's goal to provide inside access to celebrity entertainment events in addition to the general media coverage,^[20] at the 85th Academy Awards in Los Angeles Feb. 24, 2013, Invision Agency's exclusive photos from behind the scenes and backstage were published in major media outlets around the world through the 24-hour global distribution of The Associated Press.^[21][22]

References

External links

• www.invisionagency.com, the Invision photo agency website
• www.apimages.com, the Associated Press website where Invision photos can be seen
• www.ap.org, the Associated Press website, majority owner of the Invision photo agency