I'm not saying it's gonna get better, but Jon was becoming more useless as CEO. Shutterstock was market leader for many years, but the last couple of years SS is sinking. Fewer Enhanced License sales, $1,50 video sales, lack of communication, bad review policies...Of course Jon is stepping down. There's no way to go but down.

In a few years they will lose their #1 market leader position to Adobe Stock and then the major cuts can begin (or even sooner than we think)

Sounds very right, in an unfortunate way. Same numbers of sales, less pay.

I know someone who worked there on the sales side. He said it was a great place to work until they went public. Overnight it changed with ridiculous goals set and massive backlash for not making them. It became nasty. My friend left soon after. When you are beholding to make your Wall Street numbers every quarter, at any cost, the game changes quickly.

Yeah, that's business. Investors are sold stock, so the company can improve and build, otherwise there would be no need for stock?

And you're right, as soon as there are investors, there are more demands for more profits to re-pay those investors. They didn't buy stock, just to be generous supporters of starving artists. 

I've worked for places that were running fine for 40 years, nice owners who were comfortably wealthy. Someone bigger in the industry, saw there was room for more profit, so they bought the company, made cuts, changes and improvements. Built up sales and revenue, cut commissions and agents, grew the business into something much more profitable and worth much more. Then they sold to investment bankers.

At least for now Jon actually holds a controlling interest. If he sold the company, or if he does, we can expect to see real cuts! In a way, we are fortunate that he hasn't sold and moved on to something else.

57,000 Posts was More than any employee or submitter has ever done to Help Others along

of which 90% you just posted 'OK' or slagging off people, i am also glad they got you banned, place is defo better without you.

selling images direct for $1100

yet here you are complaining about pennies  never seen anyone more full of shhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitt than you

never change old man, never change....,

I hope sooner than Later. someone will come along and Offer a 50/50 Split and they Better do it soon as Micro as we Know it is going away. Any company who Can't make a profit with 50% of others work Doesn't deserve to be In Business...........Period. Nuff said. Im done.

Companies can make a profit selling other peoples work with a 50/50 split.
The problem is, they all get greedy.

Many of the best businesses are created by someone filling a need they had themselves.  Adobe got on board with the microstock game really late, and they will continue to try and claw at Shutterstock's client base.

Good for Jon.  I appreciate what he did because it gave me a full-time, home-based income over the years.  His vision and platform helped me to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in income for my family.  Show the guy some respect - it's totally his prerogative if he wants to do something else. 

I highly doubt Jon will be reading this thread.  If he does, please know that it's been a fun run while it lasted.

Yes while it lasted thats true. I think for most people its been a somewhat downhill race ever since they went public and thats when the penny pinching started. Everything changed. As far as Adobe I think they treat Fotolia as some sort of a sidekick not too bothered about anyg

A mass exodus of CEOs in 2019 and 2020 seems to be a growing trend:
https://www.ccn.com/ceos-quitting-in-record-numbers-could-signal-total-stock-market-collapse/

Are they getting out while the goings good?
Would be interested to know if JO also had a departure from his SSTK holdings?

SS has added a Chief Product Officer (package and price content to appeal to buyers) and a Chief Revenue Officer (managing sales)

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shutterstock-hires-chief-product-officer-and-chief-revenue-officer-to-join-leadership-team-301015329.html

Hi people,
my first post here. although i have been in this microstock market for at least a decade, i have never been much of a forum user. Perhaps now, with the need to better understand what is going on, I have tried to at least read what I am finding on the internet.

Thank you very much for the forbes article. It helped me make some decisions. I was never a big fan of SS. Especially since I never liked that others put a price on a clip that nobody knows its cost better than I do.

What I feel is that in recent years sales have been steadily falling. Subscription plans have taken over market networks. All contributors have recorded losses - am I wrong?

What I don't understand is how this company and others, who live off from artists who contribute, have their headquarters in the empire state building and 1200 employees !? - probably with a much higher salary than most of we who spend hours and hours making stock photos/footage.

It is best to do the math ... we are enriching others and not us.
I have a feeling that it is better to upload the works on youtube and offer to others free. At least I will be able to make a audience and earn from advertising what seems to me to be more safer and fairer than selling at a bargain price.

whishing all the best for all of you!

I have a feeling that it is better to upload the works on youtube and offer to others free. At least I will be able to make a audience and earn from advertising what seems to me to be more safer and fairer than selling at a bargain price.

Assume that i need a green screen train window scene and i search youtube for a free version. I get your clip, like your clip, subscribe after your cta and poof! I am gone. Even if i subscribe i will never check regularly until i will need another clip that i will first search in Youtube search bar and this is negative for your channel's growth as long as you need constant and loyal viewers. Perhaps you want to reconsider on advertisement profits

Quote from: georgep7 on March 05, 2020, 13:50

Quote

I have a feeling that it is better to upload the works on youtube and offer to others free. At least I will be able to make a audience and earn from advertising what seems to me to be more safer and fairer than selling at a bargain price.

Assume that i need a green screen train window scene and i search youtube for a free version. I get your clip, like your clip, subscribe after your cta and poof! I am gone. Even if i subscribe i will never check regularly until i will need another clip that i will first search in Youtube search bar and this is negative for your channel's growth as long as you need constant and loyal viewers. Perhaps you want to reconsider on advertisement profits

It's more about how many hours your videos are getting viewed.  The subscriber count is a lot easier to attain.  You have to have content people want to view.  Then leave the advertising to YouTube, there is a "butt for every seat".  They will fill whatever type of content you have, with advertisers who want to put their message there. 

The YouTube partner program isn't as easy to get into as it was before.  You need a crap-ton of viewing hours (over 10,000 within the last year).  I used to earn some small side income from my youtube channel, until they booted me from it. I've got over the required 1000 subscribers on my channel, but not the amount of viewing hours.  Product placement is important, and brand influencers help out a lot.  If you were a stock footage producer and wanted to get the word out about your work, all you'd have to do is make a deal with a big video-editing channel with a nice following.  Either send them some free clips, or offer them an affiliate program.  Set your work up on your own website, and send the traffic there to license it direct.  It's not as tough as you might think.  I do it with physical goods now, as I'm tired of competing in the super-saturated digital content market.

What you're saying is very, very true!! could not have put it better myself!