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Shutterstock, Inc.

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FY2013 Annual Report · Shutterstock, Inc.
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2013 ANNUAL REPORT 

THE WORLD’S  
CREATIVE
MARKETPLACE

Photo: David Yellen

A LETTER FROM OUR CEO  

Dear Shutterstock stockholders, 

Growth. When we talk about Shutterstock’s progress 
over the last year, that word keeps coming up. In 2013 
we served more customers and delivered more files 
than ever before. We added more than 100 talented 
employees to our team. Our image and video 
collections continued to improve in size and in quality. 
We explored new areas and introduced two new 
brands. And we finished the year while putting the 
final coats of paint on our new headquarters in the 
Empire State Building.

In everything we do at Shutterstock, we never stop 
learning, testing and optimizing. As we look back on a 
year of accomplishments, we see so many reasons to 
be optimistic about the future ahead.

Business Overview. For the first time in 2013, we 
delivered more than 100 million downloads to our  
paying customers.

We also continued to deliver strong revenue growth 
and profitability. Revenue for 2013 grew 39% to  
$236 million, from $170 million in 2012. In 2013  
we generated adjusted EBITDA of $53 million, up 53% 
from $35 million in 2012.

Our 2013 revenue was geographically diversified, with 
36% from North America, 36% from Europe and 28% 
from the rest of the world.

At the end of 2013, our cash and short–term  
investments balance was $210 million, and we had  
no outstanding debt.

A year of accomplishment. Over the last year we 
expanded our offerings with new products and 
brands, as well as new features that have won rave 
reviews from our customers.

We introduced a premium image collection, Offset, 
which offers highly sought-after images at 
competitive prices. Offset is available through a 
stand-alone site and is offered as part of our 
Shutterstock Premier service for ad agencies, 
publishers and large organizations.

We also introduced Skillfeed, a two-sided learning 
marketplace that offers users unlimited access to 
thousands of hours of video tutorials. Anybody can 
create a learning tutorial and get paid based on how 
much it’s viewed. Skillfeed operates like a startup

inside of Shutterstock, and we look forward to 
watching it grow.

Within Shutterstock, we introduced Spectrum, a 
search tool designed and built in-house that allows 
customers to search millions of high-quality 
commercially released images by color.

We serve customers in over 150 countries, and in 
2013 we doubled the number of languages we 
support on Shutterstock.com from 10 to 20,  
with the addition of Turkish, Hungarian, Polish,  
Czech, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish,  
Korean and Thai.

To better serve customers on mobile devices, we also 
added German and Portuguese language support to 
our popular Shutterstock app for iOS, and introduced 
our first Shutterstock app for Android.

We opened our first international offices in London 
and Berlin. And we successfully completed a major 
construction project to relocate our New York City 
headquarters to two floors of the Empire State 
Building. Our new headquarters features state- 
of-the-art technology, open space to encourage  
team collaboration and spontaneous interactions,  
and room to host industry and community  
gatherings. It’s an important asset for attracting  
and retaining talent.

To 2014 and beyond. So much happened in 2013 
that it’s easy to overlook one big milestone: 
Shutterstock celebrated its 10th birthday. Since we 
launched Shutterstock on July 10, 2003, we’ve grown 
into so much more than a photo library. Today, 
Shutterstock is a collection of useful, reliable and 
engaging creative resources that people all over the 
world depend on daily. 

We have so much more to do. Thank you for joining us 
on this journey of creativity, learning and innovation 
as we work toward an even better 2014. 

Sincerely,

Jon Oringer 
Founder and CEO

 
 
 
SHUTTERSTOCK IN 2013

900,000

active, paying users

50,000

approved contributors

100 million

downloads

$236 million

revenue

39%

annual revenue growth

SHUTTERSTOCK SOURCES HIGH-QUALITY  
IMAGES FROM CONTRIBUTORS AND LICENSES 
THOSE IMAGES TO CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE.

Contributors create  
and upload content

Customers search and 
find images and videos

CONTRIBUTORS

Photographers 
Illustrators 
Videographers

CUSTOMERS

Businesses 
Marketing Agencies 
Media Organizations 

Contributors are paid a 
commission when their 
content is downloaded

Customers license 
content from 
Shutterstock

Why contributors choose Shutterstock:

Why customers choose Shutterstock:

A global audience of paying customers
Efficient process for adding images and videos 
Real-time feedback and community

High-quality, licensed images and videos 
Superior search results  
Simple, affordable pricing

CONTRIBUTOR STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Aff Marshall   
USA 

“

As a young kid in Brooklyn, 

I’d sketch my daydreams 

on paper. It was my way of 

escaping poverty. As time went 

on, I learned photography by 

experimenting with an old 

35mm film camera that my 

father gave me. Now I enjoy 

tinkering with computers 

and learning about new and 

advanced technologies. Now 

Maaike Boot   
Netherlands

“

For as long as I can remember 

I was creating things and 

drawing. Nowadays, I work 

as an independent artist and 

travel the world in search 

of new experiences and 

perspectives.

“

I’m entering the era of digital 

cinematography and it’s an 

“

exciting time.

Fernando Gregory   
Mexico

“

Ever since I was a kid I wanted 

to be a movie director. I tend to 

forget a lot of things, which is 

why when I was in high school 

I started taking pictures of 

everything, I fell in love with 

photography almost instantly.

“

Ashraf Jandali   
United Arab Emirates

“

Photography is the way I 

express my feelings to the 

world, and it really feels 

good to find people enjoying 

your work and asking you for 

more. Shutterstock’s tough 

level of quality acceptance 

means a lot to me and helps 

me take my photography to 

a totally new level..

“

Osei Owusu Banahene   
Ghana 

“

Art makes me feel that I 

have the ability to change 

the world. Telling stories of 

Monalisa Dakshi  
India 

“

My experience with 

Shutterstock has helped to 

fulfill my artistic passion and 

to share it around the world. 

Appreciation from the people 

who buy my art provides me 

others and capturing the 

beauty of nature is very 

“

fulfilling.

with motivation to work hard 

and to continue to come up 

with innovative concepts.

“

 
ANNUAL REVENUE
(MILLIONS OF DOLLARS)

$250
$250

$200
$200

$150
$150

$100
$100

$236
$236

$170
$170

$120
$120

$83
$83

$61
$61

$50
$50

$0
$50

2009
2009

2010
2010

2011
2011

2012
2012

2013
2013

PAID DOWNLOADS   

(MILLIONS)

100

80

60

40

20

0

44

34

100

76

59

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

LOCAL IMAGE TRENDS
Floral patterns are all the rage in Japan, but the French prefer things  more 
black-and-white. We crunched our global numbers to discover  what’s inspiring 
designers in different countries around the world.

Canada
Conceptual Icons

Netherlands
Vibrant Textures

Sweden
Health

Germany
Global  
Connections

UK
Infographic
Elements

USA
Business &
Technology

France 
Black & White

China
Pastel Colors

Turkey
Banners 
& Badges

India
Culture 
& Tradiition

Mexico
Family

Brazil
Geometric
Patterns

South Africa
Nature & Wildlife

Argentina
Rituals & Customs

VIDEO TRENDS

As 4K video and 3D rendering technology 
become more widely available, demand for 
high-quality footage is rapidly increasing. 
 These clip categories are seeing the  
most growth.

Russia
Vivid Color

Korea
Handcrafted  
Design

Japan
Traditional Floral
Paintings

+94% YOY 
Cityscapes

Australia
Natural 
Environments

+66% YOY
3D Renderings

+97% YOY
Transportation

+98% YOY
Education

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES  AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,  D.C. 20549

(Mark One)

FORM 10-K

(cid:1) ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13  OR 15(d)  OF THE  SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

(cid:2)

For the fiscal  year ended December 31, 2013
OR
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION  13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition  period  from 

  to 
Commission  file  number  001-35669

Shutterstock, Inc.
(Exact name  of registrant as specified  in  its  charter)

Delaware
(State  or  other jurisdiction  of
incorporation  or  organization)
350  Fifth  Avenue, 21st  Floor
New  York,  New York
(Address  of  principal  executive  offices)

80-0812659
(I.R.S.  Employer
Identification  No.)

10118
(Zip code)

(646) 419-4452
Registrant’s  telephone  number,  including area code

Securities registered pursuant to  Section 12(b)  of  the Act:

Title of each class

Name  of each exchange on which registered

Common  Stock,  $0.01 par  value per share
Securities registered  pursuant  to  Section  12(g)  of the  Act:  None

New  York  Stock  Exchange

Indicate by check mark  if the  registrant  is  a  well-known  seasoned issuer, as defined  in  Rule  405  of  the  Securities

Act. Yes (cid:2) No  (cid:1)

Indicate by check mark  if the  registrant  is  not  required  to  file reports  pursuant to  Section  13  or  Section  15(d)  of the

Act. Yes (cid:2) No  (cid:1)

Indicate by check mark  whether  the  registrant:  (1)  has filed  all reports  required  to  be  filed  by  Section  13 or 15(d) of  the

Securities Exchange  Act  of  1934  during  the  preceding  12  months  (or for such  shorter  period  that  the  Registrant  was  required to
file such reports), and  (2)  has  been subject  to  such  filing  requirements  for  the  past  90  days.  Yes  (cid:1) No (cid:2)

Indicate by check mark  whether  the  registrant  has submitted  electronically and  posted on  its  corporate  Web  site,  if any, every
Interactive Data File  required to  be  submitted  and  posted  pursuant to  Rule 405 of  Regulation S-T  (§232.405  of  this  chapter) during
the preceding 12 months  (or  for  such  shorter  period  that the  registrant  was  required  to submit and  post such  files).  Yes  (cid:1) No  (cid:2)
Indicate by check mark  if disclosure  of  delinquent  filers  pursuant  to Item  405  of  Regulation  S-K  is  not contained  herein, and
will not be contained, to the best of  registrant’s knowledge,  in  definitive  proxy  or  information statements incorporated by reference
in Part III of this Form  10-K or any amendment to  this  Form  10-K.  (cid:2)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a  large accelerated filer,  an  accelerated filer,  a  non-accelerated  filer,  or a

smaller reporting company. See the definitions of  ‘‘large  accelerated  filer,’’  ‘‘accelerated  filer’’  and ‘‘smaller  reporting  company’’ in
Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.  (Check  one):
Large accelerated filer (cid:2)

Smaller reporting  company (cid:2)

Accelerated  filer (cid:1)

Non-accelerated filer  (cid:2)
(Do  not check if  a
smaller reporting company)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a  shell company  (as  defined  in  Rule 12b-2  of the Exchange

Act). Yes  (cid:2) No  (cid:1)

As of June 28, 2013, the last business  day  of the registrant’s most  recently  completed second  fiscal quarter, the  aggregate

market value of its voting and non-voting  common stock held  by  non-affiliates on  that  date  was  approximately  $491,578,207.  This
calculation excludes the shares of common stock held  by  executive  officers,  directors  and stockholders whose ownership  exceeded
10% outstanding at June 28, 2013. This calculation does  not reflect  a  determination  that such  persons are  affiliates  for  any other
purposes.

On February 26, 2014, 35,072,692 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS  INCORPORATED  BY REFERENCE

The information required by Part III  of  this Annual  Report  on Form 10-K, to  the  extent  not set  forth  herein, is  incorporated

herein by reference from the registrant’s definitive  proxy  statement  relating to  the  Annual  Meeting  of  Shareholders to  be  held  in
2014, which definitive proxy  statement shall be filed with  the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission within 120 days  after  the  end of
the fiscal year to which this Annual Report  on Form  10-K  relates.

Form 10-K
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part I

Item 1.
Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Item 1A. Risk Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Item 2.
Legal Proceedings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Item 3.
Mine Safety Disclosures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Item 4.

Item 5.

Item 6.
Item 7.

Part II
Market for Registrant’s Common  Equity,  Related Stockholder Matters  and Issuer

Purchases of Equity Securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selected Financial Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Management’s Discussion  and  Analysis of Financial Condition  and Results of

Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About  Market Risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Financial Statements and Supplementary  Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Item 8.
Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting  and Financial
Item 9.

Disclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Item 9B. Other Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Part III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers  and  Corporate  Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Executive Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Item 11.
Security Ownership of Certain  Beneficial  Owners and  Management and Related
Item 12.

Item 13.
Item 14.

Stockholder Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and  Director Independence . . . . . . .
Principal Accounting Fees  and  Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Part IV

Page

3
24
44
44
44
44

45
47

51
71
72

72
72
73

74
74

74
74
74

Item 15.

Exhibits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F-1

2

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DATA

PART I

This  Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking  statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section  21E  of  the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
particularly in the discussions under the captions ‘‘Business,’’  ‘‘Risk Factors’’ and ‘‘Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.’’ These include  statements that
involve expectations, plans or intentions (such as  those  relating to  future business, future results  of
operations or financial condition, new  or  planned features, products  or services, or management strategies)
based on our management’s current beliefs  and assumptions. You can identify these forward-looking
statements by words such as ‘‘may,’’ ‘‘will,’’ ‘‘would,’’  ‘‘should,’’ ‘‘could,’’ ‘‘expect,’’ ‘‘anticipate,’’ ‘‘believe,’’
‘‘estimate,’’ ‘‘intend,’’ ‘‘plan’’ and other  similar expressions. However, not  all forward-looking  statements
contain these words. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our
actual results to differ materially from  those expressed or implied in  our forward-looking statements. Such
risks and uncertainties include, among  others, those  discussed under the caption ‘‘Risk Factors’’ of  this
Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as  in  our consolidated  financial  statements, related notes, and the
other information appearing elsewhere  in  this report and  our other  filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, or the SEC. Given these risks  and uncertainties, you  should not  place  undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements. We do not  intend, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation,
to update any of our forward-looking statements after  the date of this  report to reflect  actual results or  future
events  or circumstances. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to  place undue
reliance  on such forward-looking statements.

In addition, some of the industry and market data  contained in this  Annual Report on Form 10-K  are
based on data collected by third parties, including  IDC, BIA/Kelsey, Cisco, IBISWorld,  Netcraft, comScore
and MagnaGlobal, as well as a report commissioned by us  and prepared by L.E.K.  Consulting LLC. This
information involves a number of assumptions and  limitations. Although  we believe  that  each source is
reliable as of its respective date, we have not independently verified the accuracy  or completeness of  this
information.

Unless the context otherwise indicates,  references in this  Annual  Report  on Form 10-K to  the terms

‘‘Shutterstock,’’ ‘‘the Company,’’ ‘‘we,’’  ‘‘our’’ and  ‘‘us’’ refer  to Shutterstock, Inc. and its subsidiaries
including, for the period prior to October  5, 2012,  Shutterstock Images  LLC. ‘‘Shutterstock’’,  ‘‘Offset’’,
‘‘Skillfeed’’, ‘‘Bigstock’’ and ‘‘Big Stock  Photo’’ are registered trademarks or  logos appearing in this  Annual
Report on Form 10-K and are the property  of Shutterstock,  Inc. or one of our subsidiaries. All other
trademarks, service marks and trade names appearing in this Annual Report on  Form  10-K are  the property
of their respective owners.

Item 1. Business.

Overview

Shutterstock operates an industry-leading global marketplace  for commercial digital imagery.

Commercial digital imagery consists  of  licensed photographs,  illustrations and  video clips that
companies use in their visual communications, such  as websites, digital and  print marketing materials,
corporate communications, books, publications and video content.  Demand  for commercial  digital
imagery comes primarily from businesses, marketing  agencies and media organizations. We estimate
that the market for pre-shot commercial digital imagery will grow from  approximately $4  billion in  2011
to approximately $6 billion in 2016, based  on a  study conducted  on our behalf by L.E.K.
Consulting LLC. There has been a significant increase in  the demand for commercial digital imagery  as
rapid technological advances have reduced the cost and effort required  to  create, license and use
images. Our global online marketplace brings together  users of commercial digital imagery  with image
creators from around the world. More  than 900,000 active, paying  users  contributed to revenue  in 2013.
More than 50,000 approved contributors make their images  and  video clips  available  in our collection,

3

which  has grown to more than 32 million  images  and more than 1  million  video  clips as of
December 31, 2013. This makes our collection one of  the largest of its kind, and, in the  twelve months
ended December 31, 2013, we delivered more than 100 million paid  downloads (including both
commercial and editorial images) to  our  customers.

Our online marketplace provides a freely searchable collection  of  commercial digital imagery that

our  users can pay to license, download and  incorporate  into  their work. We compensate  contributors
for each  of their images or video clips that is downloaded.  This marketplace  model  allows  us to offer
users a low-cost and easy-to-use alternative to the time-consuming and expensive traditional methods of
obtaining commercial imagery. It enables  millions of small  and medium-sized businesses, or  SMBs,  to
affordably access commercial digital imagery, and  allows larger enterprises and media agencies  to  more
easily and efficiently satisfy their increasing image needs.

We  are the beneficiaries of significant network effects. As we  have grown, our broadening audience

of paying users has attracted more imagery from contributors.  This increased selection  of  imagery has
in turn helped to attract more paying  users.  The  success of this network  effect is facilitated by the trust
that users place in Shutterstock to maintain the  integrity of our branded marketplace. Every contributor
in our marketplace and every image  we  make  available must  pass  our proprietary screening process  and
meet our standards of quality. In addition,  and  unlike the significant  majority of free images available
online, our rigorous vetting process enables us to provide confidence and  indemnification to our users
that the content in our collection has been appropriately licensed for commercial  or editorial use.

We  make the licensing of images and video clips affordable, simple and easy in order to encourage

a high volume of purchases and downloads.  Our customers’ average cost per download was $2.35 in
2013. We are a pioneer of the subscription-based usage  model in our industry, whereby subscribers can
download and use a large number of images in  their creative process  without  concern for the
incremental cost of each download. A significant majority of our downloads come from  subscription-
based users, who contribute approximately half of our revenue. We  also offer simple and  easy-to-use
On Demand purchase options for users  who  purchase  imagery when and  as needed. As a  result of our
simple and affordable licensing models, we believe  that we achieved the highest  volume of commercial
image downloads of any single brand  in  our industry in 2013. In  addition  to  generating revenue, this
high volume of download activity allows us to continually improve the  quality and accuracy of our
search algorithms, as well as to encourage  the creation of new content to meet our users’  needs.

Our revenue is diversified and predictable. More than  900,000 customers from more than
150 countries contributed to our revenue  in  2013, with  our top 25 customers in the  aggregate
accounting for less than 3% of our revenue. We have historically benefitted from  a high degree of
revenue retention from both subscription-based and On Demand customers. For example, in 2013, 2012
and 2011, we experienced year-to-year revenue retention of 99%, 100% and 102%, respectively. This
means that customers that contributed  to  our revenue  in 2012 contributed,  in the aggregate, 99%  as
much  revenue in 2013 as they did in  2012. Customers typically pay  us upfront  and then  use their
downloads in a predictable pattern over time, which  results in  favorable cash flow characteristics and
has historically added predictability and  stability  to  our  financial results.

We  have achieved  significant growth since  our marketplace was launched  in 2003. In  2013 and

2012, we generated revenue of $235.5  million and $169.6 million, respectively, representing
year-over-year growth of 39.0% and 41.0%, respectively. In 2013  and  2012, we generated  Adjusted
EBITDA of $53.4 million and $34.9 million,  respectively, Non-GAAP  Net Income of $31.0 million and
$28.0 million, respectively, and Free  Cash Flow of $42.3 million and $41.5 million, respectively. See
‘‘Summary Consolidated Financial Data—Non-GAAP Financial Measures.’’  In 2013 and  2012, our net
income was $26.5 million and $47.5 million, respectively.  Effective with the Reorganization, we  became
a Delaware corporation, and therefore  became subject to federal and  state  tax expense beginning
October 6, 2012. As a result of this tax status change, we recorded  an  incremental  net deferred  tax
asset and a one-time non-cash tax benefit of  approximately  $28.8 million  in the fourth quarter of the

4

fiscal year ended December 31, 2012.  We are a  global business; in 2013, 36%  of our  revenue came
from North America, 36% came from  Europe and 28%  came from the rest of the world.

