Stocksy welcomes new CEO Trace Cohen to lead visual media transformation

Artist-owned cooperative realigns to offer evolved visual media partnerships to brands through stock visuals, custom curations and progressive representation.

VICTORIA, BC, July 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Stocksy – the artist-owned visual media cooperative specializing in culturally relevant and progressive imagery – today announced the hiring of Trace Cohen as their new CEO. Cohen joins with a 30-year tenured career in creative media and marketing for world-leading brands and agencies and brings a fresh service model, community design approach and technology strategy to the world of creative stock visuals.

With a strong history of driving business growth for organizations through a brand-first lens, Cohen delivers proven success in community-building, artist support, and values-driven leadership to Stocksy's cooperative business model. Stocksy's highly curated stock visuals collection of over 2 million images and video, direct access to collaborative content sourced from 1,800 member-artists globally, and over 20 years combined staff curatorial experience provides the foundation for her transformed visual media partnership approach.

"Creatives have never been so pressed as they are today to get the best and most culturally relevant visuals into their work", says Bruce Livingstone, Co-founder and Chair of the Board for Stocksy. "Trace brings an eye for creative brand building and the heart to lead our co-operative."

New focus on Visual Media Partnerships

In a media landscape and technological era where authenticity is essential, digitally overwhelmed teams face established and emerging challenges. Marketers and creatives pursue ways to effectively scale their brand imagery with representative visual media - with limited time, budgets, and creative resources. Stocksy's new service model for visual media partnerships enables brands and agencies to work directly with Stocksy's professional curators and member artists to source visuals that resonate in a world where conscious visual storytelling is paramount. Images and video are curated from Stocksy's existing collection and/or sourced directly from our diverse class of 1,800 member artists worldwide. 

"Stocksy's curated collection isn't just about visuals; it's about storytelling. It's about sparking new ideas and representing the diverse perspectives of our global community," says Trace Cohen. "Supporting and collaborating with modern brands to create the authentic, insightful, and relevant content needed in today's market is our focus and design for tomorrow. Together, we're redefining what it means to create visual media in a world of conscious consumerism."

About Trace Cohen

Trace is a seasoned brand-first leader within the digital space, pioneering paths for brands to convey their purpose in a constantly evolving market. Recognized for breakthrough strategy and creative work with brands such as Levi's, Cisco, T-Mobile, and eBay, she has been a driving force in digital community, social media, mobile tech, and AI.

Notable past roles include: leading social media strategy at Razorfish; serving as SVP Strategy at Publicis; heading Global Digital Marketing for BlackBerry; and the CEO role of 214, a Soho-based brand design studio. She has served as a board member to Phluid Project, a non-binary fashion brand grounded in community and activism, and Defy Ventures, a non-profit providing entrepreneurial training for incarcerated populations to prepare them for post-release work.

About Stocksy

Stocksy is an artist-owned stock media agency specializing in relevant and progressive visuals. We are a cooperative of creatives and curators committed to leveling up industry standards through an inspired collection, fair pay for artists, and a platform that elevates creative work. More than a content provider, we're a visual media partner, with decades of combined expertise. We integrate with creative teams to help turn great ideas into standout projects. Find out more at Stocksy.com.

SOURCE Stocksy United