Client
A prominent advertising agency needing to clear a photograph for commercial use.
Challenge
Find and get clearance for a photo of a single concert attendee taken from a long-frame shot at the massive Glastonbury Festival nearly 10 years ago. The subject's face was partially obscured by a rain poncho.
️Background
The photo was taken in 2015 at the Glastonbury Festival, which hosts roughly 200,000 attendees across a 900-acre site. Due to rain, the concertgoer was wearing a poncho, making a positive identification even more difficult. The client’s desired image, and all others found of the subject, were taken for editorial use only and lacked the necessary permissions for commercial purposes.
Solution
Our Senior Research & Clearance Specialist, Jordan Koenigstein, initiated the search using traditional tools to locate the photographer and identify the subject. When this approach yielded no actionable leads, the team pivoted to a more creative and unconventional research method.
Result
Within just three days, the young woman in the photo was located and contacted by Jordan. The entire clearance process was completed in under a week, allowing the client to move forward with their project. The successful outcome demonstrated our ability to navigate complex rights and clearance challenges, even when faced with significant historical and logistical hurdles.
