On Reflection: Seattle startup Nimia provides videographers a platform …

The boom in video use online presents huge opportunities for professional videographers, but also many challenges. Filmmakers often have to use separate services to store their videos, manage them, and handle sales and licensing. Zach McIntosh and Eric Harrison cofounded Seattle-based Nimia (nimia.com) so video and media professionals can gain access to all these services in one place and, ideally, save time and money.

For example, Nimia simplifies licensing by offering video professionals a selection of five licensing types with preset prices and usage restrictions. All are sold on the Nimia Marketplace, a portfolio of professional videos available for purchase by major media companies, ad agencies, film studios and anyone else looking for high-quality video content. Buyers can search for footage they want based on key word, location, camera type, light source, motion control, even focus parameters. If customers cant find the footage theyre looking for, they can submit a request for specific content.

Cinematographers, meanwhile, can select a plan and have Nimia handle licensing for a cut of the royalties (ranging from 50 to 65 percent) or directly license content to a client at a custom price and collect 90 percent of the royalties. This provides video professionals control over their mediaa valuable resource when it comes to managing intellectual property.

Nimia users can also back up and store their videos original source files. The storage and asset manager is available to any user for a monthly subscription fee that varies by the amount of desired space. Unlike other video licensing sites, the asset manager allows videographers to download their full files at any time.

Harrison sees Nimia becoming the top source for B2B media licensing, but its working with several directors and production companies to develop new tools before fully emerging from beta. While providing a storefront for the licensing and management of video assets is the objective, Our hope, Harrison says, is to continue to archive and preserve beautiful work.