Videoblocks launches its stock photo service and changes its name to Storyblocks

Stock imagery service Videoblocks made its name thanks to its flat-rate, unlimited video library and a marketplace that paid photographers a 100 percent commission. Over time, the service started branching out beyond video, though, and the company first announced its plans for a stock photo service earlier this year. Now -- after having gathered and indexed millions of images from its first crop of photographers -- the service is opening up to the public.

With this, the company now offers a stock photo marketplace, a stock audio service and a graphics marketplace, on top the flagship video service. It's maybe no surprise then, that the company decided that "Videoblocks" isn't really the best name for anymore and will now be known as "Storyblocks."

As Storyblocks CEO TJ Leonard told me, the idea behind the name is that the company wants to provide its customers all the tools they need to tell their stories. "A few years ago, you had people buying video in LA -- and the print and photo people were in New York," Leonard told me. "You didn't have people spend their budget on photo and video." He argues that today, however, creatives (and especially freelancers) use video, photos and video in their productions and stock imagery and video services have to adapt to that.

The new name also gives the company room to move into more verticals, too. Specifically, Leonard noted that the company may soon offer templates, for example, or fonts. "Basically, any content type that a creative would need in order to tell a more compelling story," Leonard said. "That's all wrapped around this long-term vision to be the first and last place that a creative goes to start and finish a project."

Storyblocks says that it now has 10 million images in its new photo library and that it's adding about a million per month. It's not only growing its library, though. The company is also moving into larger offices in Arlington, VA, which will allow it to expand its operations as it adds new products.