Kelly Thompson Joins 500px as Head of Marketplace

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - Nov 19, 2015) - 500px today announced that Kelly Thompson has joined 500px as Head of Marketplace. Thompson is a photo licensing industry veteran, having worked as SVP, Product Development at Getty Images and COO of iStock by Getty Images.

At 500px, Thompson will oversee the expansion of 500px marketplace, developing new products to service the company's growing number of enterprise accounts, including advertising agencies and large brands, as well as continuing to accelerate 500px's base of self-service marketplace customers.

"We've only begun to scratch the surface when it comes to tapping the potential of 500px's marketplace," said Andy Yang, CEO Of 500px. "Kelly will be instrumental in leading our initiatives to increase our market position in photo licensing both by growing our client base and helping to guide the marketplace's product direction to better service these customers."

Thompson has held senior positions in the creative and photo licensing space for years. While Chief Operating Officer of iStock by Getty Images, he oversaw the global strategy and operational leadership of iStock's products, services, technology and sales. During his time at iStock, he propelled the company from a few thousand photographers and clients to a worldwide presence with millions of clients, creating a new market for affordable imagery. Attracted by the unprecedented growth, Getty Images acquired the company in 2005.

Thompson also served as Executive Vice President at iStock's parent company Getty Images and sat on their Executive Committee. Most recently, Thompson was SVP, Innovation and an early investor at Benevity, Inc., one of Canada's most successful startups. He holds a B.S in Computer Science from the University of Calgary.

About 500px
Launched in 2009, 500px is a global online photography community for sharing, discovering and licensing amazing photos. Images on 500px represent the work of over 6 million professional and hobbyist photographers.Through its marketplace, 500px works with thousands of agency and brand creatives who use 500px images in their campaigns.

500px is venture backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Visual China Group and ff Venture Capital and headquartered in Toronto, Canada with offices in San Francisco and New York City. For more information on 500px, go to www.500px.com.