Splash – the US-based news agency founded by two former redtop journalists from Britain – has been bought by Corbis images.
Former tabloid journalists Gary Morgan and Kevin Smith founded splash in 1990. It is based in Los Angeles but also has offices in London, New York, Rome, Milan, Berlin, Sydney and Florida and claims a network of 3,000 contributors
Picture agency Corbis has bought splash for an undisclosed fee.
Corbis chief executive Gary Shenk said: “With the addition of Splash, Corbis will provide our customers the most comprehensive, unique and differentiated offering in the high-growth entertainment sector – from candid celebrity to high-end portraiture to motion.
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‘Splash photographers consistently capture the most significant celebrity stories around the globe, ahead of the competition. With Corbis’ global sales organisation and web platform, we look forward to aggressively expanding the reach of this high-quality offering to our customers worldwide.”
Splash chief executive Gary Morgan said: “We are thrilled to join Corbis and will continue to do what we do best – deliver the authentic, breaking content that connects the media with its audience. We look forward to providing Corbis’ customers real-time entertainment content to support their business growth and providing our global network of photographers the ability to expand beyond their current reach through Corbis’ global footprint.”
Notable splash scoops include: Sandra Bullock’s first public appearance with her newly adopted son, the first images of Michael Jackson’s first child, Anna Nicole Smith’s death in 2007 and revelations about golfer Tiger Woods’ love life in 2009.
In 2007, Splash News Miami bureau chief David Leigh tracked down Anne Darwin – the wife of ‘canoe man’ John Darwin – and persuaded her to tell her side of the story about how her husband faked his own death.
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