Getty on the Move

The world of celebrity syndication is getting interesting. Photographers are constantly moving back and forth among the big agencies, as do reps and executives. Getty, the recent newcomer to the party with its Exclusive by Getty Images division, has just hired a lead photo editor from one of its main competitors.

Penny Larson, formerly the head of Icon International in

Los Angeles, is the most recent sailor to j

oin the Getty ship

. In her new role, Larson will head up the U.S. editing efforts for Exclusive, which handles editorial features and portraiture. At Icon, Larson worked with

photographers Sheryl Nields, Robert Erdmann and Cliff Watts, among others. She also freelanced as studio manager for photographer team Larsen & Talbert.

Earlier this year Getty hired Elodie Mailliet away from Corbis Outline to work on Exclusive, and former Outline chief Bill Hannigan is about to join up with MediaVast's Contour. Christina Cahill, formerly of Saba Photos and later Corbis, has also joined Getty's Exclusives in recent months as manager for photo assignment and exclusive reportage.

We wouldn't be surprised to see some more developments in this space in the coming year, since the high-end celebrity space is one of the few areas in which Getty doesn't already hold a dominant position. Could Getty snap up one of its smaller but more established competitors, such as Icon or CPi or heck, even Outline? Should be interesting to watch.