A message for my Hollywood actor and musician colleagues

Hey everyone,

What’s up? I know that your life has probably been hit by the ripple effects in our industry caused by the coronavirus. Productions and shows are being shelved left and right, and things are looking pretty grim right now, I know. HOWEVER…I have some potentially good news for you from my people over at Getty Images. It may in fact turn out to be an opportunity if played right.

Like all of us in The Business, Getty is being affected by all the disruption, and naturally isn’t happy about it. They are determined to continue putting out new product to the world’s media if possible; it’s just that right now, it’s not going to be able to be through the traditional means of premieres, screenings and live shows, given the restrictions on public gatherings. Because of this, they just recently put out an announcement to its photographers like myself, in which they stated that the apparatus for putting out pictures to the world is very much still up and running, and they want us photographers to try to fill it up with new content.

What does this mean for you? It means that since Getty is on the lookout for material, they’ve given us photographers greater leeway in developing it. Specifically, they’ve asked us to, if possible, set up portrait sessions with actors or musicians that we know, but there are other possibilities, as well--perhaps small, pop-up style events that require only one or a few people (under safe circumstances, of course), or something similar.

The point is, since the big studio events are off the table for the time being, there is now an opening at Getty for talent and projects to garner attention to themselves. Therefore, if, say, you’re involved with a film whose screening just got canceled, rest assured that Getty still very much wants material pertaining to that film, just perhaps shots of your three leads instead of everyone who normally arrives at a premiere. If you’re in a band that’s been kicked off the road, then a live photo session while you’re doing a video livestream performance for your fans could do the trick. If you don’t have anything in the pipeline at the moment, then some sort of public donation to combat the coronavirus would be a very good idea. There are still avenues to reach your audience; they just require some more exploring.

So, it’s time to get creative here. If you’re up for the idea of portraits, I can provide those, and pitch them to Getty to see how hungry they are. If you have ideas or angles for stuff outside of portraits that sound good, I want to hear them. This window is not going to stay open forever, so the time to start brainstorming is now.

Please get back to me at your earliest convenience with your thoughts. I hope that things are OK on your end, and that you’re staying safe. Thank you very much.

Yours truly,

Michael Tullberg