Principals at Scoopshot and Ebyline announced today that they have entered into a strategic alliance that will package Scoopshot’s unique mobile user- and professionally-generated photos and videos with the high-quality written content produced by Ebyline.
The business development agreement will fully leverage the assets of both companies to provide media outlets and other clients around the globe with a new, robust source for on-demand visual and accurate written material.
Scoopshot, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, incorporated and staffed in the U.S., is the industry leader in producing fully authenticated mobile photos and video crowdsourcing. There are now more than 250,000 mobile users around the world, which is expected to double in 2013.
Ebyline, headquartered in Los Angeles, helps media publishers, agencies and brands collaborate with professional, experienced freelance journalists worldwide. It provides editors and publishers with workflow tools that automate the management and tracking of all administrative functions, including assignment/pitch flow, tax matters and freelance payments. Ebyline’s client partners include Hanley Wood, FoxSports, Intel, Dun & Bradstreet, among many others.
“The strategic alliance between Scoopshot and Ebyline will be global from day one,” said Scoopshot creator, Chairman and COO, Petri Rahja. “From the beginning we have been uniquely positioned in our approach of harnessing the power of the crowd to collect and distribute news images. With our Ebyline partners, we move forward to package our collective content in the boldest, most effective way.”
Bill Momary, CEO of Eybline said, “Scoopshot offers a strong photo solution which provides real-time access to over 250,000 photographers from around the world. We are excited to be working with Scoopshot as it helps us quickly find original and authenticated photography to compliment the content packages currently being produced for our major brand customers internationally.”
Scoopshot EVP Dave Rickley described the partnership as “a quantum leap forward” for the two companies. “In addition to increasing the richness and accessibility of the unique content created by both companies,” said Rickley, “the strategic alliance drives user-generated content to a new level of immediacy, efficiency, authenticity and affordability. We are working tirelessly to deepen community engagement worldwide.”
Last week Scoopshot realised an increase of 50,000 mobile users in a two-day period after a German television station reported on its powerful UGC ecosystem. 10,000 enrolled in a five-hour period.
About Scoopshot
Scoopshot is a disruptive digital service that changes the way modern media companies work with photos and videos. With Scoopshot media has instant access to a global pool of both mobile and professional photographers. Media can send out photo tasks to engage the crowd, assign professional photographers, or buy news photos from a constant stream of eyewitness photos from around the world. Operating in 177 countries, Scoopshot has signed up more than 250,000 mobile photographers and over 1,100 professional photographers. More than 50 publications now use Scoopshot’s service to source eyewitness photos and commission bespoke photography.
About Ebyline
Ebyline, Inc. (http://www.ebyline.com) is a secure online software platform for newspapers, publishers, brands and content producers to collaborate with professional freelance journalists. Ebyline’s workflow tools make the process of managing and tracking freelancer journalists easier than ever before. The Virtual NewsroomTM solution automates all freelancer administration including assignment/pitch flow, tax management and payment processing. Plus, editors and publishers have instant access to a pool of qualified, experienced freelance journalists from around the world for a cost-effective way to expand coverage.
For freelancers, Ebyline is a dynamic way to showcase experience, pitch ideas to publishers from around the country, and safely distribute work. Founded by veterans of the Los Angeles Times, and specialists in new content distribution models, Ebyline’s client partners include E.W. Scripps & Co., Gatehouse Media, Intel, Morris, ProPublica, among many others.