Fresh from the Board Retreat, we caught up with new Board President Geoff Cannon to find out what DMLA (Digital Media Licensing Association) is up to.

Why were you inspired to take on the Presidency of DMLA?

After 4 years on the Board as a Member-at-Large, I grew to understand the importance of the advocacy and educational efforts of the Association and its importance as a resource for the membership. With the increasing pressure on Intellectual Property rights, the licensing industry needs a voice to speak on its behalf to lawmakers and policymakers. DMLA is that voice.

The stock/digital media industry has a history of always being in flux – a curse and blessing. What do you see as the biggest changes the industry is facing and how does DMLA figure in the equation?

The increasing impact of technology on the licensing business – digital capture on personal devices, image sharing through social media, big data’s impact on search technology, cloud technology, image recognition software, integration of image licensing into the workflows of broader applications i.e. Adobe’s suite of applications. In this changing landscape it’s more important than ever to have DMLA advocate for, and be a resource for, the entities and individuals engaged in the business of digital media licensing.

Say I am a small agency owner – give me the elevator pitch on why I need to join DMLA and the best way to engage.

Benefits of Membership – Why you need to join

• Get Connected and Stay Informed – Your connection to more than 125 global members and the DMLA Blog instantly brings you the latest news.
• DMLA Conference – Now in its 21^st year, the Conference has earned a reputation as the industry’s best educational conference. It offers a great opportunity to network with your peers and connect with potential trade partners and vendors.
• DMLAsearch – A mega meta-search engine designed for digital media buyers an researches. Your image and footage collection included for free when you are a DMLA General Member.
• Advocacy – Championing the legal interests of our Members by taking a leading role in Industry Proceedings. You get regular updates on rights and licensing issues.
• Document Library – Continually updated Legal Forms for your business including contributor and distribution agreements, model and property releases, Copyright registration forms, infringement letter templates and settlement agreements. These can be particularly valuable to new entries to the industry.
• Education – A library of webinars, PowerPoint presentations and toolkits available to all Members.

Once you’ve become a Member the best way to maximize your benefit is to join us for the Conference and for those looking for even more engagement, volunteer for one of our committees. We would welcome your input!

What do you see your mission statement/legacy for your term being?

A primary focus for the Board this term will be the expansion of the membership base and revenue opportunities for DMLA. From its beginning as the Picture Archive Council of America, the Association has been almost exclusively made up of members who either had a collection of images or licensed images. There are many more constituents that would benefit from a stronger association with DMLA through Membership or Sponsorship including producers of other forms of digital media, corporate or institutional archives, non-profit archives and the many technology providers servicing digital media licensors. We’re off to a good start with both Membership and Sponsorship so far. Adobe will be our first every PLATINUM Conference sponsor. They will not only be supporting the meetings, but also providing beverages at the DMLA Opening Reception held in conjunction with Visual Connections and a great place to meet and network with both buyers and fellow DMLA attendees.

Check out the program for the upcoming conference: Reality Reimagined also – many sessions are of interest for buyers as well as agency owners.

With 35 years of experience in publishing, creative services, international sales and marketing management, Geoff joined Masterfile in 2001 as Executive VP and directs North American sales and business development as well as managing international affiliations. Well positioned indeed to lead the DMLA!