Design Pics Inc., has acquired of
First Light Associated Photographers Ltd., a Canadian based photo agency. The agency was originally founded in 1984 by Pierre Guevremont, Ron Watts and Brian Milne. First Light has been based in Toronto. Design Pics is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Founded in 2001, by Rick Carlson, Design Pics originally launched as a Royalty Free agency. The company began its expansion into the Rights Managed marketplace by acquiring the Irish Image Collection in 2007, followed in 2008 by the acquisition of the controlling interest in Axiom Photographic, a UK based RM agency specializing in unique travel imagery. These acquisitions were augmented as well by RM Collections developed by Design Pics in cooperation with its contributing photographers as well as the most recent acquisition of Pacific Stock earlier this month.
Rick Carlson, President of Design Pics states that “I have been very interested in First Light for some time, as they have been well established in Canada, and have a very comprehensive collection of Canadian content from leading Canadian photographers. When combined with Design Pics content, it will encompass one of the most extensive libraries of Canadian subject matter available anywhere.” Pierre Guevremont, President of First Light states “It is a critical time in the industry and it is important to build value and strength while creating efficiencies. We felt that Design Pics was an excellent opportunity going forward, because of the strength of their distribution systems and the technologies they have developed to sustain the network. They are in position to build upon the systems in a way that benefits photographers and ensures they are going to be a player in the new marketplace.”
In addition to the acquisition of First Light, Design Pics has also entered into a management agreement with WAVE Royalty Free, which is an affiliated company to First Light. Design Pics will be distributing the WAVE royalty free imagery along with its own RF collections, as well as adding the footage components to its overall offerings.