Industry Overview: Commercial Digital  Imagery

Images help businesses communicate and engage with  customers, market their products, and
differentiate their brand. Companies invest in  imagery for the same reasons they invest in marketing,
advertising and media production: to increase the impact, engagement and  differentiation of their
communications. From the smallest start-ups  to  the largest multinationals, companies pay  to  license
photographs, video clips and illustrations for use  in print and digital marketing  materials,  corporate
communications, external and internal websites, social networking  sites, mobile  applications,  games and
videos. Imagery is also widely used in  publishing books, eBooks, magazines and  news articles.  The
demand for paid imagery in a commercial  context  comes  primarily  from:

(cid:127) Businesses: Large corporations, small and medium-sized businesses and sole proprietorships that

have marketing, communications and design needs;

(cid:127) Marketing Agencies: Creative service providers such as advertising agencies,  media agencies,

graphic design firms, web design firms and freelance design professionals; and

(cid:127) Media Organizations: Creators of print and digital content, from large publishers  and  broadcast

companies to professional bloggers.

These professional users of imagery are very  selective about where they source their  images;

images must be of high quality and must fulfill  the licensing obligations  necessary for use in a
commercial context. In order to meet these requirements, commercial digital imagery  is typically either
specially commissioned or licensed from pre-shot image libraries.  Pre-shot  images are not created for a
single, specific purpose at a user’s expense; rather  they are catalogued for review  and selection  by  a
range  of  potential users. Pre-shot images are generally considered a  more  affordable,  less  time-intensive
substitute for commissioned imagery.

We estimate that the total market for commercial imagery  was  approximately  $11 billion  in 2011

and  that it will grow to approximately $13 billion in 2016,  based on a study  conducted on our behalf in
August 2012 by L.E.K. The commercial imagery market is comprised of custom imagery and stock
imagery.  Within the stock imagery market,  L.E.K. defined three segments: the  ‘‘traditional stock
photography’’ segment, the ‘‘stock photography  marketplace’’ segment and all other forms of stock
imagery.  The traditional segment is characterized by higher-touch customer  relationships, negotiated
image prices, and groups of professional photographers who create images  exclusively for  one agency,
often  on a salaried basis. The stock photography marketplace  segment is  characterized by self-serve
ecommerce with simple, inexpensive licensing options and a  large number of contributors from around
the world. The remaining segment is comprised of  all other forms of stock imagery, including stock
illustrations, vectors and video clips. Shutterstock has traditionally  participated  in the stock photography
marketplace segment along with the  market  for other forms of stock imagery, including stock
illustrations, vectors and video clips.

According to L.E.K., the market for stock imagery, or ‘‘pre-shot  commercial digital imagery,’’ will
grow from approximately $4 billion in  2011 to approximately  $6 billion by 2016.  L.E.K. estimates that
the stock photography marketplace segment  along  with the market for all other forms of  stock  imagery
will grow 15-20% annually to a total of more than $3.5 billion in  2016. In the same  period, L.E.K.
estimates that the  traditional segment  will remain stable at approximately $2.3 billion.

As the quality, quantity and awareness of pre-shot image licensing options  continue to increase
over time, we believe that pre-shot images  will satisfy an increasing portion of the  demand for  custom
commercial photography, which L.E.K. estimates to be a  $7  billion market in 2016.

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Since imagery is often a component  of an advertising campaign or media production,  the demand

for commercial digital imagery is largely  driven by  the global marketing  and publishing industries. In
2011, more than $631 billion was spent in  the global advertising industry, according to IDC. In  that
same period,  IBISWorld estimates that  more than $379 billion was spent in the  global publishing
industry (including books, newspapers and magazines). We believe that disruptive technological trends
are expanding the role of commercial digital imagery within these industries and driving growth  in both
the demand and supply of images.

Disruptive Growth in Demand for Commercial Digital Imagery

Businesses are increasing their use of visual  communications because the tools of communication
and creativity are becoming easier and less expensive to use.  For  example, in the last five years as of
December 31, 2013, the number of public  websites has grown  an average rate of 43%  annually  to  more
than 785 million, according to Netcraft. We  expect this growth to continue. According  to  BIA/Kelsey,
more than 32% of small and medium-sized  U.S. businesses, or SMBs,  surveyed do not yet have a
website. As technology continues to democratize  visual communication,  we believe  that  additional
customers will come into the market for  commercial  digital imagery.

In addition to growth in the number of customers that  can make use  of  licensed imagery, trends in

the type and frequency of visual communications that customers produce  are driving increased image
demand per customer. For example,  in addition to operating commercial websites, more businesses are
using image-rich digital marketing and communication channels, including email marketing, blogging,
digital video and display advertisements; BIA/Kelsey  estimates  that SMB advertising spend on online
digital media will increase from $5.4  billion in 2010  to  $16.6 billion in 2015, representing a  compound
annual growth rate of 25%. Since commercial digital imagery is one of  several  important  components
of online digital media, we anticipate  that SMBs will increase  their  spend on commercial  digital
imagery as well; the visual and engaging forms of communication  that they will seek to create will
require more images per communication  and more frequent  communications per customer. Given the
growing volume of images necessary to effectively  communicate online, we believe that SMBs will be
particularly likely to prefer efficient and  affordable sources of commercial imagery.

The historical expense and complexity of procuring high-quality imagery once meant that it  was
affordable only for the largest businesses.  A  commissioned shoot often costs thousands of dollars,  while
traditional pre-shot photos still typically cost hundreds of dollars. Today, the rapidly  increasing
availability of low-cost, commercial-quality digital imagery through online marketplaces is allowing
businesses of all sizes to quickly search for, find, and download affordable visual content  under simple
licensing models. This has made it economically viable  for millions of  SMBs  to  use commercial digital
images for the first time, and allows  larger enterprises and  media  agencies to more  easily and
affordably satisfy their increasing demand  for images.

The growth in image demand for use  in print and  web  communications is  being  compounded by

trends  in mobile and tablet internet browsing.  Just as  traditional broadband penetration  enabled
bandwidth-intensive media like images to become increasingly popular  on  the internet,  we believe  the
spread of mobile broadband drives images and video clips to become  increasingly common elements of
the mobile web. Mobile devices are becoming  increasingly visual, with high-resolution screens and
touch interfaces driving an expectation  of higher  quality and  more visually compelling mobile content.
As trends in mobile and tablet internet usage continue to drive  demand for rich  visual user experiences,
we believe that there will be a resulting increase in  demand  for commercial digital imagery.

Disruptive Low-Cost Supply of Commercial Digital Imagery

Over the last several years there has been a  dramatic increase in the number of people equipped
to create high-quality digital imagery.  Only  a few years ago,  the industry for commercial images  relied
on a small group of professionals who owned  expensive equipment and  could afford  to  pay high image

6

development costs. Now, there are millions of professionals, semi-professionals and hobbyists who are
able to capture, store and display high-quality digital images. With the proliferation of smartphones,
social media and mobile broadband,  people around the  world are becoming  increasingly accustomed to
creating and consuming compelling imagery.

This change is being driven by rapid  technological  advances that are making the tools  of  creative
production affordable to a much larger group of people.  Most  notably, affordable, high-quality digital
cameras and video cameras are rapidly  achieving  mainstream adoption. For example, in  2010 more than
11.2 million digital SLR cameras were sold globally.  Many  were sold for less than  $500, whereas the
first digital SLR camera was not available  until 1991  and  cost more than $24,000. These digital cameras
eliminate the marginal cost of image capture, which increases  the number  of  images created per
photographer. The editing and enhancing of digital images is  seeing similar democratization;
high-performance photo and video editing  software is  increasingly  becoming easy and affordable
enough to be used by non-professional photographers  and videographers. In addition,  the growing
availability of broadband internet access around the  world has made it  easier for  professionals and
non-professionals to upload and deliver commercial-quality digital imagery to those  willing  to  pay to
license it.

While substantially all commercial digital photographs  that  are  consumed  today have  been created
using a digital SLR camera, the image  quality produced by smartphone cameras  continues to improve.
As advances in mobile photography continue to be introduced by smartphone manufacturers, we expect
that the number of individuals equipped  to  create commercial digital imagery will  continue to grow.

Increased Importance of Online Marketplaces

With the emergence of millions of new  users and millions of  new  potential contributors,  the global
market for commercial digital imagery  has become increasingly  fragmented in  both supply and demand.
Online  marketplaces for imagery use the  disruptive  power of the internet to enable these highly
fragmented groups to interact with each other  commercially; they encourage  image submissions from
hundreds of thousands of contributors  around the world  and then match the  growing  demand for
commercial images with this increasingly  available supply. The  digital  economics of online marketplaces
enable affordable pricing that allows small and medium-sized  businesses to participate in the market,
and provide existing image buyers an  alternative  to  the expensive and  time-consuming processes  of
working with traditional image agencies or of commissioning custom  images. By  providing easy access
to a wide range of low-cost, high-quality  licensed images,  and at the same  time providing marketing,
distribution and payment services for digital image creators,  online marketplaces are  becoming  the
centerpiece of a new dynamic in the  market for commercial imagery.

Challenges in the Market for Commercial Digital Imagery

Challenges for Users

Even with the advent of websites capable of sourcing and providing commercial digital imagery,  a

large number of challenges remain for  users:

(cid:127) Limited selection. Many websites lack the broad and up-to-date  collection required to satisfy the

extensive variety of searches for digital imagery, themselves a reflection of the myriad
requirements of business communications across industries and  geographies.

(cid:127) Difficulty in finding images quickly. Websites that do have a broad range of images  often lack
sophisticated tagging, search functionality and algorithms that enable users to find relevant
images efficiently. An increased pace of image usage by customers means  that  many users of
commercial imagery are under pressure to find  a greater number of high-quality  images faster.

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(cid:127) High price. Traditional image agencies that have migrated their  collections  online typically  charge

more than $100 per high resolution image. Commissioning a custom image is  even  more
expensive, often costing thousands or tens of thousands  of  dollars.

(cid:127) Complex pricing. On many websites, image prices can  vary  widely depending on criteria  such as
image size, file format, intended use, download frequency and  type of contributor. Furthermore,
many  sites denominate the price of  their images in ‘‘credits’’ rather than cash pricing,  making it
difficult for users to evaluate how much they will  actually pay  for a given license. These
complexities interfere with the creative process, adding an  additional  dimension  beyond image
relevance for users to consider during their image search process.

(cid:127) Lack of commercial quality. Many websites and search engines, particularly those  that host and
display images for free, lack effective  processes to ensure  that images are of  acceptable quality
for use in a commercial setting; in other words,  it can be difficult to find images with adequate
aesthetic value that also have suitable  technical  qualities, including sufficient resolution, focus,
lighting and composition.

(cid:127) Need for appropriate licensing and legal  protection. Complex copyright laws govern the use of
images and video clips in a commercial  context. Typically,  images and video clips that are
available for free online are not appropriately licensed  for commercial use. Most websites that
host and display such content for free are not able to provide the trusted licensing assurances
that come from closely evaluating the content that  they  make available. The need for
appropriate content licensing has become more acute as the software  to  identify  non-compliant
imagery on the internet has become increasingly  sophisticated, facilitating the monitoring of
intellectual property rights. A growing number of  users of commercial imagery require legal
protections or indemnification from their  content providers regarding proper licensing.

Challenges for Contributors

Creators of commercial digital imagery face  significant obstacles to distributing their images to a

large audience, discovering the kinds of  content that customers demand, and monetizing  their work
efficiently, including:

(cid:127) Limited distribution and marketing reach. Many digital image creators lack the resources  to

promote their content to the millions  of  individuals around the world who  may be willing to pay
for their images. Even if a contributor  posts images  on the web, it is expensive and difficult to
generate meaningful traffic to the contributor’s own  website, especially when  the content that a
single contributor can offer represents a  small fraction of the types of images a user  might need.

(cid:127) Lack of ecommerce capabilities. Many digital image creators lack the resources to establish the
sophisticated, global ecommerce capabilities  necessary to maximize their earnings. This is
particularly true with respect to handling foreign  languages, multiple  currencies, diverse payment
methods, customer support and fraud  prevention.

(cid:127) Cumbersome upload, tagging and approval processes. Contributors want to be able to upload and

tag images quickly, easily and intuitively. Approval  speed can also be important to a contributor,
particularly for newsworthy or time-sensitive imagery.

(cid:127) Inadequate feedback, tools and  information. Digital image creators want to provide  the content

that users demand, but often lack the  proper data, analytics and  feedback to know what  kind of
content will sell well. Many websites  do not provide adequate tools or lack sufficient  volume of
user data to be able to help contributors  manage  their  portfolio or improve the commercial
relevance of the images they produce.

(cid:127) Absence of community. As social media and social networks  continue to evolve, digital image

creators are increasingly seeking specialized  online  communities where  they can learn from their
peers and take satisfaction in sharing their work.

8

The Shutterstock Solution

Key Benefits for Our Users

(cid:127) Millions of high-quality images and video clips

available for commercial use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . We  currently provide a licensable digital collection

of more than 32 million images and more than
1 million video clips, one of the largest collections
of its kind. In the twelve months ended
December 31, 2013, we added an average of
2.4 million images and video clips per quarter. We
source our content from over 50,000  approved
contributors in more than 100 countries and
provide a broad, non-exclusive commercial or
editorial license allowing customers to  use an
image or video clip in perpetuity in any geography
or medium.

(cid:127) Superior search results

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . We  consider our proprietary search interface and

algorithms to be intuitive and efficient,  allowing
users with widely ranging search queries to quickly
find the most suitable image for their needs. Our
search algorithms automatically evolve based on
customer usage data such as searches and
downloads to produce more effective  search
results over time. We believe that, with one of the
highest volumes of downloads of commercial
content in 2013, we have the data to power the
best search experience in our industry.

(cid:127) Low  cost of content

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Our affordable pricing models enable  users to

download content for as little as $0.28 per
download. Across our pricing plans, customers
paid an average of $2.35 per download  in 2013.
We believe that our disruptive pricing models
increase the number of businesses that can
participate in the market for commercial imagery
and that they increase the number of downloads
that we deliver.

(cid:127) Creative freedom through simple pricing . . . . . . . Our subscription-based pricing model makes the

creative process easier. Subscription  users can
download any image in our collection  at any
resolution we offer for use in their creative
process without worrying about incremental cost.
This provides greater creative freedom  and  helps
improve their work product. For users  who need
less content, we offer simple, affordable, On
Demand pricing, which is presented  as a flat rate
across all content and sizes that we offer.

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(cid:127) 100% vetted, commercial-quality content . . . . . . . We are highly focused on maintaining the quality
of our collection. Our content has been vetted by
our review team for standards of quality  and
relevance. We also leverage proprietary review
technology to pre-filter images and video clips and
enhance the productivity of our reviewers. Less
than 20% of contributor applicants who applied in
2013 were approved as contributors to
shutterstock.com, and less than 70% of our
content uploaded by approved contributors  in
2013 satisfied our rigorous acceptance
requirements.

(cid:127) Appropriately licensed content

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . We  provide images and video clips that are
appropriately licensed for commercial and
editorial use. Our review process is designed to
ensure that every image and video clip is
appropriately licensed for its intended  use. For
example, a model release is required  for all
images and video clips that include a person with
recognizable features, and a property  release is
required for images of certain types of  property
and public places with photography policies. The
reliability of our review process enables  us  to
offer  $10,000 of indemnification protection in
aggregate to every customer to cover  legal costs
or damages that may arise from their use of
Shutterstock content. In certain cases, we offer
greater indemnification levels through custom
contracts.

Key Benefits for Our Contributors

(cid:127) Distribution to the largest, global audience . . . . . . Our global marketplace provides image creators

with access to millions of image users.  Our
flagship website, shutterstock.com, operates
globally in 20 languages, allowing users  around
the world to easily search and access our
collection of images and video clips online.  In
2013, we delivered more than 100 million paid
downloads. According to industry surveys,
contributors who have images available on  our
site typically generate more income through
Shutterstock than through any other sites with
which they are registered.

10

(cid:127) Global ecommerce capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Our global ecommerce platform allows us to

process payments from users across the world in
11 currencies, and pay our contributors monthly.
Our users can currently transact on our flagship
website in 20 languages, and we provide fraud
protection, refunds and customer support via
phone, email and chat on behalf of our
contributors.

(cid:127) Efficient uploading, tagging and review process . . . Based on user feedback and competitive

benchmarking, we believe that we have the most
efficient upload, tagging and review process of  all
of the major competitors in our industry. We are
committed to continuously finding new and
innovative ways to improve our contributor
interface and to providing short upload and
review times—we typically process content within
approximately 72 hours of upload.

(cid:127) Robust feedback, tools and information . . . . . . . We provide valuable tools and insights to  our

contributors. Our contributors can monitor
download activity by image and geography, as  well
as by self-defined image themes. We also provide
data on search trends, allowing content creators to
see which images and subjects are popular on our
site, and to plan new content themes  accordingly.

(cid:127) Specialized  community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . We  operate a forum for the photographers,

videographers and illustrators that make up our
contributor community, allowing them to share
tips with one another and to showcase their work.
Our strict acceptance tests for new submissions
provide contributors with a sense of challenge,
accomplishment and exclusivity that makes our
forums more useful and valuable.

Shutterstock’s Competitive Strengths

In addition to the compelling value propositions and  solutions that we offer to users  and

contributors, we believe that the following competitive  advantages  further separate us from  our
competitors:

A Leading Global Marketplace with Strong  Network  Effects. Our content collection is currently one

of the largest in the commercial digital imagery industry, with over 32  million  images and  more than
1 million video clips, from more than  50,000 contributors.. We  believe that the growth of  our content
collection and the growth in our site  traffic support one another through a strong network  effect—a
broader selection of images and video clips  from our contributors attracts  more image users; this  larger
audience of paying users increases the amount spent  in our marketplace and attracts more  content
submissions from a greater number of contributors.

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Extensive Data and Superior Search. Since 2003, our users have executed hundreds of millions of

searches and made more than 300 million paid image downloads from our collection. In 2013, we
delivered more than 100 million paid downloads (including both commercial and editorial images) to
our  customers. This high volume of data,  including data about the searches and  downloads that our
users execute, enables us to continuously  improve our search algorithms. Furthermore,  unlike  the
significant majority of images available online for free, each image in our  collection is tagged by its
contributor with approximately 35 relevant keywords.  Currently, the Shutterstock collection contains
more than 1 billion contributor-generated image  tags. This behavioral and keyword data, along  with our
investments in technology and our many  years of experience in  developing  search algorithms designed
specifically for the commercial digital imagery industry, increase the chances that our  users find the
image they require. We believe that a successful search experience is a critical determinant  of  customer
satisfaction, and that our success in this area attracts  new and repeat users to our websites.

Simple, Flexible and Low-Cost Pricing. Since inception, we have aimed to deliver  exceptional value
to our users through simple and flexible  pricing  options.  Our customers’ average cost per download was
$2.35 in 2013. Our subscription plans  generate an important  sense of creative  freedom for our
professional users, enabling them to  try out multiple  images  or video clips  without concern for  the
incremental cost of each download. Additionally, we offer simple and cost-effective On Demand
purchase options for less frequent users.  The simplicity  and affordability of these plans have allowed us
to broaden our existing and potential user base. These pricing models also benefit our contributors due
to the high volume of paid downloads we  are able to generate on their  behalf.

