Spy Media Press Release

Citizens and Professional Photographers Able to Seamlessly Buy and Sell News Photos Through Online Marketplace

Spymedia.com Broadens Reach of Citizen Reporters, Bringing a Global Perspective to Local and Community News

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/—In recognition of the significant potential for citizen journalism to become part of the mainstream, Spy Media today became the first automated news photo marketplace to offer amateur and professional photographers a quick and easy way to sell their own digital photographs. Whether it’s your favorite celebrity, a political rally, local soccer game, international news or cultural event, Spy Media believes there is a market for your photographs. With a database of thousands of photographs, customers and news organizations can easily search for and purchase a variety of photographs that meet their needs, whether it’s for a personal web site, newsletter, online publication, newspaper or magazine.

“Citizens everywhere have a call to action today to pick up their cameras and snap photos of the people, places, things and events that affect them and shape their world. Citizen journalism is about giving information power to the public and Spy Media is taking this concept to whole new level,” said Bryan T. Quinn, president and co-founder of Spy Media. “News organizations have long benefited from citizens contributing their personal photos and stories for free. The power is now shifting into the hands of the consumer who can snap and sell photos to an international audience within minutes through Spy Media’s new automated online marketplace.”

Registered members can sell their photographs within minutes using Spy Media’s new automated system. Using a digital camera or camera phone, users simply upload their photos to their accounts at spymedia.com (camera phone users send to [email protected]), provide a brief description of the photos, and set their selling prices. The photos are then instantly loaded into Spy Media’s searchable database and available to purchase by everyone visiting the site.

With key categories like Entertainment, History, Natural Disasters, News and Sports, users can search Spy Media’s database by topic, current event or even more conveniently, by geographic location. Users looking for news in a specific neighborhood or state capitol simply select a state and a five to 100 mile radius for news and photos in targeted areas, and the photos in that group will instantly appear.

“As publisher of regional, community-based publication localized content combined with national news is important to my readers. I have to provide my audience with a certain level of coverage on a tight budget and make sure the content looks appealing,” explains Mark Wise, Publisher of Gainesville Today Magazine. “Spy Media’s news photo database allows me to search for and purchase a variety of photos from all over the country for a reasonable price simply and efficiently. I have more options than ever before and because everything is done online, I can purchase photos whenever appropriate.”

Spy Media will offer a range of upload options including a $1 per photo upload or a package deal of 100 uploads for $25. A more detailed listing of upload options is available at spymedia.com. Registered members must use PayPal or a major credit card for all purchase and upload transactions. Please visit spymedia.com for additional information.

About Spy Media
Spy Media International, www.spymedia.com, is the first news photo marketplace for everyone. Spy Media is simple and easy to use, as users can upload and sell electronic photos from their cameras and phones in less than 90 seconds. Both consumers and professional photographers alike can then sell their photos at a price they set through Spy Media, which also offers media outlets the quickest route to the largest pool of uncensored news photos. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area, Spy Media is privately funded.