iStockphoto Launches “Feast,” a New Online Community Serving Up an Inspired Public Mentorship Between Creatives and Thought Leaders

CALGARY, Alberta—Oct. 5, 2011--iStockphoto announces Feast, a new online community for creatives. Feast provides abundant helpings of inspiration from a diverse group of designers, photographers, directors, writers, marketing professionals and more. Feast’s centerpiece is a unique public mentorship between cutting-edge leaders in diverse fields such as photojournalist Mario Tama and writer, director and producer Kirby Ferguson, and protégés who apply to work with them online. In pre-launch, 25,000 people registered for Feast and 300 applied to be October protégés.

Each month Feast spotlights a new "Artist in Residence," to work with two to four protégés on a specific topic related to this year’s theme of, “Creating a Better World.” The Artist in Residence will also post guest articles related to the month’s topic. Protégés will meet with their mentor to understand, “The Brief,” a creative challenge issued by the Artist in Residence. The Brief will be posted on Feast, as will subsequent drafts, feedback and final projects. In addition to getting creative direction and feedback from top artists, protégés will be awarded either 500 iStock credits or $500.

“When creatives from different disciplines intermingle, strange and wonderful things happen. In today’s world it is crucial to keep your skills sharp,” said James Leal-Valias, creative director for iStockphoto. “Feast acts as a catalyst, re-energizing people around their artistic talents and those of others.”

James Leal-Valias kicks off Feast in October, focusing on the concept of “The Big Idea.” The first protégés are Jonathan Key, a design student at Billy Blue College of design in Sydney, Australia, and Jennifer Wallace, a freelance designer based in Portland, Oregon.

Future Artists in Residence include:

• November: Photojournalist, Mario Tama. Mario is an Emmy-Award nominated staff photographer for Getty Images who has covered the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and other global events to international acclaim. His work on Baghdad’s orphans was exhibited at Visa Pour L’Image, and his images of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina have been featured in Newsweek, National Geographic and papers worldwide.
• December: Kirby Ferguson, creator of Everything is a Remix, Ferguson is a writer, director and producer who has created dozens of comedic short films and gotten over four million views on the web. As part of a development deal with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, he recently wrote, directed, produced and edited the viral hit “Macs vs. PCs”. He is a prolific comedy writer and has extensive knowledge of video production, executing almost all production roles for his shorts.

About iStockphoto
iStockphoto offers easy, affordable inspiration with millions of vetted, royalty-free photos, illustrations, video, audio and Flash® files. Using the most advanced search in the business, customers download a file every second from a collection of more than nine million files for business, marketing and personal projects. iStockphoto started in 2000, pioneering the micropayment photography business model, and has become one of the most successful and profitable user-generated content sites in the world. iStockphoto pays out more than $1.9 million weekly in artist royalties. iStockphoto is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Getty Images.