PhotoDisc
Encyclopedia
PhotoDisc, Inc. based in Seattle
, was a leading publisher of digital stock photography
free of royalties
. It was founded in 1991 by Mark Torrance, who also became the chief executive officer
and chairman. After receiving the catalog in the mail, customers would write or phone the office and order the photos or pre-made collections by charter artists Clement Mok
or Nick Koudis
which would then be shipped to them on CD-ROM
. In the fall of 1995, their website
was launched making business more convenient as it was no longer necessary to wait for shipping as photos could be downloaded directly from the website, the catalog option was still available, though. In September 1997, PhotoDisc agreed to combine with London
-based Getty Communications to form the Seattle based Getty Images
. In February 1998, at the closure of the acquisition, PhotoDisc's library amounted to 60,000 images.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, was a leading publisher of digital stock photography
Stock photography
Stock photography is the supply of photographs licensed for specific uses. It is used to fulfill the needs of creative assignments instead of hiring a photographer. Today, stock images can be presented in searchable online databases. They can be purchased and delivered online...
free of royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
. It was founded in 1991 by Mark Torrance, who also became the chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
and chairman. After receiving the catalog in the mail, customers would write or phone the office and order the photos or pre-made collections by charter artists Clement Mok
Clement Mok
Clement Mok is a graphic designer and author.Mok founded several design-related businesses — Studio Archetype , CMCD and NetObjects, Inc.. In 1997, Mok helped to launch the advertising campaign called the "The Internet Guy". From 1998 until 2001, he was Chief Creative Officer of Sapient...
or Nick Koudis
Nick Koudis
Nick Koudis is an American photographer known for images that have a double meaning that poke fun at social insanity. Almost all of his photographs are created using special effects such as miniature or oversized props, or have been digitally manipulated in Photoshop.Koudis was born in New York...
which would then be shipped to them on CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
. In the fall of 1995, their website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
was launched making business more convenient as it was no longer necessary to wait for shipping as photos could be downloaded directly from the website, the catalog option was still available, though. In September 1997, PhotoDisc agreed to combine with London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based Getty Communications to form the Seattle based Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty Images, Inc. is a stock photo agency, based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is a supplier of stock images for business and consumers with an archive of 80 million still images and illustrations and more than 50,000 hours of stock film footage...
. In February 1998, at the closure of the acquisition, PhotoDisc's library amounted to 60,000 images.