Release Issued by Scoopt:
Members of the public can sell their snaps to the media and earn festive fees
Scoopt, the online 'citizen journalism' picture and video agency which gives the public the power to sell newsworthy photos to the press, is inviting keen snappers to make money in time for Christmas 2005 by catering for "silly season" editorial demand.
The opportunities for capturing a saleable snap in the run up to Christmas are endless. For example, what's Victoria buying David this year? Is Pete Doherty in a gutter near you? Are there any freak weather conditions on your high street? Have you spotted something dubious about Santa Claus? And where did the local MP really spend Christmas Eve?
By signing up to Scoopt and getting a lucky shot, you can make money to cover the cost of Christmas. The possibility of selling a hot pic to the press can also help justify that new digital camera, cameraphone or camcorder that you've been itching to buy.
With Scoopt, anybody can sell a picture to the media for a professional price. The service is free to join and members can make money in two ways: by selling pictures and videos they have taken themselves and by referring friends to use the service and earning 10% commission on their picture sales. Even somebody who has never shot a decent photo (or who doesn't own a camera!) can make money with Scoopt if they have friends with snapping skills.
Scoopt takes a proactive approach to picture sales. Its expert team actively sells amateur photos and footage directly to the media - as opposed to posting pictures on a gallery and hoping an editor will come along and buy them. Members retain copyright and Scoopt aggressively protects their rights at every stage.
According to Kyle MacRae, founder of Scoopt, the time is ripe for appealing to the Christmas market, when editors are traditionally seeking amusing and quirky festive snaps.
He comments: "Citizen journalism is making its mark on the UK media and the run-up to Christmas is a fantastic time to get involved. Every day, in virtually every newspaper and on the television news, amateur material is being published and broadcast. From an opportunistic snap of a sacked call centre worker staging a naked protest in Newcastle to the career-busting cameraphone video of Kate Moss doing drugs, it is increasingly members of the public rather than professionals who find themselves in the right place at the right time to capture an event - and cash in."
Scoopt members earn 50% commission on the sale of any pictures they have taken themselves and 10% commission on pictures sold for friends they have referred. Photos and videos taken by Scoopt members have recently featured in local and national UK newspapers, magazines and television.
www.scoopt.com