Trusted, Actively Managed Marketplace. We are committed to providing a trusted  online

marketplace for appropriately licensed, high-quality  commercial imagery  and  video clips. Our  rigorous
review process for new images is intended to ensure  the integrity  and quality of the content  in our
collection. Each image and video clip is individually examined by our team of trained reviewers  to  meet
our  high standards of quality and commercial viability. This review process is designed to minimize the
legal risk to our users from inappropriately  licensed imagery. As a result of the significant investment
we make in our review processes, we  are  able to provide up to $10,000 of indemnification protection
for claims that may arise from the use  of an image or footage clip licensed through Shutterstock. In
some cases, we offer even greater or  unlimited levels of indemnification through  custom contracts. We
offer indemnification as a signal to our customers that they can trust  the quality and licensability of
content available through our marketplace; this sets us  apart from many competitors  and free sources
of imagery.

Shutterstock’s Growth Strategies

Acquire More Users and Contributors. We believe that there is a significant  opportunity to grow
our  marketplace by increasing awareness of our brand  and value proposition. For example, as  of  our
last comprehensive customer survey, more than  70% of our customers work at  companies with
20 employees or fewer; however, our  active user base of U.S. SMBs currently represents  less  than 2%
of the approximately 24 million SMBs that  BIA/Kelsey estimates exist  in the United  States alone.  We
view this as a marketing opportunity. A significant  portion of our  growth to date  has been  driven by
word of mouth recommendations. We  plan to continue to foster word  of  mouth by continuing to grow
our  collection and deliver exceptional service. Additionally, we expect to increase  our  investments in
online and offline marketing to help raise awareness in our core customer community as well  as in
additional market segments and geographies. In  parallel, we intend to grow the depth  and breadth  of
our  collection by increasing awareness  among potential contributors of the opportunity to share their
creative work with a broader audience  and  generate income  through Shutterstock.

Lead Innovation in User and Contributor Experience. We intend to build on our market-leading

position by providing the best online  experience  for digital image users and contributors. With one of

12

the largest collections of images in the industry, and one of the highest volumes of commercial image
downloads, we believe that we have more  information on the marketplace and user needs than any of
our  competitors. We intend to use this  data  to  continue to improve  the quality of  our search algorithms
and user experience. We also plan to  enhance the tools we offer  contributors to help them establish
their portfolio on our site, track their  performance and explore  opportunities to create content  that
customers need. We plan to continue to improve the  speed and usefulness of feedback  that  we provide
contributors on the images that they submit, and facilitate new  ways for  them to participate  in an
engaged community of their peers. Lastly,  we intend to roll out new product offerings and  product
extensions that we believe will create deeper relationships  with our core communities and attract new
users to our sites.

Increase Localization. We are a global company, with users in  more than  150  countries,
contributors in more than 100 countries  and  a website that  is available in 20 languages. We plan  to
deepen our global  penetration among  users  and contributors by improving the quality of the
Shutterstock experience, regardless of  language or  location. For  example, we intend to increase  the
number of languages, currencies and  payment methods that  we  support in order to serve  an even larger
global  user base. Furthermore, we plan  to  improve the quality of non-English searches by increasing  the
sophistication with which we handle  non-English image tagging and search  ranking. Finally,  there is
significant unmet demand for localized  content, such as images with locally relevant  themes, customs,
objects and ethnicities. We plan to increase the geographical diversity of  our contributor community so
that we can provide the images demanded by our increasingly global  user base.

Increase Our Penetration of Media Agencies and  Large Enterprises. To  date, the majority of our
revenue has been generated from SMBs  purchasing online, many  of  whom  did not previously have
access to low-cost commercial digital  imagery. As of our  last  comprehensive customer survey, conducted
in June  2011, less than 10% of our customers worked at  companies with  more than  500 employees.
Furthermore, in 2013, less than 15%  of our revenue was generated through our direct  sales
organization, which focuses on sales to media agencies and  large enterprises. We  believe that we  have a
strong value proposition for media agencies and large enterprises, which account for a significant
portion of the existing market for commercial digital imagery.  These  companies have historically
purchased commercial imagery via sales-driven relationships and are used to complex licensing, limited
image libraries and high prices. While  our  sales  and support organization has historically  been focused
primarily on inbound customer communications,  we are  working  to  increase our revenue  from media
agencies and large enterprises through  a direct sales approach and by offering tailored purchase
options. We recently began building a direct  sales team and distinctive  product offerings to target
media agencies and large enterprises. We plan to expand our efforts  in this area.

Pursue  Emerging Content Types. Alternative content types such as video footage  represent
significant opportunities for growth. According to MagnaGlobal, global online video advertising
spending is expected to increase an average of 23%  annually  from  $3.3 billion in 2010  to  $11.4 billion
in 2016. Video has become a mainstream  online activity  globally, and is  forecasted to expand  to  62% of
all consumer internet traffic by 2015,  according to Cisco’s Visual Networking  Index.  As user demand  is
increasing, the cost to contributors to  create and produce professional video content is becoming
increasingly affordable, most notably due to digital SLR  cameras that include HD video capabilities.
Given the convergence of photography  and  video tools, we believe that our network  effects in still
image licensing will help propel our  efforts in the  video market. In  addition  to  video,  we see
opportunities in other emerging digital content  areas that may be relevant to our customers.

Products

We  provide licensed content that our users purchase to enhance their  visual communications. Our

collection is currently one of the largest  in the commercial  digital  imagery industry, with  over 32 million

13

images and more than 1 million video clips. We offer a  variety  of  content types, including photography,
illustrations, vector art and video footage. Users can search our collection and preview watermarked
versions  of our content at no cost. They  can then pay to license and  download the  images they  need,
either on a subscription basis or on a per-download basis.  Shutterstock  images are  provided under a
royalty-free non-exclusive license and, as an assurance of the integrity of our content, users are typically
covered by up to $10,000 of indemnification protection in aggregate against any  legal costs or damages
that may arise from the licensed use of  our images. Each image is available for  high-resolution digital
download and has  been vetted by our  team of  reviewers to ensure that it meets our standards of  quality
and can be appropriately licensed for commercial  or editorial use.

Photographs. We offer high-quality photographs that cover a wide variety of subjects, including
animals/wildlife, the arts, backgrounds/textures, beauty/fashion,  buildings/landmarks, business/finance,
celebrities, education, food and drink,  healthcare/medical, holidays, nature, objects, people, religion,
science, sports/recreation, technology and transportation. The  significant majority  of our  photography
collection is made up of creative images that  can be used in  both  commercial and  editorial contexts.
Images that are marked as editorial-only, such  as photographs  of celebrities  and newsworthy  events,
which  constitute fewer than 10% of our total  images, cannot be used to promote  a product or  service;
instead these images are licensed for  use in editorial  settings such  as newspapers, blogs  and magazines.
Photographs are available in a variety  of sizes  including small  files that  are appropriate for  mobile
browsing and large files appropriate for  large format prints and high-resolution displays.  Currently,
photographs make up approximately  68%  of our collection.

Illustrations and Vector Art.

In addition to photographic images, we also  offer images that have

been created using illustration tools and software. These images are made  up of two types:  illustrations
(raster graphics) and vector art (vector graphics). Raster graphics are stored as  a fixed set of pixels,
whereas vector graphics are stored using  geometric modeling. Since vectors are described using
geometric data instead of fixed pixels,  vectors  can be scaled to any size without loss of resolution or
quality. Currently, illustrations and vector  art make up approximately 27% of  our collection.

Video Footage. For users engaged in producing video advertisements, commercial motion pictures,

television programming, video games, interactive applications and other video-based media, we also
provide video footage. Footage clips are available in a variety of  formats and sizes, including  High
Definition (HD). Currently, our video  footage collection  contains more than one million video clips
and makes up approximately 5% of our  collection.

Curated, High-End Content. For users looking for imagery from top  photographers and illustrators

around the world, our Offset  brand provides authentic imagery and a transparent licensing  process.
Artists featured on the site include assignment  photographers Maura McEvoy and  David Prince, and
illustrators Jacob Thomas and Rian Hughes. Offset also features work from established and respected
collections including National Geographic  and Huber Images. Every image has  been hand-curated for
inclusion in a specific category, such  as  commercial lifestyle, food, travel and fashion.

Online Learning Platform. For digital professionals looking to improve their skills, our Skillfeed
platform provides an online marketplace of curated video courses accessed through a subscription plan.
Skillfeed features more than 20,000 videos from  over 1,000 instructors, and includes tutorials  on
subjects ranging from graphic design,  video  and  photo editing, to professional skills such as Microsoft
Excel and web development. Skillfeed offers comprehensive courses, with videos of 20 minutes or more,
designed to develop in-depth professional skills, as well as shorter courses designed to provide  new tips
and techniques on a range of topics.

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Purchase Options

We  strive to offer simple, transparent  purchase  options  that remove complexity from a  customer’s

workflow. We currently offer the following options:

Subscription: Our signature and highest grossing purchase option is our 25-a-day subscription.
This purchase option allows a user to download up  to  a total of 25 photos,  vectors or illustrations  per
day under our Standard License, regardless of image size. Subscription  customers  can download  and
experiment with multiple images at no extra cost,  which removes  friction from  their creative  process.
Subscriptions can be purchased in 30 day, 90 day, 180  day  and 365  day increments and are  paid in
advance. Additionally, the subscription package for our new online learning marketplace, Skillfeed,
allows users to access unlimited videos  for a single monthly price. Subscription purchase options
currently represent approximately 50%  of our revenue.

On Demand: Customers can also buy images or video clips in  fixed  packages. For  example,  we
offer On Demand packages that include  one  image, 5 images, 25 or 60  images of various  resolutions
under our Standard License. We charge the same price for illustrations and vectors as we do for
photographs and we do not charge more for  a  higher resolution image than a lower  resolution  image.
This offers customers the simplicity of  being  able  to  license any size of any still  image in our collection
for the same price. We have similar pricing packages for video clip fixed packages  that  include one
video clip, 5 video clips, or 25 video clips with  various  resolutions under our Standard License.  Once  a
customer purchases images or video clips On Demand  from us,  he or she  has up to one  year to
download those images before they expire. While the  significant majority  of On Demand revenue
comes from our Standard License packages,  other forms of On Demand purchases for images include
Enhanced Licenses (for customers who need broader licensing rights than  are offered  under our
Standard License)  and images licensed through Bigstock and Offset. Together, all of our On Demand
purchase options currently represent approximately 35% of our  revenue.

Other Purchase Options: We provide a number of other purchase options which together represent

approximately 15% of our revenue. These purchase options include custom accounts (for customers
that need multi-seat access, invoicing,  unlimited indemnification or  a  higher volume of images).

Users

We  serve a wide variety of companies across numerous industries, organizational sizes and
geographies. As of December 31, 2013,  our customer database contained  more  than six million  user
accounts. Of these, more than 900,000 users contributed to revenue  in 2013. Due to our large number
of customers, we do not have any material customer  concentration; our single largest customer made
up less than 2% of revenue in 2013.  Our  users tend  to  fit into one of three  categories: businesses,
marketing agencies or media organizations.

Businesses. Business customers require high-quality, commercially licensed digital imagery  for a
wide range of communication materials. Such communication materials may be intended  for internal or
external  use and include websites, print  and digital advertisements,  annual  reports, brochures,  employee
communications, newsletters, email marketing  campaigns and  presentations.  Shutterstock’s business
users range from sole proprietors to Fortune 500 companies.

Marketing Agencies. Marketing agencies require high-quality,  commercially licensed digital imagery

to incorporate in the work they produce for  their  clients’ business communications. Whether providing
graphic design, web design, interactive  design, advertising, public relations, communications or
marketing services, Shutterstock’s marketing users range from independent freelancers to the largest
global  agencies.

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Media Organizations. Media professionals require high-quality, commercially  licensed digital
imagery to incorporate in the content they produce, including newspapers, books,  magazines,  digital
publications, television and film. They  also  require high-quality  images  to  market  their products
effectively. Shutterstock’s media users  range from independent bloggers to multi-national  publishing
and broadcast organizations.

Content Contributors and Content Review Process

The content we provide to our users  is created by a community of contributors from around the
world and is vetted by our specialized team of image  and video  clip reviewers. Whether  photographers,
videographers, illustrators or designers, our community of  more than  50,000 approved  contributors
range from part-time enthusiasts to full-time professionals, and all of  them must meet high standards in
order to work with Shutterstock.

In order to become a contributor, an individual must submit an application that includes  a

portfolio of images or video clips. Of more than 700,000 contributor accounts that had  been created as
of December 31, 2013, less than 10% were approved. Once accepted by Shutterstock’s  review team,
contributors can upload as many images as they  like; however, every submitted  image is to ensure that
images in our collection meet certain  standards of  aesthetic and  technical  quality. As of December 31,
2013, approximately 59 million images had been  submitted to our review  team by approved  contributors
and, of those, only approximately 32 million, or approximately 50%, were  approved and made  available
in our marketplace. Each image that is  rejected by our review  team is tagged with at least  one  rejection
reason that is communicated to the submitting contributor to help him or her to improve and to give
insight into our review standards. Such  rejection reasons include  focus, composition,  poor  lighting,
potential trademark concerns and limited  commercial  value.  We combine proprietary technology and
highly trained content review staff to deliver sophisticated yet efficient image  review—we typically
process images within 72 hours of upload.

Contributors are required to associate keywords with each image they submit in  order to make
their images more easily found using our search algorithms. Keywords  usually contain  both  descriptive
terms that literally identify the content of an image (e.g.,  ‘‘padlock’’) and  conceptual  terms that
describe what an image might convey  (e.g., ‘‘security’’). We currently  have over  1 billion contributor
generated keywords in our database, with  approximately  35  keywords per image.

Content accepted into our collection is added to our website  where it is available for  search,
selection, license and download. Contributors are paid monthly based on  how many times their images
or video clips have been licensed in the  previous  month. Contributors  may  choose to remove  their
images or video clips from our collection  at any time. Due to our large number of contributors, we do
not have any material content supply  concentration;  the content contributed by our five highest-earning
contributors was together responsible  for less  than  2% of downloads in 2013.

Shutterstock provides different earnings  structures  for photographs, illustrations  and vector art,  and

for video footage:

Photographs, Illustrations and Vector Art. Contributors of photographs, illustrations and  vector art

are paid based on the number of times that  their  images have been  licensed and  downloaded. The
significant majority of image downloads are licensed under our Standard  License. The  amount  that  a
contributor of a photograph or vector receives per Standard License typically ranges from  $0.25 per
image downloaded to $5.70 per image downloaded. The exact amount earned  is determined by our
published earnings schedule, the contributor’s lifetime earnings which determine  the contributor’s
earnings tier, and the purchase option under  which an  image was licensed. When images  are licensed
under our Enhanced License, the contributor of that  image earns  $28.00 per image downloaded. When
images are licensed under other purchase options or  license types, contributors  earn between 20% and

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30% of the sale price of each image  based  on the  contributor’s lifetime  earnings which determine the
contributor’s earnings tier.

Video Footage. Contributors of video footage are also paid based  on the  number of times that
their video clips have been licensed and  downloaded. When a video clip is downloaded  the contributor
is typically paid 30% of the sale price with certain minimum amounts per download.

Technology and Infrastructure

Our technology is  critical to our business and all  of  our products and services are made possible by
the proprietary technology and robust  infrastructure that  we have developed. We believe that delivering
intuitive, fast and effective user experiences,  supported by robust  and scalable technology platforms, is
critical to our success.

We  employ technology to support both our  public  facing websites and  our  back-office systems. We

use a combination of proprietary technologies  and commercially available  licensed technologies,
including open source software. We focus  our  internal development  efforts on creating and  enhancing
the specialized proprietary software that  is unique to our business and we leverage commercially
available and open source technologies  for our more generalized needs.

Our customer-facing software enables users  to  search  millions of digital images and then select,
organize, pay for, license and  download the images  that they would like to use. Our proprietary search
algorithms evolve automatically based on  behavioral data, which means that each search and download
that a user performs on our website gives our  search  engine more  information with which to improve.
Having delivered over 300 million paid downloads since 2003, the data  that we have collected and the
search technology that it powers are  an important  and  proprietary asset. We have  also invested in
making our ecommerce platform global, allowing customers  to  search  and make purchases in
20 languages and 11 currencies.

Our contributor-facing software enables users  to  apply to become a contributor,  upload  and tag
images and video clips, receive feedback  on  their submissions from our review team, see reports on
earnings and payouts, and participate  in online discussion forums with other contributors. We have also
developed proprietary tools to help our  contributors improve their craft, including our Keyword Trends
Tool that allows contributors to see what terms  customers are searching for and how those search  terms
are trending over time. This tool allows  contributors to anticipate demand and generate images that
customers will want to license, and is  another example  of  how we combine software and  large-scale
proprietary datasets to deliver value to our  users.

Our internal software enables the technological  and  business processes necessary to deliver a
superior experience for customers and  contributors. This includes a content  review system that allows
our  review team to efficiently and accurately review every single image that is made available on our
websites. It also includes applications  that enable customer  and contributor  support, intellectual
property rights and license tracking, centralized invoicing  and sales order processing, customer database
management, language translation, global contributor payouts, compliance, finance and accounting
functions.

Our systems infrastructure is  hosted by industry-leading  third-party hosting providers that offer
24-hour monitoring, high-speed network access, auxiliary power generators and back-up systems. We
maintain multiple production datacenters to provide rapid content delivery to our customers and also
to support business continuity in the event of an emergency. We also use content delivery network
solutions to ensure fast access to our content  around the world. Network, website, service and
hardware-level monitoring, coupled with  remote-content monitoring, allow our systems to maintain a
high level of uptime and availability with high-performance delivery.

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Our development teams employ Agile  Development  methodologies to increase the  speed and
effectiveness of our technology efforts; we focus on  iterative and incremental development processes
through which cross-functional teams release software code nearly every  day and  manage their  own
progress in two-week cycles known as  ‘‘sprints.’’  We view  our investments in technology as being core to
our  long-term success and we intend  to  continue to investigate, develop  and make capital  investments
in technology and operational systems that  support  our  current business and new  areas of potential
business expansion.

Brands

Shutterstock is our flagship brand and  the significant majority of our  revenue is  generated

via shutterstock.com. We also operate  a  business called  Bigstock  which Shutterstock acquired in  2009.
Additionally, we launched Offset and Skillfeed in 2013. Offset  is a new brand  featuring  a collection of
curated imagery from top photographers and illustrators featuring the works from  established and
respected collections, including, Anne Williams, Gentl & Hyers and The Licensing Project. Skillfeed is
a new online marketplace that offers  a  collection of  curated video learning courses for digital
professionals through a simple, affordable subscription plan. We have  maintained  these as separate
brands in order to allow us to target  different customer  segments. While Shutterstock generates the
majority of its revenue from higher-volume image users and subscription-based pricing models, Bigstock
focuses on the needs of lower-volume,  more cost-conscious  image users and Offset focuses on high-end
advertising agencies and commercial buyers. Shutterstock’s collection  currently  contains more than
30 million images and more than 1 million video clips. This figure  does not  include Bigstock’s
collection which contains more than 17 million images,  many of which  are also  available through
Shutterstock.

Marketing

We  reach new customers through a diverse set  of  marketing channels including paid search, online

display  advertising, print advertising,  tradeshows, email  marketing,  direct mail, affiliate marketing,
public relations, social media and partnerships. Marketing activities aim to raise awareness  of  our
brands and attract paying users to our  websites by  promoting  the key value  propositions of our
offerings: diverse and high-quality content,  intuitive and efficient interfaces and  market-leading value.

The marketing efforts used in generating more revenue also  help us generate  more earnings for

our  contributors. Increasing revenue helps attract  more content, which in turn helps  us convert and
retain even more paying users. Furthermore, the high degree of satisfaction that users  have with our
product  drives word of mouth recommendations,  which helps our marketing efforts  attract an even
broader audience than we reach directly. In  these ways, we  believe our marketing efforts have a
self-reinforcing effect which powers the  growth  and success of our marketplace.

