Shutterstock is a creative marketplace populated by talented photographers, illustrators, musicians and videographers from around the world.

Now Shutterstock invites audiences to discover the stories

behind the creativity through the new Shutterstock Presents: Artists Series a video series highlighting these inspiring contributors.

Shutterstock Presents: Artists Series provides a behind-the-scenes look at the creative artists across the network, offering insight into the lives of contributors who choose to share their art with Shutterstock’s global audience.

You will ride the waves with a Canadian surf photographer, work up an appetite with a meticulous food photographer, and marvel at the majesty of the California wilderness with a wildlife photographer – with more inspirational stories to come as the series continues.

We recently spoke to Kristen Sanger, Senior Director of Contributor Marketing at Shutterstock to learn more about the Shutterstock Presents: Artists Series.

What inspired Shutterstock to highlight the talents of its contributors with the Artists Series?
“We have more than 750,000 contributors around the globe who have their own unique stories and perspective on how they view their artform. Our contributors are a crucial part of our business, and we’re always looking for ways to elevate our community and promote the incredible content they create.

“We created the Shutterstock Presents Artist Series to showcase their unique stories and celebrate the diversity of our contributor community. A behind-the-scenes look provides a more human connection to our product offering and a different viewpoint of our collection.”

Do you think it’s important to celebrate the creativity of the many artists that work with Shutterstock?
“Creatives are the backbone of our platform- they come from over 100 countries and speak 21+ languages, making them all uniquely different and are able to fill a need – whether that’s providing the perfect photo of a beef burger or an abstract rendering of a forest.

“Shutterstock’s global customer base of over 1.9 million creatives includes designers, art directors, and marketers who need content to meet their diverse needs and projects. With hundreds of thousands of images added each week, there’s something for everyone in our database, and this is all thanks to the creativity of those that contribute every single day.”

So far the series highlights a diverse mix of artists – from a Canadian surf photographer to a food photographer in Phoenix and a wildlife photographer in San Francisco. How essential is diversity to Shutterstock?
“We launched the series with three videos and we start the journey in North America and will continue on to showcase other areas around the Globe. Shutterstock is a global company, and we are fortunate to have a large community of talented individuals who create content from all corners of the world.

“Shutterstock Presents is designed to identify, showcase and celebrate the uniqueness that exists within our community from across 150+ countries. We wouldn’t be able to provide the current level of value to our customers without leaning into diversity, and it’s a no brainer for us since these unique backgrounds are abundant within our company. All of our brands, including Shutterstock and Offset, offer imagery that celebrates LGBTQ+ lives and challenges expectations around domestic life.”

The majority of content today is aimed at immediate gratification, yet Shutterstock Presents: Artists Series takes the time to tell personal stories behind the art. Was that a conscious decision?
“The average adult spends eleven hours a day interacting with media in some form, and I cannot imagine that number decreasing any time soon. That is a sea of content which can start to become a maze of pixels, without understanding or appreciating the work that went into it.

“However, behind each piece of content is an artist who put their passion, creativity, and soul into that art. We wanted to take a step back and enter the world of the artist, to take a moment to hear their stories, understand what it takes to create what they do, and to really appreciate it. We hope our viewers will enjoy the journey and stop to enjoy the stories.”

What do you want to see from contributors applying to be featured in this Artists Series?
“We want to see contributors that are passionate about their craft and want to showcase how they get it done. A behind-the-scenes look into their world and how they create helps to tell their story in a truly authentic way. Some of these creatives have been creating and monetizing content on our site for years, and providing an in-depth look into how they get it done adds another level of humanity and personalization to an otherwise visually dynamic image, video, and, or, illustration.

“Our content reflects a variety of topics and niches, from food photography to wildlife, and from local markets to national monuments, this also serves as a source of inspiration for both current and aspiring contributors. Presents wants to showcase these out of the box content forms, so we welcome contributors from all walks of life to apply to be featured.”

Check out the Artist Inspiration page to view a comprehensive collection of each artists’ work, as well as see exclusive footage available for license from the videos.

If you are a Shutterstock contributor with a story to share, you can submit your story here for an opportunity to showcase your work, skills and talents with the Shutterstock community.

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