We plan to make some changes this year. After 20-odd years, Inside Imaging‘s long-time co-publisher, Keith Shipton, is heading towards retirement. He’s finding that sitting at the desk with the weekly deadlines is interfering with plans to spend the kid’s inheritance. He’ll still be making regular contributions. It’s a great opportunity for us to ‘refresh the gene pool’ with a more business-focussed partner. (No offence, Dad!) 
…So we are looking for a potential new business partner. Someone to inject new enthusiasm and considerably more business acumen into the operation. That person would ideally be young(er) and keen to further develop an online business which already has plenty of runs on the board. Marketing and sales skills are the factors missing in the Inside Imaging equation for the last five years or so, and essential for us to be able to continue. Note that this would be remunerated via revenue sharing. We would also want to discuss some kind of decent equity share as a basis for coming on board.
Beyond boosting our sales revenue, this year we are also considering providing an option for regular readers to make small voluntary paid subscriptions, quite possibly with give-aways and prizes from our sponsors as an added incentive. No paywalls, but just trialling a new digital publishing revenue stream, which other outlets have implemented with varying degrees of success. Even The Guardian, with its hundreds of millions of pounds in revenue, is asking readers to reach into their pocket these days!
We are proud to have the cream of the Australian photo community as our subscribers. (If you are reading this, you self-select in that group!). We have become essential reading for those genuinely engaged in this community. We are read extensively in the US and Europe by similarly engaged people and have an international reputation for breaking stories, and tackling subjects other online publications have neither the skill, knowledge nor the gumption to tackle. There is nothing quite like Inside Imaging anywhere else in the world.
With the demise of PMA, IDEA and now the AIPP leaving the Australian photo industry rudderless, we believe Inside Imaging is more important than ever in providing news often not available elsewhere and a point of contact with, and dialogue between, photo industry colleagues. So if you think you have the time and skills to help turn a great website into a good business, please feel free to drop Inside Imaging editor, Will Shipton, an email at wills@insideimaging.com.au.
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