Sales and Customer Support

The significant majority of our revenue is generated  via self-serve ecommerce. We encourage  our
users to take advantage of the comprehensive search capabilities of our websites, our credit  card-based
payment options and the immediate digital delivery  of  licensed images. We believe the  ability to search
for, select, license and download content  over the internet offers our users convenience and  speed, and
enables us to achieve greater economies of scale.

Direct  communication with our customers, however,  remains a significant component of our
customer support and sales strategy.  Our  customer support  and sales team is available to assist users
via email, chat and phone in 10 languages. In addition to handling  inbound  customer support  and sales
inquiries, we also reach out proactively to potential  high volume  customers and offer them  custom

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accounts to meet their needs. Outbound sales activities  currently contribute a small but  growing
percentage of Shutterstock’s overall revenue.

Product  Rights and Intellectual Property

Product Rights and Indemnification. All of the images that Shutterstock makes available to users
are offered under a royalty-free license. This means that once  a customer  has licensed an  image, that
customer can use the associated image  in accordance with the license terms in  perpetuity  without
having to pay any  ongoing royalties. Typically, the image license  is non-exclusive, meaning  that  multiple
customers can license the same image.  Furthermore, we do  not require that contributors of content to
our  sites provide their content to us  on an exclusive basis.

Shutterstock represents to our users that  unaltered images downloaded and used in compliance
with our websites’ terms of service and  applicable law will not infringe any copyright, trademark or
other intellectual property right, nor will such unaltered images violate any third parties’ rights of
privacy or publicity, violate any U.S.  law,  be  defamatory or libelous, or be pornographic or  obscene.
Furthermore, provided that a user has  not breached Shutterstock’s license agreement, Shutterstock
agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold users harmless from  liability  for  damages up to $10,000 per user.
We  also offer certain of our customers  custom contracts with  either greater indemnification amounts or
unlimited indemnification. Such indemnification applies only  to  claims for damages directly attributable
to Shutterstock’s breach of the foregoing  representations, and includes indemnification of expenses
arising out of any actual or threatened lawsuit, claim, or legal proceeding alleging that the possession,
distribution, or use of images downloaded and used by  users  pursuant to our terms of  service  violate
Shutterstock’s representations. To date, Shutterstock has  not  incurred  any material financial costs  as a
result of this indemnification. Since 2009,  we have received approximately  35 customer  claims for
indemnification, and following investigation of  such claims, fewer than one-third  resulted in our making
a cash payment to settle such intellectual  property  disputes. Aggregate amounts paid  to  date to settle
customer indemnification claims have  not  been  material. No  claims for indemnification have been
asserted by any customer with unlimited  indemnification  protection. We maintain commercially
reasonable insurance intended to protect  against the  costs of intellectual property litigation.

Intellectual Property. We protect our intellectual property  through a  combination of patents,

trademarks and domain name registrations, copyrights and  trade  secrets.

We  own numerous trademarks. Shutterstock, Offset, Skillfeed, Bigstock and Big Stock  Photo  are

trademarks or logos and are the property of Shutterstock, Inc. or one of our subsidiaries. We will
pursue additional trademark registrations to the extent that we create any additional registrable
trademarks or logos. We are the registered holder of a  variety of domestic and international domain
names that include ‘‘Shutterstock,’’ ‘‘Bigstock,’’ ‘‘Offset,’’ ‘‘Skillfeed,’’ and multiple  variations  thereof.
We  have successfully recovered infringing  domain names  in the past  and will continue  to  enforce  our
rights in the future.

In addition to the protection provided by our intellectual  property rights, we enter  into
confidentiality and proprietary rights  agreements with our employees, consultants, contractors,  and
vendors. Our employees and certain  contractors are also subject to nondisclosure agreements
containing an intellectual property assignment provision.  In this way, we have historically chosen  to
protect our software and other technological  intellectual  property  as trade secrets. We further  control
the use of our proprietary technology and  intellectual  property  through provisions in our websites’
terms of use.

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Competition

The market for commercial digital imagery is  highly competitive.  We  believe that the principal

competitive factors are:

(cid:127) the quality, relevance and breadth of the images in a company’s  collections;

(cid:127) the accessibility of imagery, in the form of the  speed and ease of search and fulfillment;

(cid:127) effective use of current and emerging  marketing  channels;

(cid:127) effective use of current and emerging  technology;

(cid:127) pricing and licensing models, policies and practices;

(cid:127) brand name recognition;

(cid:127) company reputation;

(cid:127) customer service and customer relationships;

(cid:127) security, reliability and data protection; and

(cid:127) the global nature of a company’s interfaces and marketing efforts, including local  languages,

currencies, and payment methods.

Some of  our current and potential significant competitors include:

(cid:127) other online marketplaces for imagery such as iStockphoto, Fotolia, and Dreamstime;

(cid:127) traditional stock content providers such as Getty Images and Corbis Corporation;

(cid:127) specialized visual content companies that are  established in local,  content or product-specific

market segments such as Reuters Group PLC, the Associated Press, and T3  Media;

(cid:127) websites focused on image search and discovery such  as Google Images;

(cid:127) websites for image hosting, art and related  products such  as Flickr;

(cid:127) social networking and social media  services; and

(cid:127) commissioned photographers and photography agencies.

Lastly, we compete with the alternative of creating  one’s own images or choosing not to consume

licensed images because it is too expensive or because one is not aware of how  to  do  so.

Government Regulation

The legal environment of the internet is evolving rapidly in  the United  States and worldwide. The

development of new laws and regulations,  the  manner  in which  existing laws and regulations will be
applied  to the internet in general, and  how the  foregoing will relate  to  our business in  particular,  is
unclear in many cases. For example, there is uncertainty  regarding how laws  and regulations will apply
in the online context and to different  business  models,  including with respect to such topics as privacy,
data management  and security, defamation, ecommerce, pricing,  credit card fraud,  advertising, taxation,
sweepstakes, promotions, subscription-based billing,  content regulation,  quality of products and  services,
internet neutrality, outsourcing, and intellectual property ownership and infringement.

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Numerous laws have been adopted at the national  and  state level in the United States that could
have an impact on online commerce  generally and on  our business. These laws include, for example,
the following:

(cid:127) The Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited  Pornography  and Marketing Act of 2003 and

similar laws adopted by a number of states  regulate  the format, functionality  and distribution of
commercial solicitation e-mails, create criminal penalties for unmarked sexually-oriented
material, and control other online marketing practices.

(cid:127) The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and the Prosecutorial Remedies  and Other Tools

to End Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003  regulate the  collection or use of information,
and restrict the distribution of certain materials, as  related to certain protected age  groups. In
addition, the Protection of Children From  Sexual  Predators Act of 1998  provides for reporting
and other obligations by online service providers in the  area of child  pornography.

(cid:127) Many states have adopted, and other  states are expected  to  enact, statutes and  regulations that
require companies to implement data security measures and to report certain breaches  of the
security of personal data to affected individuals, to regulatory agencies,  to law enforcement
officials  and to other third parties. Federal legislation  has also  been proposed  for national
standards and procedures governing data security and breach management.

(cid:127) Federal and state rules and regulations  also govern online service providers’  data  collection and
use policies and practices, including with respect to the disclosure of  consumer data to third
parties such as direct marketers.

Given the broad spectrum of legal and  regulatory uncertainties, we expect  new laws and

regulations to be adopted over time that are likely to be applicable to the internet  and to our activities.
Any existing or new legislation applicable  to Shutterstock could expose  us  to  substantial liability,
including significant expenses necessary  to  comply with  such laws and  regulations,  to  respond to
regulatory inquiries or investigations,  and to defend individual  or  class  litigation.  These events could
dampen growth in the use of the internet  in general, and cause Shutterstock to divert significant
resources and funds to addressing these  issues,  and  possibly require us to  change  our  business  practices.

We  post privacy policies on our websites  concerning our data collection  and use practices. We also

implement data security measures. Allegations  that our policy  disclosures are inadequate or that we
have failed to comply with our posted privacy  policies, that our  security measures are  insufficient, or
that we otherwise violated Federal Trade Commission requirements or other privacy-related laws and
regulations, could result in proceedings by governmental or  regulatory bodies or  private parties  that
could potentially harm our business, results of operations and financial  condition. In addition, there is a
risk that privacy and data security laws  may  be  interpreted  and applied differently  in certain
jurisdictions, in ways that are not consistent with  our current practices, which could also  potentially
harm our business, results of operations and financial  condition.  In  this  regard, there are  a large
number of legislative and regulatory proposals before the  United States Congress, various state
legislative bodies, and government agencies regarding privacy and  security and other consumer  issues
that may affect our business. It is not  possible to predict whether  or  when such rules and regulations
may be adopted, and certain proposals,  if  adopted,  could  harm our business by, among other things,
decreasing user registrations and revenue,  increasing  the cost of compliance, impeding the  development
of new products or services, and limiting  potential  sources  of  revenue  such as  online  advertising. These
decreases could be caused by, among  other  possible provisions,  the required display  of specific
disclaimers, requirements to obtain consent from  users for  certain activities,  or other requirements
before users can utilize our services. In  addition, we may be subject to claims of liability or
responsibility for the actions of third  parties with  whom we interact or upon whom we rely in  relation
to various services, including but not  limited  to  vendors,  payment processors and  business  partners.
These third parties may be vulnerable to threats such  as computer hacking,  cyber-terrorism or  other

21

unauthorized attempts to access, modify or delete our or our  customers’ information or business assets
that they service or maintain on our behalf.

In addition, various non-U.S. jurisdictions impose laws and regulations regarding a broad spectrum

of privacy, data management and security and other  matters related to online businesses  and
ecommerce. Non-U.S. laws and regulations are often more restrictive  than those in the  United States.
Due to the global  nature of the internet, it  is possible that the governments of other states and
countries might attempt to regulate our online activities such as digital transmissions,  or to prosecute us
for alleged violations of their laws. We  might unintentionally  violate such laws; such laws or their
interpretation or application may be  modified; and new laws  may  be  enacted  in the future. Any such
developments could harm our business, operating  results and financial condition. We may be subject  to
legal liability for our online services.  The  law relating to the liability of  providers of online services  for
activities of their users is currently unsettled both within the United  States and  abroad. Claims  may
also be threatened against us for aiding and abetting, defamation,  negligence, copyright or trademark
infringement, or other reasons based  on  the nature and content  of information  that  we collect or  use,
or to or from which we provide links  or  that may be posted online.

Employees

As of December 31, 2013, we employed 345 full-time employees, including 113 engaged in product

development, 154 engaged in sales, marketing and support,  31 engaged  in content operations and
47 engaged in general and administrative functions. Of these employees, 313 were  located  in the
United States, primarily in New York,  New York. In  addition to our  full-time employees, we also
employ the services of a number of contractors, including  94 contractors  focused on  content review as
of December 31, 2013. Of these contractors, 50 contractors were located in  the United States  and 44
were located outside of the United States,  primarily in Canada and Europe.  None of our employees  is
represented by a labor union, and we consider our  company  culture and employee  relations  to  be
strong.

Segments and Geographic Areas

Information about segment and geographic revenue is set forth in  Note 1  of  the Notes  to
Consolidated Financial Statements included in  Part II,  Item  8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
For a  discussion of the risks attendant  to  foreign operations,  see the information in Part  I, Item  1A of
this  Annual Report on Form 10-K under  the heading ‘‘Risk Factors’’ under the caption ‘‘Continuing
expansion into international markets  is  important for our growth,  and  as we continue to expand
internationally, we face additional business, political,  regulatory, operational, financial and  economic
risks, any of which could increase our  costs or otherwise limit our  growth.’’ For a discussion  of revenue,
net income and total assets, see Part II, Item 8 of  this Annual  Report on Form 10-K.

Seasonality

Our operating results may fluctuate from  quarter  to  quarter as a result of a variety of factors. Our

results may reflect the effects of some seasonal trends  in customer behavior. For example, we expect
usage to decrease during the fourth quarter of each calendar year due  to the  year-end holiday  season,
and to increase in the first quarter of  each calendar year as  many  customers  return to work. While we
believe these  seasonal trends have affected and will continue  to  affect our quarterly results, our
trajectory of rapid growth may have  overshadowed  these effects  to  date. Additionally, because a
significant portion of our revenue is derived from repeat customers  who have purchased subscription
plans, our revenues tend to be smoother and less  volatile than if we  had no subscription-based
customers.

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Available  Information

Our principal office is located at 350  Fifth Avenue,  21st  Floor, New York, New York 10118,  and
our  telephone number is (646) 419-4452.  Our Internet  address is www.shutterstock.com. Our  investor
relations website is located at http://investor.shutterstock.com. We make available free of  charge on our
investor relations website under the heading  ‘‘Financial Information’’  our  Annual Reports on
Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q,  Current Reports  on Form 8-K and amendments to those
reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed  with (or furnished
to) the SEC. Information contained on our websites is  not  incorporated  by reference into this Annual
Report on Form 10-K. In addition, the public may read  and  copy materials we file with the SEC at the
SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100  F  Street,  NE, Washington,  DC  20549. The public may  obtain
information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by  calling the SEC  at 1-800-SEC-0330. In
addition, the SEC maintains an Internet  site, www.sec.gov, that includes filings of and information
about issuers that file electronically with  the SEC.

Corporate History

After launching our marketplace in 2003, we organized  in the State of New York  as

Shutterstock, Inc. in December 2004,  and we became Shutterstock Images LLC in June 2007.  On
October 5, 2012, we reorganized from  Shutterstock Images LLC, a New York limited liability company,
or the LLC, to Shutterstock, Inc., a Delaware  corporation, which we refer to as the  ‘‘Reorganization.’’
We  completed our initial public offering, or IPO, in October 2012, and completed a follow-on offering
in September 2013. Our common stock is listed on  the New York Stock Exchange  under the  symbol
‘‘SSTK’’.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Investing in our common stock involves  a high degree  of risk.  You should  carefully consider the  risks

and uncertainties described below, together with the financial  and other information  contained in this
Annual Report on Form 10-K, before deciding whether to invest in shares of our common stock.  If any of
the following risks or the risks described  elsewhere  in  this Annual Report on  Form 10-K,  including in the
section  entitled ‘‘Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,’’
actually occur, our business, financial  condition,  operating results, cash flow and  prospects could be
materially adversely affected. This could  cause the  trading price of our  common stock to decline,  and you
may lose part or all of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

The success of our business depends on our  ability  to continue  to  attract and retain customers and
contributors to our online marketplace  for commercial  digital imagery.

The success of our business and our future growth depends significantly on our ability to continue

to attract new customers and contributors,  as well as  continue to retain existing  customers  and
contributors, to our online marketplace for commercial digital imagery. To maintain and increase our
revenue, we must regularly add new customers and retain our existing  customers. An increase in  paying
customers has generally attracted more  images and video  clips  from contributors, which increases our
content selection and in turn attracts  additional  paying customers.  To  attract new customers  and
contributors and retain existing customers and contributors,  we  rely heavily on the effectiveness of our
marketing efforts, the size and content of our collection and the functionality  and features of our
marketplace. Our marketing efforts may be unsuccessful, our collection may  fail to grow as  anticipated
and new technologies may render the systems  and  features of our marketplace obsolete, any  of  which
would adversely affect our results of operations and future growth  prospects.

Our business depends in large part on  repeat  customer purchases from both our subscription-based and  our
On Demand purchase options. If customers  reduce  or cease their spending  with us, or if content  contributors
reduce or end their participation in our  marketplace,  our  business  will  be harmed.

The majority of our revenue is derived from  customers who  have purchased  with us in  the past. As

a result, our future performance largely depends on our  ability  to  motivate  our  customers to continue
to purchase from us. A key factor in  creating such an  incentive  is our ability to provide customers with
the images they seek and to refresh and grow our collection of digital imagery based on current  and
future trends. We seek to achieve these  goals  by attracting new contributors to our marketplace and  by
retaining our existing contributors. If  we are unable to attract new contributors,  retain existing
contributors or add new imagery to our  online  marketplace,  or if we fail to do  so in  a timely manner,
customers requiring new and up-to-date content  may reduce  their  spending with us. Another key factor
in retaining our existing customers is  our ability  to  deliver  a user experience that continues to meet
customers’ needs, including the quality and accuracy  of our  search algorithms. If we are unable  to
maintain or improve upon the user experience  that  we deliver  customers  in a  way that motivates our
customers to continue to purchase from  us,  our  business would  be  harmed. Furthermore, although
historically the gross margins and revenue retention rates from our subscription-based and our On
Demand  purchase options have been substantially similar, there can be no  assurance that this will
continue in future periods.

We operate in a new and rapidly changing market, which  makes  it difficult to evaluate our future prospects
and may  increase the risk that we will not be successful.

The market for commercial digital imagery is  a relatively new  and rapidly changing market that
may not develop as expected. Our business strategy and projections rely on  a number  of assumptions

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about the market for commercial digital  imagery, including the size and projected growth  of the market
over the next several years. Some or  all of these assumptions may be incorrect. The market for  online
commercial digital imagery may not develop  as we  expect or  as third party analysts have  forecasted  or
we may fail to address the needs of this market.

The limited history of the market in  which  we operate makes it difficult  to effectively assess our

future prospects, and you should consider our business  and prospects in light of the risks and
difficulties we encounter in this evolving market. These risks  and difficulties include  our  ability  to:

(cid:127) attract new customers and retain existing  customers;

(cid:127) offer customers the kinds of images they are seeking;

(cid:127) successfully compete with other companies that are currently in, or  may  in the future enter, the

commercial digital imagery marketplace;

(cid:127) protect against the misuse of our imagery;

(cid:127) raise awareness of our online community and brand name;

(cid:127) successfully expand our business;

(cid:127) develop a scalable, high-performance technology  infrastructure  that can efficiently and  reliably
handle increased customer and contributor usage globally,  as well  as the deployment of new
features and services; and

(cid:127) avoid interruptions or disruptions in our  services, including,  for  example,  disruptions attributable

to security breaches or other security  incidents.

We  may not be able to successfully address these risks and  difficulties or others, including those

described elsewhere in these risk factors. We cannot accurately predict whether our  products and
services will achieve significant acceptance by  potential customers in significantly larger numbers than
at present. You should therefore not rely  on our historic growth rates  as an  indication of future growth.

Our business is highly competitive. Competition  presents an ongoing threat to the  success of our business.

The commercial digital imagery industry is intensely competitive. Competition may result  in loss of

market share, pricing pressures or reduced profit margins, any  of  which could substantially harm  our
business and results of operations. We compete with  a wide array of  companies, from significant  media
companies to individual imagery creators,  to provide commercial  digital  imagery to users of such
imagery. These competitors include:

(cid:127) other online marketplaces for imagery such as iStockphoto, Fotolia and Dreamstime;

(cid:127) traditional stock content providers such as Getty Images and Corbis Corporation;

(cid:127) specialized visual content companies that are  established in local,  content or product-specific

market segments such as Reuters Group PLC, the Associated Press and  Thought Equity  Motion;

(cid:127) websites focused on image search and discovery such  as Google Images;

(cid:127) websites for image hosting, art and related  products such  as Flickr;

(cid:127) social networking and social media  services; and

(cid:127) commissioned photographers and photography agencies.

We  believe that the principal competitive factors  in the commercial  digital  imagery industry are:

brand awareness; company reputation;  the quality, relevance and diversity of images; the ability to
source new imagery; the licensability  of images  and  the degree to which image  users are protected from

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legal risk; the effective use of current and  emerging technology;  the accessibility  of  imagery, distribution
capability, and speed and ease of search and  fulfillment; customer service; and the global  nature of a
company’s interfaces and marketing efforts,  including local languages, currencies, and payment
methods. In addition, demand for our  services is  sensitive to price. Many external  factors, including our
technology and personnel costs and our  competitors’ pricing and  marketing strategies, could
significantly impact our pricing strategies. If  we fail to meet  our customers’ price expectations, we could
lose customers. A drop in our prices  without a corresponding increase in volume would negatively
impact our revenue.

