Behind every red carpet and celebrity moment is a brilliant team of photographers and videographers. Often, those professionals are shooting for Shutterstock’s Live Assignments wing.
Did you know that you can commission Shutterstock to shoot photos and videos of your event? The Live Assignments team, which is part of the larger Shutterstock Editorial team, shoots on-location around the world at some of the most fabulous, star-studded events.
It’s not only celebrity weddings and award shows the Live Assignments team shoots, though those are certainly part of their work! Shutterstock’s award-winning team of photographers and videographers captured must-see moments from over 7,000 VIP events around the world. This staggering number includes corporate headshots, product activation shoots, and more. They create gorgeous multimedia content, which can be used for websites, social media posts, and print projects. Both celebrity clients and publications like PEOPLE, Vogue, and USA Today all use exclusive content created by Shutterstock.
Here, we talk with Tim Plant, the Senior Manager of Editorial Business Development, and Matt Cowan, the Director of US Entertainment, for Shutterstock Editorial’s Live Assignments. Let’s dive into their work, how their teams offer exceptional service to high-end clients, and how Live Assignments’ outputs are all part of growing Shutterstock’s Editorial content library.
Explore more imagery from Screen Actors Guild Awards.
What Does Live Assignments Do?
Shutterstock’s Live Assignments photographers and videographers are highly specialized at capturing every angle of events. From red carpets, to store openings, to product shoots, to celebrity interactions, their teams include beloved videographers and photographers in New York, Los Angeles, London, and almost anywhere else you can think of around the world. The variety of occasions that can be shot by Live Assignments photographers and videographers include:
- Special events
- Activations
- Portrait studios
- Fashion shows
- Street style assignments
- Headshots
Both Plant and Cowan say that exceptional service is critical when it comes to the coverage their photographers and videographers provide. Because of this commitment to client satisfaction and comfort, booking with Shutterstock’s photography team includes:
- Syndication of all images from the event (with over 1.7 million registered users, our global distribution hits all major entertainment and news publications).
- In-person & remote editors to ensure content looks amazing and is turned around quickly to meet deadlines.
- Hi-res images delivered via a private link.
- White glove service, from beginning to end.
- The best rates in the business.
When combined, all of these offerings lead to client satisfaction and trust.
“We deliver holistic and native content that the customer can reuse and repurpose for social and print,” said Cowan. “We’re really trying to shoot and create content that’s usable and on-brand with each event or client.”
Clients Trust Shutterstock Photographers and Videographers
There are many companies and agencies that can shoot high-profile events or take beautiful product shots. What sets Shutterstock’s Live Assignments team apart from others is their high-quality photos and videos, along with exceptional white glove service. Clients rely on their professionalism when handling private events and embargoed information, all while delivering the most beautiful shots possible.
“I would say we’re not reinventing the wheel, but I think we’re making the wheel faster, smoother, and better,” said Plant. “We follow through with our clients until the job is completely done. We want to leave them with a great feeling about us.”
This approach, of course, inspired repeat customers and a high level of trust with Shutterstock’s team of professionals.
Explore more imagery from the Rachel Zoe Collection Event.
Shooting Celebrity Weddings, Private Events, and Award Shows
Some of the most famous people in the world have published, posted, and purchased content from Shutterstock’s Live Assignments photographers and videographers. For example, Live Assignments is the house photography agency for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Golden Globes, Hollywood Critics Association Awards, Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards, Advertising Week, Consensus by Coindesk Conference, and many more large-scale events. They have also covered smaller scale, but still high-profile events, like Vulture at Sundance and ZOEasis at Coachella.
Of course, these events result in stunning images of the world’s most famous faces. One photo, particularly beloved by a celebrity and her fans, was taken of Lady Gaga at the 2022 SAG Awards. The moment it was shared on Instagram, it became an instant hit. Both the singer and the SAG Awards social media accounts shared the image, which proved to be a hit with online followers.
“Lady Gaga showed the power of an image. While clients may look at other photo agencies, their work often contains watermarks on images, so sharing them on Instagram doesn’t look as cohesive as our images do. That visibility and our white glove service allows clients to share authentic, beautiful photos, which really sets us apart,” said Cowan.
License this image via Nina Westervelt/Shutterstock for SAG Awards.
Other celebrity events–whose photos you’ve surely seen–have been covered by the Live Assignments Team. Both Britney Spears’ and Paris Hilton’s weddings were exclusively shot by Shutterstock.
“That trust is key, when it comes to names like Spears, Hilton, and other celebrities. They wouldn’t bring us into their inner circle if they didn’t trust us,” said Plant.
Explore more imagery from Paris Hilton’s Wedding.
Shutterstock Offers Brand and Product Photography and Video
Product photography is a part of Live Assignments’ offerings as well. This could look like private studio sessions or shooting a product during a specific event, such as a store opening. An example of combining their talents of event and product photography happened when shooting photos and videos for Campari, which was an official partner of the 29th Annual SAG Awards.
“When shooting photos for Campari at the SAG Awards, this assignment wasn’t talent-driven. The Campari team wanted mostly product shots on-location,” said Cowan, describing how photographers needed to shoot Campari drinks and bottles at the award show. “Our team worked really hard to supply them with a photographer that focuses on product photography, and less on entertainment.”
License these images via Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for SAG Awards, Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for SAG Awards, Mark Von Holden/Shutterstock for SAG Awards, and Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for SAG Awards.
Finding and assigning the very best photographer or videographer for each job is critical, since Shutterstock’s teams cover such a wide variety of projects. And when it comes to product photography, clients’ campaign goals are always top-of-mind for Shutterstock.
“Our focus is always making a shoot financially successful. We make sure that there is revenue driven behind our content,” said Plant.
Demand for live event coverage is growing as well. Cowan echoes this idea, saying, “I think there is a lot of momentum in this space, and I think we’re seeing even more this year. Potential clients are seeing our white glove service and their trust is continuously growing.”
License this cover image via Nina Westervelt/Shutterstock for SAG Awards.
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