ASMP Partners with Sony to Expand its Education Platform

Last year, the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) launched the ASMP Academy. Today the organization announced that it has partnered with Sony to grow into an even more comprehensive resource for photographers.

The ASMP says that since its launch it has been able to provide its more than 4,000 members with original courses, curriculums, weekly shows, and videos tht cover almost every aspect of successfully forming, operating, growing, monetizing, innovating, and protecting photography and visual content creation businesses.

Starting today, the platform will be known as the ASMP Academy Powered by Sony.

ASMP Academy Powered by Sony

“Our partnership with Sony will give visual content creators access to the wide array of resources and expertise they need to achieve their highest goals. The ASMP Academy Powered by Sony provides photographers and content creators with a unique platform that has all the tools they need in one easy-to-use place to build a business and career, protect their work, get clients, and find success in a competitive landscape,” James Edmund Datri, CEO of ASMP, tells PetaPixel.

Datri says that the platform will offer access to one-on-one assistance to address business issues and questions either via Zoom or phone. He says this is the only photography platform that provides this resource.

“As a former professional commercial photographer, who became a lawyer and built a law firm to help photographers and content creators succeed, I joined ASMP’s team to help build this first-of-its-kind platform so that visual content creators would have a place to go to find everything they need to have a successful career in this industry,” ASMP’s General Counsel and Head of National Content and Education Thomas Maddrey says.

“I was especially interested to make sure our new platform gave them the resources necessary to form, grow, and run a business, since getting the business side of things right is so critical for creatives to find success, something I understand first-hand,” said Thomas Maddrey, ASMP General Counsel & Head of National Content and Education.”

Coursework on the ASMP Academy Powered by Sony is color-coded by topic and structured with advanced search functions. The organization says this allows users to quickly and easily find what they need when they need it. Users will also find a full set of business and contract document templates and forms, all of them recently updated by ASMP’s legal team.

“At Sony, we are always looking for ways to empower our customers with not only cutting-edge technology, but also through valuable educational opportunities,” Yang Cheng, Vice President, Imaging Solutions, Sony Electronics Inc says. “We are excited to partner with ASMP to continue to support the work of photographers and content creators through the ASMP Academy Powered by Sony program.”

ASMP says that in addition, it is growing its host of shows and resources such as ASMP’s “Week in Review”, “Focus on the Law”, and “Ask a Pro”, with new content added each week.

The “Week in Review” show, in particular, is made in partnership with PetaPixel. In it, Maddrey reviews what he considers most important information that has happened in the photo and creative industries that spans interviews, case studies, equipment announcements, legal matters, and more.

All ASMP Academy membership starts at $45 a year for students and up to $335 a year for professionals. All tiers as well as a full list of benefits of membership can be viewed on the organization’s website.