Some of  our existing and potential competitors have or may obtain significantly greater financial,

marketing or other resources or greater  brand awareness than we have. Some of these competitors  may
be able to respond more quickly to new or expanding technology and devote more resources to product
development, marketing or content acquisition  than we can.  If competitors offer higher  royalties, easier
contribution workflows, less selective  vetting  processes or convince contributors to distribute  their
content on an exclusive basis, contributors  may choose  to  stop distributing new content with  us or
remove  their existing content from our collection. Competitors  may  also  seek to develop new products,
technologies or capabilities that could  render obsolete or less competitive many  of the products,
services and content types that we offer. If we are unable to  compete successfully against  our
competitors, our growth prospects and  results of operations  may  be  adversely affected.

New competitors could enter our market  and we may be unsuccessful in competing with these new entrants.

New competitors may enter our market, particularly if technological advances or other  market

dynamics make creating, sourcing, archiving, indexing, reviewing, searching or  delivering commercial
digital images easier or more affordable. While we  believe that there are obstacles to creating a
meaningful network effect between customers  and  contributors, the barriers to creating a website that
allows for the sale of digital content  are  low, which  could  result in greater competition. Our
contributors, for example, may freely  offer the images  they provide to us  to  our competitors  and may
remove  their images at any time. New  entrants  may  raise significant amounts of capital and they may
choose to prioritize increasing their market  share and brand awareness  over profitability, including, for
example, by offering higher royalties for  exclusivity. Additionally, larger, more established and  better
capitalized entities may acquire, invest  in  or partner with  our competitors  or leverage  their  own image-
related competencies to enter our market.  If  we are  unable to compete  successfully against new
entrants, our growth prospects and results of  operations  may  be  adversely affected.

We may  not be able to prevent the misuse of  our imagery and we  may be subject  to infringement claims.

We  rely  on intellectual property laws and contractual restrictions to protect our rights and  the

imagery in our collection. Certain countries are very lax  in enforcing intellectual property  laws.
Litigation in those countries will likely be costly  and  ineffective.  Consequently, these intellectual
property laws afford us only limited protection. Unauthorized parties  have attempted, and  may attempt,
to improperly use our licensed digital  imagery. We cannot guarantee that we  will be able to prevent  the
unauthorized use of our digital imagery  or  that we will be successful in stopping such use once it  is
detected.

We  have been subject to a variety of third-party infringement  claims in the past  and will likely be

subject to similar claims in the future. We license all of our digital imagery  from photographers,
illustrators and videographers, and, although we have staff committed to reviewing each image that we
accept into our collection, we cannot guarantee that each  contributor  holds the rights  or releases he or
she  claims or that such rights and releases are adequate.  As a result, we may be subject to infringement
claims or other claims by third parties.  Furthermore,  we offer our customers indemnification of up  to
$10,000 in aggregate for legal costs and direct damages arising from the  use of an  image or video
footage licensed through us. We also offer some of our customers custom contracts that either provide

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for larger indemnification amounts or unlimited indemnification. However, our contractual maximum
liability may not be enforceable in all jurisdictions. We maintain insurance policies to cover  potential
intellectual property disputes. Since 2009,  we have  received approximately 35  customer claims  for
indemnification. Following investigation of such claims,  fewer than  one-third resulted  in our making a
cash payment to settle such claims. Aggregate amounts paid to date to settle customer indemnification
claims have not been material. Although we have insurance to cover indemnification claims, and
although, to date, these claims have not  resulted  in any  material  liability to us, we  have incurred,  and
will continue  to incur, expenses related to such claims and  related settlements, which may  increase over
time.

If a  third-party infringement claim or  series of claims is  brought against us for  uninsured liabilities

or in excess of our insurance coverage, our business could suffer. In addition, we may not be able to
maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable  cost or  in sufficient amounts  or scope to protect us against
all losses. Any claims against us, regardless of their merit,  could severely harm our financial condition
and reputation, strain our management and  financial resources, and adversely affect  our  business.

Assertions by third parties of infringement or other  violations by us of intellectual property rights could result
in  significant costs and substantially harm our business  and  operating results.

Internet, technology and media companies are frequently  subject to litigation based on allegations
of infringement, misappropriation or  other violations of intellectual  property rights  or rights related to
their use of technology. Some internet, technology and media  companies, including some  of  our
competitors, own large numbers of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, which  they may
use to assert claims against us. Third parties may  in the future assert that we  have infringed,
misappropriated or otherwise violated their  intellectual  property  rights, and as we face  increasing
competition, the possibility of intellectual property rights claims against  us grows. Such litigation may
involve patent holding companies or  other  adverse patent owners  who have no relevant  product
revenue, and therefore our own issued  and pending patents  may provide little  or no  deterrence to these
patent owners in bringing intellectual property rights claims against us. Existing laws and regulations
are evolving and subject to different interpretations, and  various federal and state  legislative  or
regulatory bodies may expand current or enact  new  laws  or  regulations. We cannot  assure you  that  we
are not infringing or violating any third-party intellectual property rights  or  rights related to use of
technology.

We  cannot predict whether assertions  of third-party intellectual property rights or  any infringement

or misappropriation or other claims arising from such assertions will substantially harm our business
and operating results. If we are forced to defend against any infringement or misappropriation claims,
whether they are with or without merit,  are  settled out of court, or are  determined in our favor, we
may be required to expend significant  time and financial resources on the defense of  such claims.
Furthermore, an adverse outcome of a dispute may require us to pay damages, potentially including
treble damages and attorneys’ fees, if we are found to have willfully infringed a  party’s intellectual
property; cease making, licensing or  using  content that  is alleged to infringe  or misappropriate the
intellectual property of others; expend additional  development resources to redesign  our technology;
enter into potentially unfavorable royalty or  license agreements in order to obtain the right to use
necessary technologies, content, or materials;  and to indemnify our partners and other third parties.
Royalty or licensing agreements, if required  or desirable,  may be unavailable  on terms  acceptable to us,
or at all, and may require significant royalty payments and  other expenditures. In addition, any lawsuits
regarding intellectual property rights,  regardless of their  success, could be expensive to resolve and
would divert the time and attention of  our management  and technical  personnel.

27

Unless we increase market awareness of our  company and our services, our revenue may not  continue  to grow.

We  believe that our ability to attract and  retain  new customers and  contributors depends in large

part on our ability to increase our brand  awareness within our industry. In  order  to  increase the
number of our customers and contributors, we may be required  to  expend greater resources on
advertising, marketing, and other brand-building efforts to preserve and  enhance customer  and
contributor awareness of our brand. Currently, a  significant portion of our marketing  spending  consists
of search engine marketing, which exposes us to risk in the  event that one or  more large search engines
were to reconfigure their algorithms in such a way that would result in less business for us.

Our marketing campaigns or other efforts to increase our brand awareness may not succeed in

bringing new visitors to our online marketplace or  converting  such visitors  to  paying customers  or
contributors and may not be cost-effective. Our  brand may  be  impaired  by a  number of other  factors,
including disruptions in service due to  technology  issues, data privacy and security  issues,  and
exploitation of our trademarks and other intellectual property by others  without our permission.

We have  experienced rapid growth in recent  periods.  If we fail  to  effectively manage our growth,  our  business
and operating results may suffer.

We  have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, significant  growth, which has placed,
and will continue to place, significant demands on our management and our operational  and financial
infrastructure. We  expect that our growth strategy will require us  to  commit  substantial financial,
operational and technical resources. Continued growth  could also strain  our ability  to  maintain  reliable
operation of our online marketplaces for  our customers and contributors, develop and improve our
operational, financial and management  controls, enhance  our reporting systems and procedures and
recruit, train and retain highly skilled personnel.  As our operations grow  in size, scope and complexity,
we will need to improve and upgrade  our systems and infrastructure, which  will require  significant
expenditures and allocation of valuable  management  resources. If we fail  to  allocate limited resources
effectively in our organization as it grows, our business, operating results  and financial condition will
suffer.

One of our strategic goals is to generate  a  larger percentage  of our revenue  from  larger companies, which may
place greater demands on us in terms of  increased service, indemnification or working capital requirements,
any of which could increase our costs or  substantially harm our business and  operating results.

One  of our strategic goals is to increase the percentage of our revenue that come from larger

companies, in addition to the small and  medium-size  companies from whom we have generated  the
majority of our revenue historically. In  order to win the  business of larger  companies, we may face
greater demands in terms of increased service requirements, greater  indemnification requirements,
greater pricing pressure, and greater  working capital to accommodate the larger receivables  and
collections issues that are likely to occur as a  result of being paid  on credit terms. If  we are  unable to
adequately address those demands, it  may  affect  our  ability to grow our  business  in this segment, which
may adversely affect our results of operations  and future growth.  If we  address those demands in  a way
that expands our risk of infringement  claims, significantly increases our operating costs, reduces  our
ability to maintain or increase pricing,  or increases our working capital requirements, our business,
operating results and financial condition may suffer.

Continuing expansion into international  markets is  important for our growth, and as we  continue  to expand
internationally, we face additional business, political, regulatory,  operational, financial and economic  risks,
any of which could increase our costs or  otherwise limit  our growth.

Continuing to expand our business to attract customers and contributors in countries  other  than

the  United  States  is  a  critical  element  of  our  business  strategy.  In  2013,  approximately  65%  of  our

28

revenue was derived from customers located outside of North America.  While a  significant portion  of
our  customers reside outside of the United States, we have a  limited  operating history as a  company
outside the United States. We expect  to  continue to devote significant resources to international
expansion through establishing additional  offices, hiring  additional overseas personnel and  exploring
acquisition opportunities. In addition, we  expect to increase marketing for  our  foreign language
offerings and to further localize our  collection and user experience for foreign  markets.  Our ability to
expand our business and to attract talented employees, and customers and  contributors  in an increasing
number of international markets requires considerable management attention and resources and is
subject to the particular challenges of  supporting a  rapidly growing business in an  environment of
multiple languages, cultures, customs, legal systems, alternative dispute systems, regulatory systems and
commercial infrastructures. Expanding  our international focus  may subject us  to  risks that we have not
faced before or increase risks that we currently face, including  risks  associated with:

(cid:127) modifying our technology and marketing our offerings for customers and contributors beyond

the 20 languages we currently offer;

(cid:127) localizing our content to foreign customers’ preferences and  customs;

(cid:127) legal, political or systemic restrictions on the ability of U.S. companies to do business in foreign
countries, including, among others, restrictions imposed by the  U.S. Office  of Foreign Assets
Control  (OFAC) on the ability of U.S. companies to do  business  in certain specified  foreign
countries or with certain specified organizations and individuals;

(cid:127) compliance with foreign laws and regulations,  including  disclosure requirements,  privacy laws,

rights of publicity, technology laws and laws relating to content;

(cid:127) protecting and enforcing our intellectual property rights;

(cid:127) recruiting and retaining talented and capable  management and  employees in  foreign countries;

(cid:127) potential adverse foreign tax consequences;

(cid:127) strains on our financial and other systems to properly administer  VAT, withholdings and other

taxes;

(cid:127) currency exchange fluctuations; and

(cid:127) higher costs associated with doing business internationally.

These risks may make it impossible or prohibitively expensive  to  expand  to new international

markets, or delay entry into such markets, which may affect our ability to grow our business.

As  a  result of the Reorganization, we are subject to entity-level taxation, which  will result  in significantly
greater income tax expense than we have incurred  historically.

Prior to the Reorganization on October 5,  2012, we  operated as a New York limited liability
company. As a limited liability company, we recognized no federal and state  income  taxes, as the
members of the LLC, and not the entity  itself, were subject to income tax on  their allocated share of
our  earnings. On October 5, 2012, we  reorganized  as a Delaware  corporation. Consequently,  we are
currently subject to entity-level taxation even though historically Shutterstock Images LLC did not pay
U.S. federal or state income taxes. As  a result, our corporate  income tax rate has  increased significantly
now that we are subject to federal, state  and additional city income taxes.

29

We previously had a material weakness  in our internal  control over financial  reporting relating to compliance
with certain tax regulations that has since  been  remediated. The material weakness could have impaired  our
ability  to  comply  with  the  accounting  and  reporting  requirements  applicable  to  public  companies.

In  connection  with  the  audit  of  our  financial  statements  as  of  and  for  the  year  ended

December 31,  2011,  we  and  our  independent  registered  public  accounting  firm  identified  a  material
weakness in our internal control over financial  reporting with respect to our  tax compliance process.
Specifically,  it  was  determined  that  we  did  not  have  adequate  procedures  and  controls  to  appropriately
comply  with, and account for, certain  non-income tax regulations. These  non-income tax  issues  related
to underpayment of international consumption tax, sales and use tax and  royalty withholdings
compliance.  A  material  weakness  is  defined  as  a  significant  deficiency,  or  a  combination  of  significant
deficiencies, that result in a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial
statements will not be prevented by our internal  control over  financial reporting. A significant
deficiency  means  a  control  deficiency,  or  a  combination  of  control  deficiencies,  that  adversely  affects
our  ability to initiate, record, process or  report financial data reliably in accordance  with generally
accepted  accounting  principles  such  that  there  is  more  than  a  remote  likelihood  that  a  misstatement  of
our  financial statements that is more  than inconsequential will not be prevented or  detected  by  our
internal  control  over  financial  reporting.

During  fiscal  years  2013  and  2012,  management  hired  additional  accounting  personnel  with

appropriate  level  of  tax  expertise.  In  addition,  during  fiscal  year  2013,  management  updated  its  systems
to collect the necessary data and taxes  to  comply with its required  tax compliance processes, registered
with  required  jurisdictions,  and  implemented  controls  around  the  identification,  documentation  and
application of non-income tax regulations. These controls included the preparation of quarterly
compliance returns and the development and use of checklists and  research tools to assist in
compliance  with  non-income  tax  regulations.  As  a  result  of  the  remediation  activities  and  controls  in
place as of December 31, 2013 described above, management  has remediated the  material  weakness
that  was  disclosed  and  included  in  our  previous  periodic  filings  with  the  U.S.  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission.

Our operations may expose us to greater  than anticipated  income tax liabilities, which could harm  our
financial condition and results of operations.

We  plan to structure our activities in a manner so as  to  minimize our tax liabilities. However, we

have operations in various taxing jurisdictions in the  United States and foreign countries,  and there  is a
risk that our tax liabilities in one or more jurisdictions could be more than  reported relative  to  prior
taxable periods and more than anticipated relative to future  taxable periods.

In addition, the determination of our worldwide provision  for  income taxes, tax  withholdings and
other tax liabilities requires significant judgment  and  there are many transactions and calculations for
which  the ultimate tax determination  is uncertain. Although  we  believe our  estimates are reasonable,
our  ultimate tax liability may differ from the  amounts  recorded in our  financial statements and may
materially adversely affect our financial  results in the period or periods for which such determination is
made. We have created reserves with respect to such  tax liabilities where  we believe it to be
appropriate. However, there can be no assurance that our ultimate  tax  liability will not exceed the
reserves that we have created.

Furthermore, the current administration of  the U.S.  federal  government has  made public

statements indicating that it has made  international  tax  reform a  priority,  and key members  of  the U.S.
Congress have conducted hearings and proposed changes to  U.S. tax  laws. Recent changes to U.S. tax
laws, including limitations on the ability  of taxpayers to claim and utilize foreign  tax credits and the
deferral of certain tax deductions until  earnings  outside of  the United  States are repatriated to the
United States, as well as other changes to U.S. tax laws  that may be enacted in the future,  could  impact
the tax treatment of our foreign earnings.  Due to the  large and expanding  scale of our international

30

business activities, any changes in the U.S.  taxation of such  activities may increase  our  worldwide
effective tax rate and harm our financial position  and  results of operations.

Our operations may expose us to greater  than anticipated  sales and transaction tax  liabilities, including VAT,
which could harm our financial condition and results of  operations.

We  may have exposure to sales or other transaction taxes (including VAT) on our past  and future
transactions  including  such  jurisdictions  where  we  are  required  to  report  tax  transactions.  A  successful
assertion by any state or local jurisdiction  or country that we failed to pay  such sales or other
transaction taxes, or the imposition of  new laws requiring the  payment of such  taxes, could result  in
substantial tax liabilities related to past  sales, create increased  administrative burdens or costs,
discourage customers from purchasing  images from us, or  otherwise substantially harm  our business and
results of operations.

If we do not respond to technological changes  or upgrade our website and technology  systems,  our  growth
prospects and results of operations could be adversely affected.

To remain competitive, we must continue to enhance and improve the functionality  and features of
our  websites in addition to our infrastructure. For example, as our proportion of our business related to
video  footage  licensing  increases,  we  will  need  to  expand  and  enhance  our  technological  capabilities  to
ingest, store and search video content in ways that  are similar  to  our management of images. A video
footage  clip  represents  significantly  more  data  as  compared  to  a  still  image.  As  a  result,  we  will  need  to
continue  to  improve  and  expand  our  hosting  and  network  infrastructure  and  related  software
capabilities.  These  improvements  may  require  greater  levels  of  spending  than  we  have  experienced  in
the past. Without such improvements,  our operations might suffer  from unanticipated system
disruptions, slow application performance  or  unreliable service levels,  any  of which could negatively
affect our reputation and ability to attract  and retain customers  and contributors.  Furthermore, in order
to continue to attract and retain new  customers,  we are likely  to  incur expenses  in connection with
continuously updating and improving  our  user interface and experience. We may face significant delays
in introducing new services, products  and  enhancements.  If competitors introduce new  products and
services using new technologies or if  new  industry standards and  practices  emerge,  our existing websites
and our proprietary technology and systems  may become  obsolete or less competitive, and our business
may be harmed. In addition, the expansion and improvement of our  systems and  infrastructure may
require us to commit substantial financial,  operational and technical resources,  with no  assurance that
our  business will improve.

Technological interruptions that impair  access to our  websites or  the efficiency  of our marketplace would
damage our reputation and brand and adversely affect our results  of operations.

The satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our websites and our network
infrastructure are critical to our reputation, our ability  to  attract and retain  both  customers  and
contributors to our online marketplace and  our  ability to maintain adequate  customer service levels.
Any system interruptions that result in the  unavailability of our websites  could  result in negative
publicity, damage our reputation and brand  or adversely affect our results  of operations.  We may
experience temporary system interruptions  for a  variety  of  reasons, including security breaches and
other security incidents, viruses, telecommunication and other network failures,  power  failures, software
errors, data corruption or an overwhelming  number of visitors trying to reach  our  websites during
periods of strong demand. We rely upon third-party service providers, such as co-location and cloud
service providers, for our data centers and application hosting, and we are dependent on these  third
parties to provide continuous power, cooling,  internet connectivity and  physical security for  our  servers.
In the event that these third-party providers experience  any interruption in operations or cease business
for any reason, or if we are unable to  agree on  satisfactory terms  for continued hosting  relationships,
our  business could be harmed and we  could be forced to enter into a relationship  with other service

31

providers or assume hosting responsibilities ourselves. Although we operate  two data centers in  an
active/standby configuration for geographic redundancy and even  though we maintain a third disaster
recovery facility to back up our collection,  a system disruption at the active data center could result in
a noticeable disruption to our websites until  all website traffic is  redirected  to  the standby  data  center.
Even a disruption as brief as a few minutes  could  have a negative  impact  on marketplace activities and
could therefore result in a loss of revenue. Because some of the causes of system interruptions may  be
outside of our control, we may not be  able  to  remedy such interruptions in a timely  manner, or  at all.
In addition, we have entered into service  level  agreements with  some of our larger customers.
Technological interruptions could result in a breach  of such agreements and  subject us to considerable
penalties.

Failure to protect our intellectual property  could substantially harm our business and operating  results.

