Blurb Named Corporate Award Recipient by the George Eastman House at Light & Motion Gala

Blurb takes George Eastman’s vision of photography for everyone a step further, democratizing publishing of photography books, securing award

San Francisco, Calif.— May 06, 2014 — Blurb, the indie book publishing platform, today announced that it has been named the Corporate Award recipient by the George Eastman House at its second annual Light & Motion Gala in New York City.

The George Eastman House, which is the world’s oldest photography museum and third largest film archive in the United States, hosted its second annual Light & Motion Gala to pay tribute to the accomplishments of emerging and established artists in the fields of motion pictures and photography. George Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak Company, is heralded as the father of modern photography and motion picture film. Blurb’s relationship with the Eastman Kodak Company began with its founder and CEO, Eileen Gittins, who worked various roles in marketing and business development at Kodak for nearly eight years. Gittins, also a photographer, and the Blurb team connected with the museum when they contributed to the museum’s Richard and Ronay Menchel Library through Blurb’s “Photography Book Now” competition.

“As a pioneer in self-publishing, Blurb has enabled a cost-effective capture of the creative process of amateur and professional photographers. The Eastman House leads in the interpretation of photographic and motion picture heritage and strives to inspire widespread recognition of how photographic media promotes understanding to broaden and enrich life,” said Bruce Barnes, Ron and Donna Fielding Director, George Eastman House. “Blurb supports our mission on every level and we are excited to honor them this year with the Corporate Award.”

Blurb was founded on the premise that everyone should be able to publish beautifully designed books with first class production values. With a business model that supports a minimum of one copy per title, Blurb has opened up the world of publishing to anyone with access to a computer and a story to tell or work to share. Blurb’s self-publishing book design platform enables folks to design, publish, share, market, distribute and sell both print and ebooks. Blurb takes George Eastman’s vision of photography for everyone a step further by democratizing the publishing of photography books, by putting self-publishers in full control by providing a comprehensive publishing toolkit: a suite of free book design tools including Blurb BookWright™, an Adobe InDesign® plugin and Adobe Lightroom® integration, plus a variety of print and distribution options, book format and paper choices, and online selling and social sharing tools. Photographers around the world turn to Blurb on a daily basis to create high-quality photo books.

“We’re incredibly honored to be named this year’s Corporate Award recipient,” said Eileen Gittins, Blurb founder and CEO. “The George Eastman House stands for everything we do and shares our passion of photography for everyone. We look forward to building and maintaining a solid relationship with the institution and to carrying on George Eastman’s vision.”

Other 2014 honorees include:

• Leonard Maltin – 2014 Light & Motion Award for Advocacy
• Mary Ellen Mark – Lifetime Achievement in Photography
• Chris McCaw – Emerging Icon in Photography
• Alexander Payne – Lifetime Achievement in Film
• Julia Loktev – Emerging Icon in Film

Blurb, proud to be alongside such an esteemed group of honorees, was presented with the award on stage at the Gala by American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor and director, Steven Soderbergh.

Blurb is in the middle of its most exciting year yet. From its recently announced new precision print and ebook tool called BookWright, its seamless integration with Amazon distribution, and new offset, warehousing, and fulfillment services, 2014 promises to be big.

For more information, please visit https://www.blurb.com.

About Blurb®
Blurb® is a self-publishing platform and creative community that enables individuals to design, publish, share, sell, and distribute photo books, trade books, and magazines in both print and digital formats across the globe using its free, innovative book creation and layout tools. Founded in 2005 by Executive Chairman, Eileen Gittins, Blurb has nearly 2 million independent book authors worldwide, resulting in 3.9 million unique book titles, with more than 14 million units shipped to 80 countries around the world. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and can be found online at www.blurb.com.