ASMP Issues Brief Report About Mira . . .

Stock Asylum Staff Report
September 13, 2005

The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) has issued a brief report that appears to conclude its investigation into the Creative Eye cooperative, which operates the Mira stock photography agency.

"We are deeply sorry to report that the board and management of Creative Eye Co-Op and Mira have not given us either the information that we requested or any reason to believe that its participating photographers and members can be assured of prompt and full payments, regular and reliable accountings, or governance of the organization pursuant to the requirements of its by-laws," said the report, which was issued to ASMP members in the name of the organization's board of directors.

Since the ASMP investigation was first reported in July, Mira Executive Director John Greim has admitted that Mira is behind in its payments to photographers and in the publication of its annual report.

Greim has promised to solve the problems as soon as possible, but noted that Mira has had trouble getting its new and more powerful web site up to speed. He said the web site is the most pressing problem for the cooperative, which has struggled since its bank funding was cut in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack.

In a mild conclusion, the ASMP board said, "We had hoped that Creative Eye would be successful in the marketplace and provide an entity in which photographers, rather than outsiders, could control the fate and business decisions of photographers. We continue to have that hope; however, we are obligated to provide you with the information in this message so that you can make your own, informed business decisions in regard to participation.

ASMP created Mira 15 years ago. Mira became an independent cooperative several years later. The cooperative almost folded after losing its funding, but was kept alive by a handful of participants, including Greim and Randy Taylor of Stock Media.

 

The Mira web site can be found at: http://www.mira.com

ASMP is at: http://www.asmp.org