The success of our business depends  on our  ability to protect and enforce our patents, trade
secrets, trademarks, copyright and all of  our  other  intellectual property  rights, including our intellectual
property rights underlying our online marketplace and search algorithms. We  attempt  to  protect our
intellectual property under trade secret,  trademark, copyright and patent law, and  through a
combination of employee and third-party  nondisclosure agreements, other contractual restrictions,  and
other methods. These afford only limited  protection.  Despite our efforts  to  protect our intellectual
property rights and trade secrets, unauthorized parties may  attempt to copy aspects of  our intellectual
property and use our trade secrets and other confidential information. Moreover,  policing our
intellectual property rights is difficult,  costly and may not always  be  effective. To  the extent these
unauthorized parties, which may include  our competitors,  are successful  in copying aspects of our
search algorithms and our trade secrets,  our business could be harmed.

We  have registered or applied to register Shutterstock, Offset, Skillfeed,  Bigstock and  Big Stock

Photo and other marks as trademarks in  the United  States.  Nevertheless,  competitors may adopt
service names similar to ours, or purchase our trademarks and confusingly similar terms as  keywords in
internet search engine advertising programs,  thereby  impeding our  ability to build  brand identity  and
possibly leading to confusion among our customers. In addition,  there could be potential trade name or
trademark infringement claims brought  by  owners of other registered trademarks or trademarks that
incorporate variations of the term Shutterstock or our other  trademarks. Any  claims  or customer
confusion related to our trademarks could damage  our reputation and  brand and substantially harm  our
business and operating results.

We  currently own the www.shutterstock.com internet domain name  and  various other related

domain names. Domain names are generally regulated by internet regulatory bodies.  If we  lose the
ability to use  a domain name in a particular  country,  we would be forced either to incur significant
additional expenses to market our products  within that country or to elect  not  to  sell products in  that
country. Either result could harm our business and operating results.  The  regulation of domain  names
in the United States and in foreign countries is subject  to  change. Regulatory bodies could establish
additional top-level domains, appoint additional  domain name registrars or modify  the requirements  for
holding domain names. As a result, we  may  not be able to acquire or  maintain the  domain names that
utilize our brand names in the United  States or  other  countries in which we  conduct  business  or in
which  we may conduct business in the  future.

In order to protect our trade secrets  and other confidential  information, we rely in  part on
confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants and third parties with whom we have
relationships. These agreements may  not  effectively prevent  disclosure of  trade secrets and other
confidential information and may not provide  an adequate  remedy in the  event of misappropriation of
trade secrets or any unauthorized disclosure  of trade secrets and other confidential information.  In
addition, others may independently discover our trade  secrets and confidential information,  and in such
cases we could not assert any trade secret  rights against such parties.  Costly  and time-consuming
litigation could be necessary to enforce or determine the  scope  of our  trade secret rights and related

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confidentiality and nondisclosure provisions. Failure  to  obtain  or maintain trade secret protection, or
our  competitors’ acquisition of our trade secrets or  independent development of  unpatented technology
similar to ours or competing technologies,  could adversely affect  our competitive business position.

Litigation or proceedings before the  U.S. Patent and Trademark  Office or other governmental

authorities and administrative bodies in  the United States and foreign  countries may be necessary in
the future to  enforce our intellectual  property  rights, to protect our  patent  rights, trademarks, trade
secrets and domain names and to determine the validity and  scope  of the proprietary rights  of  others.
Furthermore, the monitoring and protection  of our intellectual property  rights may become more
difficult, costly and time consuming as  we continue to expand internationally,  particularly in those
markets, such as China and certain other developing  countries in Asia,  in which  legal protection  of
intellectual property rights is less robust than  in the United  States and in Europe. Our  efforts to
enforce or protect our proprietary rights may be ineffective  and could result  in substantial  costs and
diversion of resources and management  time, each of which could substantially harm our operating
results.

Much of  the software and technologies  used to provide our services  incorporate, or have  been developed  with,
‘‘open source’’ software, which may restrict  how we use  or distribute  our services or require that  we publicly
release certain portions of our source code.

Much of the software and technologies  used  to  provide  our  services incorporate,  or have been
developed with, ‘‘open source’’ software.  Such ‘‘open  source’’  software may be subject  to  third  party
licenses that impose restrictions on our software  and  services. Examples of  ‘‘open source’’ licenses
include the GNU General Public License  and GNU Lesser General Public License. Such  open source
licenses typically require that source code  subject to the license be made available  to  the public and
that any modifications or derivative works  to  open source software continue to be licensed  under open
source licenses. Few courts have interpreted open  source licenses, and the manner in  which these
licenses may be interpreted and enforced  is therefore subject to some  uncertainty.  We rely on  multiple
software engineers to design our proprietary technologies, and  we do not exercise complete  control
over the development efforts of our engineers. In  the event that  portions  of our proprietary  technology
are determined to be subject to an open source  license, we could be required  to  publicly release
portions of our source code, re-engineer all  or a portion  of  our technologies, or  otherwise be limited in
the licensing of our technologies, each  of which could reduce  or  eliminate  the value  of our  services and
technologies and materially and adversely affect our ability to sustain  and  grow  our business.

Our operating results may fluctuate, which could cause our results to fall  short of expectations and our stock
price to decline.

Our revenue and operating results could vary significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year
due to a variety of factors, many of which  are outside our  control. As  a  result, comparing our operating
results on a period to period basis may not be meaningful. In  addition  to  other  risk factors discussed in
this  ‘‘Risk Factors’’ section, factors that may contribute  to  the variability  of  our quarterly and  annual
results include:

(cid:127) our ability to retain our current customers and  to  attract new  customers  and contributors;

(cid:127) our ability to provide new and relevant imagery  to  our  customers;

(cid:127) our ability to effectively manage our growth;

(cid:127) the effects of increased competition on our business;

(cid:127) our ability to keep pace with changes in technology  or our competitors;

(cid:127) changes in our pricing policies or the  pricing  policies of our  competitors;

(cid:127) interruptions in service, whether or not we are responsible for such  interruptions, and  any

related impact on our reputation and brand;

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(cid:127) costs associated with defending any  litigation or other  claims,  including those related  to  our

indemnification of our customers;

(cid:127) our ability to pursue, and the timing of, entry into new  geographies or markets and,  if pursued,

our  management of this expansion;

(cid:127) the impact of general economic conditions on  our  revenue and expenses;

(cid:127) seasonality;

(cid:127) changes in government regulation affecting our business; and

(cid:127) costs related to potential acquisitions of technology or businesses.

Because of these risks and others, it  is possible that our future  results may be below our

expectations and the expectations of analysts and investors.  In such an event,  the price of our common
stock may decline  significantly.

Our failure to protect the confidential information of  our customers and our networks against security
breaches and the risks associated with credit card  fraud could expose us to liability,  protracted and costly
litigation and damage our reputation.

We  collect limited confidential information in connection  with registering  customers and

contributors and other marketplace-related processes on our websites  and, in particular, in connection
with processing and remitting payments  to and from our customers and contributors. Although  we
maintain security features on our websites, our security measures may not detect or prevent  all
attempts to hack our systems, denial-of-service attacks,  viruses, malicious  software,  break-ins,  phishing
attacks, social engineering, security breaches or  other  attacks  and similar disruptions  that  may
jeopardize the security of information  stored in and transmitted by  our websites.  We  rely on encryption
and authentication technology licensed from third  parties to provide the security and  authentication  to
effectively secure transmission of the  confidential information that we  process  for our customers, and
such technology may fail to function  properly or may be compromised  or breached. Additionally,  as
described above, we use third-party payment processors and co-location  and cloud service vendors for
our  data centers and application hosting, and their security  measures  may not prevent security breaches
and other disruptions that may jeopardize  the security  of information stored  in and  transmitted through
their systems. A party that is able to  circumvent our security measures, or the  security measures of our
third-party payment processers or co-location and  cloud  service vendors for our data centers and
application hosting, could misappropriate proprietary information, cause interruption in  our operations,
damage  or misuse our websites, distribute  or delete content owned by  our contributors,  and misuse  the
information that they misappropriate. Additionally, our systems  may  be  breached  by  third  parties
without our being aware that our systems  or data have been compromised.  Given that the techniques
used to obtain unauthorized access, attack, disable or degrade services, or sabotage systems, are
constantly evolving in sophisticated ways  to avoid detection, we may be unable to anticipate  these
techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures.

We  may also be required to expend significant  capital and  other resources to protect  against such

security breaches or to alleviate problems  caused by such breaches.  In addition,  a significant  cyber-
security breach could result in payment networks prohibiting us from processing  transactions on  their
networks. Security and fraud-related  issues are  likely to become more challenging as  we expand our
operations.

Furthermore, some of the software and services that we use to operate  our business, including our

internal email and customer relationship  management software, are hosted by third parties. If these
services were to experience a security breach or  be  interrupted or were to cause us to lose control of
confidential information, our business operations could be disrupted  and  we could be exposed to
liability and costly litigation.

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Under current credit card practices, we  are liable  for  fraudulent  credit card transactions because

we do not obtain a cardholder’s signature. We do not currently carry insurance against  this  risk. To
date,  we have experienced minimal losses  from credit card fraud, but we  continue to face the risk of
significant losses from this type of fraud.

If any compromise of our security, or  that of our third-party  payment processers or co-location and

cloud service vendors for our data centers and application hosting, were to occur, we may  lose
customers and our reputation, business,  financial  condition and operating results could be harmed. Any
compromise of security may result in us  being  out of compliance with  U.S. federal and state laws, and
international laws and contractual commitments,  and we may be subject to  lawsuits,  fines, criminal
penalties, statutory damages, and other costs. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply  with
our  posted privacy policies or with any regulatory requirements  or orders or other  federal, state, or
international privacy, security or consumer protection-related laws  and regulations, could result  in
proceedings or actions against us by governmental  entities  or others, subject  us to significant penalties
and negative publicity, and adversely affect our results  of  operations. In  addition, our failure  to
adequately control fraudulent credit card  transactions could  damage our reputation  and brand and
substantially harm our business and results of  operations.

Government regulation of the internet, both in the  United States and abroad, is evolving and  unfavorable
changes could have a negative impact on  our business.

The adoption, modification or interpretation of laws or  regulations relating to the internet,
ecommerce or other areas of our business could adversely affect the manner in  which we conduct  our
business or the overall popularity or  growth in  use of the  internet.  Such laws and regulations may cover
a vast array of activities, for example,  automatic  contract  or  subscription renewal, credit  card fraud and
processing, sales, advertising and other  procedures, taxation,  tariffs, privacy, data management  and
security, pricing, content, copyrights, distribution,  electronic contracts,  consumer protection,
outsourcing, broadband residential internet access, internet neutrality and the characteristics and quality
of products or services, and intellectual property ownership and infringement. In certain countries, such
as those in Europe, such laws may be  more restrictive than in  the United States.  It is not clear how
existing laws governing issues such as  property ownership, sales and other taxes,  and privacy apply to
the internet and ecommerce as the vast  majority  of  these  laws  were adopted prior  to  the advent of the
internet and do not contemplate or address  the unique issues  raised  by the internet  or ecommerce.
Those laws that relate to the internet  are  at  various stages  of being interpreted  by  the courts  and
agencies, and thus, the scope and reach  of their applicability can be uncertain.  For  example, the
Children’s Online Privacy Protection  Act  in the U.S. regulates the ability of online services  to  collect  or
use certain information from children under  the age of 13. If we are required  to  comply with new
regulations or legislation or new interpretations  of  existing regulations  or legislation, this compliance
could cause us to incur additional expenses, make  it  more  difficult to renew subscriptions automatically,
make it more difficult to attract new subscribers  or otherwise alter our business model, or cause us to
divert resources and funds to address government or private investigatory or adversarial proceedings.
Any of these outcomes could have a material  adverse effect on  our business,  financial condition  or
results of operations.

We  currently provide content licensing to customers  in more than 150 countries.  The  privacy, data

security, censorship and liability standards  and other potentially  applicable rules  or regulations, and
intellectual property laws of those foreign countries, may be different than those  in the United States.
To the extent that any local laws or regulations apply to our  company  or operations and we are deemed
to not be in compliance with them, our  business may be harmed.

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Expansion of our operations into additional  content categories may  subject us to additional business,  legal,
financial and competitive risks.

Currently, our operations are focused  in  significant part on digital still images. Further expansion

of our operations and our marketplace into video  footage or additional content categories involves
numerous risks and challenges, including  increased capital requirements, potential new competitors and
the need to develop new contributor  and strategic relationships.  Growth into additional content areas
may require changes to our existing business model  and  cost structure and modifications  to  our
infrastructure and may expose us to new regulatory and legal  risks,  any  of  which may require  expertise
in which we have little or no experience.  There is no guarantee that we will be able to generate
sufficient revenue from sales of such  content to offset the costs of acquiring  such content.

The impact of worldwide economic conditions, including  effects on advertising and  marketing budgets, may
adversely affect our business and operating  results.

Our financial condition is affected by worldwide economic  conditions and their impact on

advertising spending. Expenditures by advertisers generally tend to reflect overall economic  conditions,
and to the extent that the economy stagnates, companies may reduce their spending on advertising and
marketing, and thus the use of our online  marketplace. This  could have a serious adverse impact on
our  business. To the extent that overall  economic  conditions reduce spending on advertising and
marketing activities, our ability to retain  current and obtain  new  customers could be hindered, which
could reduce our revenue and negatively  impact our business.

The loss of key personnel, an inability to attract and retain additional personnel or  difficulties in the
integration of new members of our management team into our company could  affect our ability to successfully
grow  our business.

Our future success will depend upon our  ability to identify,  attract, retain and  motivate highly
skilled technical, managerial, product development,  marketing,  content operations  and customer service
employees. Competition for qualified  personnel is intense  in our industry. We  cannot guarantee  that  we
will be successful in our efforts to attract  such  personnel.

We  are highly dependent on the continued service and  performance  of our  senior management
team, as well as key technical and marketing personnel.  Our inability  to  find suitable replacements for
any of the members of our senior management team and our key technical and  marketing  personnel,
should they leave our employ, would adversely  impair our  ability  to  implement  our  business  strategy
and could have a material adverse effect on our business  and results of operations. We believe  the
successful integration of our management team is critical to  managing our operations effectively and to
supporting our growth.

If we cannot maintain our corporate culture  as we  grow, we could lose the innovation, teamwork and focus
that contribute crucially to our business.

We  believe that a critical component of our success is our  corporate culture, which we believe
fosters innovation, encourages teamwork,  cultivates creativity and promotes  a focus on execution. We
have invested substantial time, energy and resources  in building  a highly collaborative  team that works
together effectively in a non-hierarchical  environment  designed  to  promote openness,  honesty,  mutual
respect and pursuit of common goals. As we develop the infrastructure of a  public company and
continue to grow, we may find it difficult  to  maintain these valuable aspects  of  our  corporate culture.
Any failure to preserve our culture could negatively impact our future success,  including our ability to
attract and retain employees, encourage innovation and teamwork and  effectively focus  on and pursue
our  corporate objectives.

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If we do not successfully integrate past  or potential  future acquisitions,  our business  could be adversely
impacted.

We  have in the past pursued, and we  may  in the future pursue,  acquisitions that are

complementary to our existing business and that  may  expand our employee  base  and the  breadth of our
offerings. Future acquisitions or investments could result in potential  dilutive issuances of equity
securities, use of significant cash balances  or the incurrence of debt, contingent  liabilities or
amortization expenses related to goodwill and other intangible assets, any  of which could adversely
affect our financial condition and results  of operations. The benefits  of an acquisition or investment
may also take considerable time to develop, and  we cannot be certain that any particular acquisition or
investment will produce the intended benefits.

Integration of a new company’s operations, assets and personnel into ours will require significant
attention from our management. The diversion of our management’s attention  away from our business
and any difficulties encountered in the integration process  could harm our ability to manage our
business. Future acquisitions will also expose us to potential  risks, including risks associated with any
acquired liabilities, the integration of new operations, technologies  and personnel, unforeseen or  hidden
liabilities, information security vulnerabilities, the diversion of resources from our existing businesses,
sites and technologies, the inability to generate sufficient revenue to offset  the costs  and expenses of
acquisitions, and potential loss of, or harm to, our relationships with  employees, customers, contributors
and other suppliers as a result of integration  of new businesses.

We may  need to raise additional capital in  the future and may be unable to do so on  acceptable terms or at
all.

We  intend to continue to make investments  to  support our business growth and may require
additional funds to respond to business  challenges, including the  need to develop  new features  or
functions of our online marketplace, improve our operating infrastructure or  acquire complementary
businesses, personnel and technologies.  Accordingly, we  may  need to engage in equity or debt
financings to secure additional capital.  If  we raise  additional  funds through  future issuances of  equity or
convertible debt securities, our existing  stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any  new
equity securities we issue could have  rights,  preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of
our  common stock. Any debt financing  we  secure in the  future could involve restrictive covenants
relating to our capital raising activities  and other financial  and operational  matters, which may make it
more difficult for us to obtain additional  capital and to pursue business opportunities,  including
potential acquisitions. We may not be able  to  obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us,  if at
all. If we are unable to obtain adequate  financing  or financing on terms satisfactory  to  us  when we
require it, our ability to continue to support  our business growth and to respond  to  business  challenges
could be significantly impaired, and our business may be harmed.

We are subject to payments-related risks  that  may  result in higher operating  costs or the inability to process
payments, either of which could harm our  financial condition  and results  of operations.

We  accept payments using a variety of  methods, including  credit cards and debit cards. As  we offer

new payment options to consumers, we  may be subject  to  additional regulations, compliance
requirements and fraud. For certain payment methods, including credit and debit  cards,  we pay
interchange and other fees, which may  increase  over time and raise our operating  costs and lower
profitability. We rely on third parties to provide payment  processing services,  including the  processing
of credit cards and debit cards, and it could disrupt our business if these companies  became unwilling
or unable to provide these services to  us.  We are  also subject  to  payment card association operating
rules, certification requirements and  rules governing  electronic funds transfers, which could change or
be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. If we fail to comply with these

37

rules or requirements, we may be subject  to fines  and higher  transaction fees and lose our ability to
accept credit and debit card payments  from consumers or  facilitate other types  of online payments.

We  are also subject to, or voluntarily  comply with, a  number  of other laws and regulations relating

to money laundering, international money  transfers, privacy and  information security and  electronic
fund transfers. If we were found to be  in  violation of applicable laws or regulations, we could be
subject to civil and criminal penalties  or  forced to cease our  operations.

We are exposed to fluctuations in currency  exchange rates, which could adversely affect our results.

Because we conduct a growing portion of our business outside of the United States but  report our

financial results in U.S. Dollars, we face  exposure to adverse  movements in  currency  exchange rates.
Our foreign operations are exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations as the financial results  are
translated from the local currency into U.S. Dollars  upon consolidation.  If the U.S. Dollar weakens
against foreign currencies, the translation  of these foreign  currency denominated transactions will result
in increased revenue, operating expenses and net income. Similarly, if  the U.S. Dollar strengthens
against foreign currencies, the translation  of these foreign  currency denominated transactions will result
in decreased revenue, operating expenses and net income. As exchange rates vary, sales and other
operating results, when translated, may  differ materially  from expectations.

We  have foreign currency risks related to foreign-currency denominated  revenue. All amounts

owed and paid to our foreign contributors are denominated and paid in U.S.  Dollars. In  general,
transactions in foreign currencies are  paid  net of foreign-currency exchange rate charges. Accordingly,
changes in exchange rates, and in particular  a strengthening of the U.S. Dollar, will negatively  affect
our  revenue and other operating results as expressed  in U.S. Dollars.

