RESTON, Va., July 28, 2015 -- VideoBlocks, the first subscription-based provider of unlimited royalty-free stock video, today announced the launch of its Digital Media Action Grant to further advance its mission of delivering creative freedom to college campuses across the U.S., while encouraging the ethical use of digital content. For the first time, VideoBlocks will be awarding two grants of $10,000 to higher education researchers to study how digital creative content can help students build 21st century skills.
The Digital Media Action Grant is open to all institutions participating in VideoBlocks' Early Enrollment Program. Faculty can earn one of the $10,000 grants by showing significant and original contribution to the field of digital creative media using VideoBlocks' range of digital content. The grant will allow faculty to build upon previous research into the pedagogical impact of digital media, consider the effects and usage cases of VideoBlocks' creative digital media across entire educational institutions, and give a better understanding of how digital creative media fits within a framework of 21st century communication skills.
"The Digital Media Action Grant gives faculty and their students the opportunity not just to build digital skills, but to experiment with how to improve classroom engagement, and better prepare students for their professional lives," said Joel Holland, Founder and CEO of VideoBlocks. "When we heard from so many universities and colleges, that students, faculty and administrators were frustrated by the lack of access to royalty-free creative content, we saw an opportunity to facilitate creative freedom on campuses nationwide while also eliminating the administrative headache of copyright compliance."
To accompany the grant, the company also announced the VideoBlocks Early Enrollment Program (VEEP). With VEEP, a select number of higher education institutions will be enrolled and have access to over $10MM worth of royalty-free video and audio content at no cost through December 2015. In addition, colleges and universities who enroll in VEEP will receive a 20% Academic Credit for any original footage sold via VideoBlocks' recently launched Marketplace that can be applied toward future licensing costs.
The combination of VideoBlocks' Unlimited Library, which provides $10MM worth of royalty-free creative content that students can incorporate into their digital projects, and the Marketplace, where students and faculty can earn 100% commission on all sales of original footage plus the 20% Academic Credit, provides a unique opportunity to develop 21st century skills in an academic environment, and then commercialize their productions in a functioning marketplace.
About VideoBlocks
VideoBlocks is a profitable, venture-backed stock media company recognized in 2014 by Inc. Magazine as the eleventh fastest growing media company in the United States. Together with its sister sites GraphicStock and AudioBlocks, VideoBlocks empowers customers to enhance their creative projects, ranging from professional production studios like NBC, Discovery and MTV to pro-sumers and enthusiasts like colleges, churches and video editing hobbyists. Founder and CEO Joel Holland has been named one of the "Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25" by BusinessWeek Magazine, "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" by the United States Small Business Administration, "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Ernst and Young for the Greater Washington DC Region, and made Inc. Magazine's prestigious "30 Under 30" list in 2013. The company is based in Reston, Virginia.