During  the year ended December 31,  2013,  the Company commenced conducting operations in

various additional countries around the  world and as a  result the financial statements  of  its  newly
created foreign subsidiaries are reported  in the applicable foreign  currencies (functional  currencies).
Financial information is translated from  the applicable  functional currency to the  U.S. Dollar (the
reporting currency) for inclusion in the  Company’s  consolidated financial  statements.  Income, expenses
and cash flows are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during  the fiscal period,  and assets
and liabilities are translated at fiscal period-end  exchange  rates. Resulting  translation adjustments  are
included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity and
in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income. During the  years  ended December  31, 2012
and 2011, the Company determined that the U.S. Dollar is its functional  currency worldwide and
therefore did not have any foreign currency translation adjustment. During 2013,  2012 and  2011, our
foreign currency transaction gains and losses were  immaterial. At this time we do not, but  we may in
the future, enter into derivatives or other  financial instruments in order  to hedge our  foreign currency
exchange risk. It is difficult to predict the  impact hedging activities would have on our results of
operations.

We depend on the continued growth of online commerce  and the continued adoption of digital  imagery.  If
these  trends do not continue, our growth prospects and  results  of operations could be adversely impacted.

The business of selling goods and services over the  internet  is dynamic and relatively new.

Concerns about fraud, privacy and other  problems may discourage  additional consumers from adopting
the internet as a medium of commerce.  In countries  such as  the U.S. and the  United Kingdom, where
our  services and online commerce generally  have been  available for  some time and the level  of market
penetration of our services is higher  than in  other countries, acquiring new customers  may be more
difficult and costly than it has been in  the past. In  order  to expand  our customer base, we  may need to
appeal to and acquire customers who  historically have used traditional means of commerce to purchase

38

goods and services. If these target customers prove to be less active than our  earlier customers our
business could be adversely impacted.

In addition, our growth is highly dependent upon  the continued demand for  imagery. The

commercial digital imagery market is  rapidly evolving, characterized  by changing technologies, intense
price competition, introduction of new competitors, evolving  industry  standards, frequent new service
announcements and changing consumer demands and behaviors.  To  the extent that demand  for imagery
does not continue to grow as expected, our revenue growth will suffer.

The non-payment of amounts due to us from  certain of our  larger customers may negatively  impact our
financial condition.

Our revenue generated through direct sales to large organizations has  grown and  currently
represents less than 15% of our total  revenue. A portion of these  customers  typically purchase our
products on credit and therefore we  assume  a credit risk for non-payment in the ordinary course of
business. Although we evaluate the credit worthiness  of  new customers and perform ongoing financial
condition evaluations of our existing customers, there can be no  assurance that our allowances for
uncollected accounts receivable balances  will be sufficient. As of December 31, 2013,  our  allowance for
doubtful accounts was $625,000. As our direct sales continue to grow,  we expect to increase our
allowance for doubtful accounts primarily as the result of increased sales  to customers  who pay on
credit.

Our business depends on the development  and maintenance  of the internet infrastructure. If the internet
infrastructure experiences outages or delays  our business could  be  adversely  impacted.

The success of our services will depend largely on  the development and  maintenance of the
internet infrastructure. This includes  maintenance of a reliable network  backbone with  the necessary
speed, data capacity and security, as well  as the timely development of  complementary products, for
providing reliable internet access and  services. The internet  has experienced,  and is likely  to  continue to
experience, significant growth in the  number of  users and amount  of  traffic.  The internet  infrastructure
may be unable to support such demands.  In addition, increasing numbers of users, increasing
bandwidth requirements or problems caused by viruses, worms, malware and similar programs may
harm the performance of the internet. The  backbone network of the internet has been  the target of
such programs. The internet has experienced a variety of outages  and other delays as a  result of
damage  to portions of its infrastructure,  and  it could face outages and  delays  in the future. These
outages and delays could reduce the level  of  internet  usage generally as well as the  level of usage of
our  services, which could adversely impact  our  business.

Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes,  fires, floods and  other natural catastrophic events and  to
interruption by man-made problems such as  terrorism or computer viruses.

Our systems and operations are vulnerable to damage  or interruption from  earthquakes, fires,
floods, power losses, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks,  acts of  war, human  errors, break-ins
or similar events. For example, a significant natural disaster,  such as an earthquake, fire or flood, could
have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial  condition, and  our
insurance coverage may be insufficient  to  compensate us for losses that may  occur. In addition, acts of
terrorism could cause disruptions in our  business or the  economy as  a whole. Our principal  executive
offices are located in New York City,  a region  that  has experienced acts of terrorism in the  past. Our
servers may also be vulnerable to computer viruses,  break-ins  and similar disruptions from  unauthorized
tampering with our computer systems, which could lead to interruptions, delays, loss of critical data or
the unauthorized disclosure of confidential  customer data. Although we  have disaster  recovery
capabilities, there can be no assurance  that we will  not suffer from business interruption  as a result of
any such events. As we rely heavily on our  servers, computer and communications systems and the

39

internet to conduct our business and  provide high-quality service  to  our customers  and contributors,
such disruptions could negatively impact  our ability to run our business,  result in loss of existing or
potential customers and contributors  and increased maintenance costs, which would adversely  affect our
operating results and financial condition.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

Our stock price has been and will likely  continue to  be  volatile, and you  could lose  all or  part of your
investment.

The trading price of our common stock has fluctuated and  may continue  to  fluctuate substantially.
Since shares of our common stock were  sold  in our initial public offering in  October 2012  at a  price of
$17.00 per share, the reported high and  low  sales prices of our common stock have ranged from  $21.00
to $101.98 through February 26, 2014. These fluctuations  could cause you to lose all or part of your
investment in our common stock since you may be unable to sell your  shares at or above  the price you
paid in this offering.

The trading price of our common stock depends on a number of  factors, including those described

in this ‘‘Risk Factors’’ section, many of which are  beyond our control and may not be related  to  our
operating performance. Factors that could  cause fluctuations  in the  trading price of our common stock
include, but are not limited to, the following:

(cid:127) changes in projected operational and financial  results;

(cid:127) issuance of new or updated research or reports  by  securities analysts;

(cid:127) the use by investors or analysts of  third-party  data regarding our business that may not reflect

our  actual performance;

(cid:127) fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived  by  investors  to  be  comparable to us;

(cid:127) fluctuations in the trading volume  of our shares, or the  size of our public float;  and

(cid:127) general economic and market conditions.

Furthermore, the stock market has experienced  extreme price and  volume fluctuations that have

affected and continue to affect the market  prices of equity securities of many companies. These
fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating  performance of those
companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations,  as well  as general  economic, political and
market conditions such as recessions, interest  rate  changes or international  currency  fluctuations, may
negatively impact the market price of  our common stock. If the market price of our common  stock
after this offering does not exceed the  public  offering price, you may  not  realize any return on  your
investment in us and may lose some  or  all  of  your investment. In the  past, certain companies that have
experienced volatility in the market price  of their common  stock  have been  subject to securities  class
action litigation. We may be the target  of  this type  of litigation in  the future. Securities litigation
against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business
concerns, which could seriously harm  our business.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market  could cause  our share price  to decline.

Sales of a substantial number of shares  of our common stock in the  public  market, or  the
perception that such sales could occur, could  adversely affect the market price of our common  stock
and may make it more difficult for you to sell your  common  stock at a time  and price  that  you deem
appropriate.

As of February 26, 2014, we had 35,072,692  shares of common  stock  outstanding. All shares of our

common stock are freely transferable without  restriction or registration under  the Securities Act of

40

1933, as amended, except for shares held  by our ‘‘affiliates,’’  which remain subject  to  the restrictions in
Rule 144 under the Securities Act, and except for  shares of  restricted stock held by Thilo
Semmelbauer, our President and Chief  Operating Officer.

As of February 26, 2014, the holders of 20,773,370 shares of common stock were entitled  to  rights

with respect to registration of these shares under the  Securities Act pursuant to a  registration rights
agreement. We filed a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act  covering all of the
shares of common stock issuable pursuant  to  options  granted  in exchange for value  appreciation right,
or VAR, grants outstanding as of the  time  of the Reorganization,  as well  as  options  and shares reserved
for future issuance under our 2012 Omnibus Equity  Incentive  Plan and our  2012 Employee Stock
Purchase Plan. Once we register these  shares, they can be freely sold in the public market upon
issuance and vesting, subject to the lock-up agreements  contained in  the terms of the  award  agreements
delivered under such plans, or unless they  are held by  ‘‘affiliates,’’ as that term  is defined in Rule 144
of the Securities Act.

We  may also issue our shares of common  stock  or securities  convertible into our common stock

from time to time in connection with  a  financing, acquisition, investment or otherwise. Any such
issuance could result in substantial dilution to our existing  stockholders and cause the trading price  of
our  common stock to decline.

Jonathan Oringer, our founder, and other significant investors control  approximately  58.2% of our  outstanding
shares of common stock, and this concentration of ownership may have an effect on transactions that  are
otherwise favorable to our stockholders.

As of February 26, 2014, Jonathan Oringer, our founder and largest stockholder, owned

approximately 45.5% of our outstanding shares of common stock.  In addition, certain funds  affiliated
with Insight Venture Partners, or Insight, owned  approximately  12.7%  of our outstanding shares of
common stock. As a result, Mr. Oringer and Insight collectively control the outcome of matters
submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election  of directors.  This concentration  of
ownership may also delay, deter or prevent a change in control, and may make some  transactions more
difficult or impossible to complete without the  support of these  stockholders, regardless of the impact
of such transaction on our other stockholders.

We have  incurred and will continue to  incur increased costs and our  management  will face increased demands
as a  result of operating as a public company.

We  have incurred  and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and  other expenses  as a

result of becoming a public company. In  addition,  our  administrative staff has performed and will
continue to be required to perform additional tasks. For example, as  a  public company, we have
adopted additional internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures and bear all of  the internal
and external costs of preparing and distributing periodic  public reports  in compliance  with our
obligations under applicable securities laws and New York Stock Exchange rules.

In addition, changing laws, regulations  and  standards relating  to  corporate  governance  and public

disclosure, including the Sarbanes-Oxley  Act,  the Dodd-Frank Act  and related regulations implemented
by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and the stock  exchanges are creating
uncertainty for public companies, increasing  legal and financial compliance  costs and making some
activities more time-consuming. We are  currently evaluating and monitoring  developments with  respect
to new and proposed rules and cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs  we may incur
or the timing of such costs. These laws,  regulations and standards  are  subject to varying interpretations,
in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as  a result,  their application in practice may evolve
over time as new guidance is provided by  regulatory and  governing bodies. This  could  result in
continuing uncertainty regarding compliance  matters and higher  costs  necessitated by ongoing revisions

41

to disclosure and governance practices.  We intend  to  invest  resources to comply with  evolving  laws,
regulations and standards, and this investment may  result in increased general and administrative
expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating  activities to
compliance activities. If our efforts to  comply with new laws, regulations  and  standards differ from the
activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to practice, regulatory
authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us  and  our business may  be  harmed. We  have
incurred and will continue to incur substantially higher costs  to  obtain directors’  and officers’  insurance
as a result of becoming a public company.  These factors could also make it more difficult for us to
attract and retain qualified members of  our board of directors, particularly  to  serve on our  audit
committee and compensation committee, and  attract and retain qualified executive officers.

The increased costs associated with operating as a  public company may decrease our net income or

increase our net loss, and may cause  us to reduce costs in other areas of our business or increase  the
prices of our products or services to  offset the effect  of such increased costs. Additionally, if these
requirements divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, they could have a
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The JOBS Act allows us to postpone the  date  by which we must comply with  certain laws  and  regulations  and
to reduce the amount of information provided in  reports filed with the SEC.  We cannot be certain if the
reduced disclosure requirements applicable  to  emerging growth companies will make  our  common  stock less
attractive to investors.

We  are and we will remain an ‘‘emerging  growth company’’  until  the earliest to occur of (i)  the
last day of the fiscal year during which  our total annual revenue equals or exceeds $1 billion (subject to
adjustment for inflation), (ii) the last day  of  the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our initial
public offering, (iii) the date on which we  have, during  the previous three-year period,  issued more
than $1 billion in non-convertible debt,  or (iv)  the date  on which we are deemed a  ‘‘large accelerated
filer’’ under the Securities and Exchange  Act  of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. For so long as
we remain an ‘‘emerging growth company’’ as defined in  the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of
2012, or the JOBS Act, we may take  advantage of  certain exemptions  from various  reporting
requirements that are applicable to other public  companies that are not ‘‘emerging growth  companies’’
including, but not limited to, not being  required to comply with  the auditor attestation requirements  of
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced  disclosure obligations regarding  executive
compensation in our periodic reports  and proxy  statements, and exemptions  from the requirements of
holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive  compensation and stockholder  approval of any golden
parachute payments not previously approved. We  cannot predict if investors will find our common stock
less  attractive because we will rely on  some or  all  of  these exemptions. If some investors find our
common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common
stock and our stock price may be more  volatile. If  we avail ourselves of certain exemptions from
various reporting requirements, our reduced disclosure may make it more difficult  for investors and
securities analysts to evaluate us and may  result  in less investor confidence.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of  internal controls, we may not be able to report  our  financial
results accurately or in a timely fashion,  and we may not  be able to prevent fraud; in such case,  our
stockholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting,  which would  harm  our business  and  could
negatively impact the price of our stock.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable, timely financial reports and
prevent fraud. In addition, Section 404  of the  Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 required us to evaluate and
report on our internal control over financial reporting beginning with this Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ending December  31, 2013. The process of  implementing our internal controls
and complying with Section 404 has been and  will  continue to be expensive and time-consuming, and

42

requires significant attention of management. We cannot  be  certain that these measures will ensure that
we implement and maintain adequate  controls over our financial  processes  and reporting  in the future.
Even if we conclude that our internal control over financial reporting provides reasonable assurance
regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external
purposes  in accordance with generally accepted  accounting principles, because of its inherent
limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect fraud  or misstatements.
Failure to implement required new or  improved controls, or difficulties encountered in  their
implementation, could harm our results  of operations or cause us  to  fail to meet our reporting
obligations. If we discover a material weakness,  the disclosure of that  fact, even if quickly remedied,
could reduce the market’s confidence in  our financial statements and harm  our stock  price.

Our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to formally attest to the

effectiveness of our internal control over  financial reporting  until we are no longer an  ‘‘emerging
growth company,’’ as described above. At  such  time that  an attestation is  required,  our independent
registered public accounting firm may  issue a report that  is adverse in the  event that it  is not satisfied
with the level at which our controls are  documented,  designed  or operating. Our remediation efforts
may not enable us to avoid a material  weakness in  the future.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents  and Delaware  law could discourage, delay or prevent  a
change in control of our company and may  affect the trading price of our  common stock.

Our amended and restated certificate  of incorporation  and bylaws contain  provisions that could
have the effect of rendering more difficult or  discouraging  an acquisition deemed undesirable by our
board of directors. Our corporate governance documents  include provisions that:

(cid:127) authorize blank check preferred stock,  which could be issued with voting,  liquidation, dividend

and other rights superior to our common stock;

(cid:127) limit the liability of, and provide indemnification  to,  our directors and officers;

(cid:127) limit the ability of our stockholders to call  and  bring  business  before  special meetings and to

take action by written consent in lieu  of a meeting;

(cid:127) require advance notice of stockholder proposals and the  nomination of candidates for  election to

our  board of directors;

(cid:127) establish a classified board of directors, as  a result of  which the successors to the directors

whose  terms have expired will be elected to serve from the  time of election  and qualification
until the third annual meeting following their election;

(cid:127) require that directors only be removed  from office for cause; and

(cid:127) limit the determination of the number of directors on our board  and  the  filling of vacancies or

newly created seats on the board to our board  of directors then in office.

As a Delaware corporation, we are also  subject to provisions of Delaware  law,  including
Section 203 of the Delaware General  Corporation Law,  which prevents  some  stockholders  holding
more than 15% of our outstanding common stock from engaging in  certain business combinations
without the prior approval of our board of directors  or the holders  of  substantially  all  of  our
outstanding common stock.

These provisions of our charter documents  and  Delaware law, alone or together, could delay or
deter hostile takeovers and changes in control or changes in  our management. Any provision of our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation or  bylaws or Delaware  law that has  the effect of
delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the  opportunity  for our  stockholders  to  receive a
premium for their shares of our common  stock. Even  in the absence of  a  takeover attempt, the

43

existence of these  provisions may adversely affect  the prevailing market price  of our  common stock if
they are viewed as discouraging takeover  attempts in the  future.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing  research or reports about us,  our business
or our  market, or if they change their recommendations  regarding our  stock adversely, our stock price and
trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common  stock will  be  influenced by the Product reports that industry
or securities analysts may publish about  us, our business, our market or our competitors. If  any of the
analysts who may cover us change their recommendation regarding  our stock  adversely, or provide
more favorable relative recommendations  about  our competitors, our  stock price would  likely decline.
If any analyst who may cover us were  to  cease coverage of  our company or fail  to  regularly publish
reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price
or trading volume to decline.

We do not expect to declare any dividends  in the  foreseeable  future.

We  do not anticipate declaring any cash dividends to holders of our  common  stock  in the

foreseeable future. Consequently, investors  may  need  to  rely  on sales  of their common stock after  price
appreciation, which may never occur, as  the only  way to realize any future gains  on their investment.
Investors seeking cash dividends should not  purchase  our common stock.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 2. Properties.

We  lease office facilities of approximately 90,000 square feet in New York, New York,  under
operating lease agreements which currently expire in 2015 and 2024, respectively.  Additionally, we have
other office facilities related to sales and marketing support and customer  service  outside of New York,
New York, under operating lease agreements that expire on  various dates between 2014 and 2016. We
also have various co-location agreements with  third-party hosting facilities that expire on  various dates
between 2014 and 2016. We do not have  any  material capital lease obligations, and our property,
equipment and software have been purchased  primarily with cash.

We  believe that our existing facilities  are  adequate for our current  needs and that suitable
additional or alternative space will be  available on commercially reasonable  terms to meet our future
needs.

For additional information regarding  obligations under  operating leases, see Note  8 of the Notes

to Consolidated Financial Statements included in  Part II,  Item  8 of this Annual Report  on Form 10-K.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

Although we are not currently a party to any material  active  litigation, from time to time, third

parties assert claims against us regarding intellectual property rights,  privacy  issues  and other matters
arising out of the ordinary course of  business.  Although we cannot be certain of  the outcome of any
litigation or the disposition of any claims,  nor the  amount  of  damages  and exposure, if any,  that  we
could incur, we currently believe that  the final  disposition of all existing matters  will not have  a
material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or  cash flows. In
addition, in the ordinary course of our  business, we  are also subject to periodic threats of  lawsuits,
investigations and claims. Regardless  of  the outcome, litigation can have an  adverse  impact  on us
because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management  resources  and other  factors.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

44

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity,  Related  Stockholder Matters  and Issuer Purchases

PART II

of Equity Securities.

Market Information

Our common stock has been listed on the New York  Stock Exchange,  or  the NYSE, under the
symbol ‘‘SSTK’’ since October 11, 2012.  Prior to that  date, there was no public trading market for  our
common stock. The following table sets  forth for the periods indicated the  high and  low sales prices
per  share of our common stock as reported for the  period indicated on the  NYSE:

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

Low

High

Low

High

First Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Second Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Third Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fourth Quarter(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$23.31
37.37
48.05
$64.01

$45.21
57.49
76.12
$85.70

n/a
n/a
n/a
$21.00

n/a
n/a
n/a
$28.63

(1) The period reported for the fourth quarter  of  2012 is  from  October 11, 2012 through

December 31, 2012.

On December 31, 2013, the last reported  sales  price of our common stock on the NYSE  was
$83.63 per share. On February 26, 2014,  the last reported  sales price  of our common stock on the
NYSE was $101.35 per share.

As of February 26, 2014, there were  12 holders of record of our common stock.  Because many of
our  shares of common stock are held  by  brokers and other  institutions on behalf of  stockholders,  this
number is not indicative of the total  number of stockholders represented by these stockholders of
record.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities  and Use  of Proceeds

There has been no material change in the  planned use  of proceeds from the Company’s  IPO and

follow-on offering from that described in the final prospectuses filed  with the SEC  pursuant  to
Rule 424(b) on October 11, 2012 and September 20, 2013,  respectively. On  March 25, 2013,  we used a
portion of our IPO proceeds, together with a  portion of our cash from operations, to pay off the
remaining outstanding balance of $6.0  million  on our term loan facility  with Silicon Valley Bank.
See Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under  the heading ‘‘Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of  Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.’’

Dividend Policy

We  currently intend to retain all available  funds and any future earnings for  use in  the operation

of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash  dividends  on our common stock  in the
foreseeable future. Any future determination  relating to our  dividend policy will be made  at the
discretion of our board of directors, based upon on  our  financial condition, results of  operations,
contractual restrictions, capital requirements,  business prospects  and other factors our board of
directors may deem relevant.

45

Performance Graph

Notwithstanding any statement to the contrary in any  of our filings with the SEC, the following

information shall not be deemed ‘‘filed’’ with the SEC or ‘‘soliciting material’’ under the  Securities  Exchange
Act of 1934 and shall not be incorporated by reference into any such  filings irrespective of  any general
incorporation language contained in such  filing.

The following graph compares the total cumulative  stockholder return  on our common stock  with

the total cumulative return of the New  York  Stock Exchange  Composite  Index (the ‘‘NYSE
Composite’’) and the S&P Internet Software and Services Index during the period commencing  on
October 11, 2012, the initial trading day of our common stock, and ending  on December 31, 2013.  The
graph assumes a $100 investment at the  beginning of the  period in  our common stock, the stocks
represented in the NYSE Composite Index and the stocks represented in  the S&P Internet  Software
and Services Index, and reinvestment  of  any dividends. Historical stock price  performance should not
be relied upon as an indication of future  stock price  performance.

COMPARISON OF 15 MONTH CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
Among Shutterstock, Inc., the NYSE Composite Index,
and the S&P Internet Software & Services Index

$450

$400

$350

$300

$250

$200

$150

$100

$50

$0
10/11/12 10/12

11/12

12/12

1/13

2/13

3/13

4/13

5/13

6/13

7/13

8/13

9/13

10/13

11/13

12/13

Shutterstock, Inc.

NYSE Composite

S&P Internet Software & Services

26FEB201417483172

Equity Compensation Plan Information

For information regarding securities authorized  for  issuance  under equity compensation  plans,

see Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

46

Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

We  have derived the consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December  31,

2013, 2012 and 2011 and the consolidated  balance  sheet  data as of December 31, 2013  and 2012 from
our  audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this filing. We have derived  the
consolidated statements of operations data for  the years ended December 31, 2010 and  2009 and  the
consolidated balance sheet data as of  December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009  from our audited consolidated
financial statements not included in this  filing.  To obtain further  information about our historical
results, including our historical acquisitions,  for which results of operations are included in our
consolidated financial statements, you should read the following selected consolidated financial data in
conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes,  the information in the section
of this filing titled ‘‘Management’s Discussion and Analysis  of Financial  Condition  and Results of
Operations’’ and the other financial information  included elsewhere in  this filing. Our historical  results
are not necessarily indicative of our future  results.

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

(in thousands)

$235,515

$169,616

$120,271

$82,973

$61,099

Consolidated Statements of Operations  Data(1):
Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operating expenses:

Cost of revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sales and marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Product development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General and administrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

90,627
56,738
21,764
23,063

64,676
45,107
16,330
21,651

Total operating expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

192,192

147,764

Income from operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other income / (expense), net

Income before income taxes(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Provision (benefit) for income taxes . . . . . . . . . .

43,323
52

43,375
16,896

21,852
(47)

21,805
(25,738)

45,504
31,929
9,777
10,171

97,381

22,890
10

22,900
1,036

32,353
17,820
4,591
8,414

63,178

19,795
19

19,814
876

21,826
10,949
2,361
6,217

41,353

19,746
5

19,751
909

Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 26,479

$ 47,543

$ 21,864

$18,938

$18,842

(1) Includes non-cash compensation of  $6,208, $10,385, $2,122, $1,114,  and $1,833  for the  years  ended

December 31, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009, respectively.

(2) We operated as a New York limited  liability  company for  federal and  state income tax purposes,
taxed  as a partnership, and therefore  were not  subject to federal and state income taxes through
October 4, 2012 and for the periods ended 2011, 2010, and 2009, respectively.  Following the
Reorganization on October 5, 2012, we became subject to income taxes at a combined  federal,
state and city tax rate of approximately 40%.

47

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data(1):
Cash and cash equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Short term investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working capital (deficit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Property and equipment, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Total assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Total liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Redeemable preferred members’ interest
. . . . .
Common members’ interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Total members’ interest (deficit) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Total stockholders’ equity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

December 31,

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

(in thousands)

$155,355
54,429
151,260
20,256
278,488
52,100
95,889
—
—
—
182,599

$ 14,097
$102,096
—
—
(28,435)
56,684
3,844
5,255
24,855
147,114
28,451
37,934
49,058
70,180
33,725
—
5,699
—
— (57,928)
—

76,934

$ 6,544
—
(21,909)
1,703
13,863
19,631
31,355
36,811
5,699
(54,303)
—

$ 4,937
—
(15,813)
1,219
11,067
14,259
22,514
36,218
4,782
(47,665)
—

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

December 31,

Other Financial Data(1):
Adjusted EBITDA(in thousands)(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-GAAP Net Income(in thousands)(2) . . . . . . . .
Free Cash Flow(in thousands)(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paid downloads (in millions) (during the period)(4) .
Revenue per download (during the period)(5) . . . . .
Images in our collection (in millions)  (end  of

$53,401
30,975
42,253
100.2
2.35

$

$34,877
27,981
41,519
76.0
2.23

$

$26,532
23,945
36,095
58.6
2.05

$

$21,783
20,044
27,591
44.1
1.88

$

$21,983
20,675
26,399
34.0
1.80

$

period)(6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

32.2

23.3

17.4

13.3

8.9

(1) See ‘‘—Non-GAAP Financial Measures’’ below as to how  we  define and  calculate Adjusted

EBITDA and for a reconciliation between net  income and  Adjusted EBITDA, the most directly
comparable financial measure presented  on a  U.S. generally  accepted  accounting principles, or
GAAP, basis and a discussion about  the limitations of Adjusted EBITDA.

(2) See ‘‘—Non-GAAP Financial Measures’’ below as to how  we  define and  calculate Non-GAAP  Net
Income and for a reconciliation between net  income  and Non-GAAP  Net Income, the most
directly comparable GAAP financial measure  and a  discussion about the limitations  of  Non-GAAP
Net Income.

(3) See ‘‘—Non-GAAP Financial Measures’’ below as to how  we  define and  calculate Free Cash Flow
and for a reconciliation between net  cash provided  by operating activities  and Free Cash Flow,  the
most directly comparable GAAP financial  measure and a  discussion about  the limitations  of  Free
Cash Flow.

(4) Paid downloads is the number of  paid  image and  video  clip downloads that our customers make

during a given period. See ‘‘Management’s Discussion and Analysis of  Financial Condition and
Results of Operations—Key Operating  Metrics—Paid Downloads’’ for more information  as to how
we define and calculate paid downloads.

(5) Revenue per download is the amount  of revenue recognized  in a given period divided  by  the
number of paid downloads in that period. See ‘‘Management’s  Discussion  and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Key Operating Metrics—Revenue per Download’’
for more information as to how we define and calculate paid revenue per download.

48

(6) Images in our collection are the total  number of  photographs,  vectors  and illustrations available  to
customers on shutterstock.com at the  end of  the period.  See ‘‘Management’s  Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Key Operating Metrics—Images in
our  Collection’’ for more information as  to  how we  define and  calculate paid images  in our
collection.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted EBITDA

To provide investors with additional information regarding our  financial results,  we have  disclosed

within this Annual Report on Form 10-K Adjusted EBITDA, a Non-GAAP financial measure. We
define Adjusted EBITDA as net income  adjusted for other (income) expense, income taxes,
depreciation and amortization, and non-cash equity-based compensation. We believe Adjusted  EBITDA
is an important measure of operating performance because  it allows management, investors and  others
to evaluate and compare our core operating results from  period  to  period by removing the impact of
our  asset base (depreciation and amortization), non-cash equity-based compensation, interest and taxes.

Our use of Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you  should not consider

this  measure in isolation or as a substitute for  an analysis of our results as reported under U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles,  or  GAAP, as the excluded items may have  significant effects
on our operating results and financial condition. When  evaluating our performance, you should
consider Adjusted  EBITDA alongside other financial performance measures, including various cash
flow metrics, net income and our other GAAP  results. Additionally, our  Adjusted EBITDA  measure
may differ from other companies’ Adjusted EBITDA as it  is a non-GAAP disclosure.

The following is a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA for  each of the  periods

indicated:

Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-GAAP adjustments:

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

$26,479

$ 47,543

(in thousands)
$21,864

$18,938

$18,842

Depreciation and amortization . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-cash equity-based compensation . . . . . . . . . .
Interest expense (income) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Provision (benefit) for income taxes . . . . . . . . . .

3,870
6,208
(52)
16,896

2,640
10,385
47
(25,738)

1,520
2,122
(10)
1,036

874
1,114
(19)
876

404
1,833
(5)
909

Adjusted EBITDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$53,401

$ 34,877

$26,532

$21,783

$21,983

Non-GAAP Net Income

To provide investors with additional information regarding our  financial results,  we have  disclosed
within this Annual Report on Form 10-K Non-GAAP  Net Income, a non-GAAP financial  measure. We
define Non-GAAP Net Income as net income excluding  the one-time tax benefit due to the
Reorganization and the after-tax impact of non-cash equity-based compensation. We believe
Non-GAAP Net Income is an important measure of operating performance  because it allows
management, investors and others to  evaluate and compare our  operating results from period to period
by removing the impact of our one-time  tax benefit due to the  Reorganization in October 2012,
non-cash equity-based compensation,  and the  tax  benefit for  the deductible non-cash  equity-based
compensation.

49

Our use of Non-GAAP Net Income has  limitations as  an analytical tool, and you should  not
consider this measure in isolation or as  a  substitute  for analysis of  our results as reported  under GAAP
as the excluded items may have significant effects on our  operating results and  financial  condition.
When evaluating our performance, you  should consider Non-GAAP Net Income alongside  other
financial performance measures, including various cash  flow metrics, net  income  and our other GAAP
results. Additionally, our Non-GAAP  Net Income measure may  differ from other companies’
Non-GAAP Net Income as it is a non-GAAP disclosure.

The following is a reconciliation of net income to Non-GAAP Net Income  for each of  the periods

indicated:

Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-GAAP adjustments:

One-time tax benefit due to reorganization to a

corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-cash equity-based compensation . . . . . . . . . .
Non-cash equity-based compensation  tax benefit .

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

$26,479

$ 47,543

(in thousands)
$21,864

$18,938

$18,842

— (28,811)
10,385
(1,136)

6,208
(1,712)

—
2,122
(41)

—
1,114
(8)

—
1,833
—

Non-GAAP Net Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$30,975

$ 27,981

$23,945

$20,044

$20,675

Free Cash Flow

To provide investors with additional information regarding our  financial results,  we have  disclosed
within this Annual Report on Form 10-K Free Cash Flow, a non-GAAP  financial  measure.  We define
Free Cash Flow as our cash provided by (used in) operating  activities, adjusted for capital expenditures
and other income (expense). We believe  that Free Cash  Flow is an important  measure  of operating
performance because it allows management, investors and others to evaluate the cash that we generate
after the financing of projects required  to  maintain  or expand  our asset base. When evaluating our
performance, you should consider Free  Cash  Flow alongside  other financial performance measures,
including various cash flow metrics, net  income  and our other  GAAP results. Additionally,  our  Free
Cash Flow measure may differ from  other  companies’ Free Cash Flow  as it  is a non-GAAP disclosure.

The following is a reconciliation of net cash provided by  operating activities to Free  Cash  Flow for

each  of the periods indicated:

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

Net cash provided by operating activities . . . . . . . .
Interest (expense) income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Capital expenditures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 56,373
52
(14,068)

$45,534
(47)
(4,062)

(in thousands)
$39,547
10
(3,442)

$28,726
19
(1,116)

$27,151
5
(747)

Free Cash Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 42,253

$41,519

$36,095

$27,591

$26,399

50

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and  Analysis  of Financial  Condition and  Results  of Operations.

The following discussion and analysis  of  the financial  condition and  results of  our operations should be

read in conjunction with the consolidated  financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this
filing.  In addition to historical consolidated financial information, the following discussion contains  forward-
looking statements that reflect our plans,  estimates and beliefs. These  statements involve risks and
uncertainties and our actual results could differ materially from those discussed  below.  See  the ‘‘Forward
Looking  Statements and Industry Data’’  disclosure in Item 1 above for  a discussion of the uncertainties,
risks and assumptions associated with these  statements. See also  the  ‘‘Risk Factors’’  disclosure in Item 1A.
above for additional discussion of such risks.

Overview

We  operate an industry-leading global marketplace for commercial digital imagery. Commercial
digital imagery consists of licensed photographs, illustrations and videos clips  that  companies use in
their visual communications, such as websites, digital and print marketing materials, corporate
communications, books, publications and video  content. Demand  for commercial digital imagery comes
primarily from businesses, marketing  agencies and  media organizations.

Our global online marketplace brings  together users of commercial  digital imagery with  image
creators from around the world. More  than 900,000 active, paying  users  contributed to revenue  in 2013.
We  have historically benefitted from  a  high degree of revenue retention  from both subscription-based
and On Demand customers. For example, in 2013,  2012 and 2011, we experienced year-to-year revenue
retention of 99%, 100%, and 102%, respectively. This means that customers that contributed  to
revenue in 2012 contributed, in the aggregate, 99% as much revenue  in 2013 as  they did in 2012.  More
than 50,000 approved contributors make  their  images available in our collection, which has grown to
more than 32 million images. This makes  our collection one of the largest  of its  kind and, in the  twelve
months ended December 31, 2013, we  delivered more than  100 million paid downloads  (including both
commercial and editorial images) to  our  customers.  We believe that  we delivered the highest  volume of
commercial image downloads in this period of any single brand in our  industry.

(cid:127) During 2013, www.shutterstock.com launched 10  new  languages—Czech, Danish, Finnish,

Hungarian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Turkish and  Thai—bringing the  total  number of
languages our flagship website supports to 20.

(cid:127) In  March 2013, we launched a new  image discovery tool called Spectrum. The prototype, which
is part of the Company’s Labs development  program for exploratory tools and products, indexes
hexagram data to yield search results by  color.  Designed  and built  entirely  in-house, Spectrum
offers users a new way to explore their ideas  and inspiration.

(cid:127) In  March 2013, we announced the formation  of Offset, a  new  brand featuring a collection of
imagery from top photographers and illustrators around the world.  Offset features the works
from established and respected collections  including National Geographic and  Huber Images.
With Offset, creative image buyers can purchase authentic,  sophisticated imagery with  a
transparent licensing process. Pricing is simple  and transparent, and visible alongside  each  image
and currently ranges between $250 and $500  depending on the size of the file.

(cid:127) In  April 2013, we surpassed contributor payouts of $150 million since  our  founding in 2003,

illustrating our dynamic global marketplace and ability to connect artists to image  buyers around
the world.

(cid:127) In  April 2013, we reached 25 million images in our  collection, and  our users had made  more

than 300 million paid image downloads  from our  content collection since  our  founding in 2003.

51

(cid:127) In  May 2013, we announced the launch of a new tool  called Keyword  Suggestions. This tool

suggests keywords based on similar images within the collection and reduces the  time
contributors need to spend creating keywords.

(cid:127) In  May 2013, we surpassed one million licensable video clips  in our  collection of royalty-free

stock footage.

(cid:127) In  June 2013, we announced a new  online  marketplace  called  Skillfeed. The platform offers  a
collection of curated video courses through a  simple, affordable subscription  plan. We obtain
content from instructors from around the  world, specializing in topics such  as graphic  design,
video and photo editing, Microsoft Excel and  web  development.

(cid:127) In  July 2013, we celebrated the 10th anniversary  of  the Company’s founding and also  launched
Shutterstock Stories, which highlights the  unique  life stories  of Shutterstock contributors and
awarded $75,000 through creative grants to winning contributors.

(cid:127) In  August 2013, we opened our first international  office in London. The team in London leads
business development and customer  service efforts for the United  Kingdom, Shutterstock’s
largest individual market outside of the U.S.

(cid:127) In  August 2013, we announced a collaboration  with Facebook to offer  more than one  million
active  advertisers seamless access to millions of high-quality  photographs and  illustrations.
Businesses will be able to search and  choose  from millions of Shutterstock  images directly within
Facebook’s ad creation tool, and use those images  in any  ad created using the  tool,  including
News Feed, Mobile and Desktop units.

(cid:127) In  September 2013, we announced  a partnership with CreativeMornings  that  will help  the

popular learning series expand into new cities with inspirational events for designers  around the
world. We will serve as the Official Partner for Visual Inspiration for CreativeMornings, which
hosts  free monthly events for artists in dozens  of cities worldwide.

(cid:127) In  September 2013, we announced  the addition of thousands of high-quality  videos from expert
filmmakers Robb Crocker (Uberstock),  Daniel  Hurst (VIA  Films), Luke Miller (Pathos Media)
and David Baumber (Multifocus) to  our  fast-growing video library. The world-renowned
filmmakers are offering their unique collections  of  royalty-free  High-Definition footage in  our
library for the first time.

(cid:127) In  September 2013, we announced  the completion of a  follow-on offering of 5,290,000  shares of

our  common stock, which included 690,000 shares  of common  stock  sold  by  us and  certain
stockholders of Shutterstock upon the  underwriters’ exercise of their option to purchase
additional shares, at a price of $60.00 per share. We  sold  1,150,000  shares of common stock  in
the offering and the selling stockholders sold 4,140,000  shares of common stock in  the offering.

(cid:127) In  October 2013, we announced that we had reached  30 million images in our collection and
have licensed over 350 million images since our founding in 2003. Our library is  one of the
largest of its kind, adding on average 20,000 high-quality  photos, illustrations and vectors every
day.

(cid:127) In  October 2013, we announced the opening of an  office in Berlin,  Germany to support

expansion efforts in Europe.

(cid:127) In  December 2013, we announced the  launch of an Android mobile app which  expands

Shutterstock’s mobile offering and allows customers  a new method to search and explore our
extensive library.

As an online marketplace, we generate revenue by licensing images and paying royalties to
contributors for each of their images  that is  downloaded. Approximately  half of our revenue  and the

52

vast majority of our downloads come  from subscription-based users. These  customers can download and
use a large number of images in their  creative process without concern for the incremental cost  of each
image download. For users who need  fewer  images, we  offer simple, affordable,  On Demand pricing,
which  is presented as a flat rate across all  images and sizes. Since the  launch of our On Demand
purchase options in 2008, revenue from our On Demand purchase options has increased as a
percentage of our overall revenue and we expect that this trend will  continue.

Each  time an image or video is downloaded, we  record a royalty  expense for the amount due to

the associated contributor. Royalties  are calculated using either a fixed dollar amount or a  fixed
percentage of revenue as described on  our websites. Royalties  are paid  to contributors  on a monthly
basis subject to certain payout minimums. Royalties represent the largest component of  our operating
expenses and tend to increase proportionally with revenue.

Our cost of revenue is substantially similar  as a percentage of revenue for our On Demand and
subscription-based purchase options. While  contributors earn a fixed amount per download for some  of
our  plans, we have set the per-download amount  paid to our contributors for each of our purchase
options in such a way that contributors  earn more per download  from plans  where we collect higher
revenue per download. In other words, we strive  to  deliver a similar percentage to contributors
regardless of which purchase option  a  customer chooses. Cost of revenue  for our On  Demand  purchase
options has been slightly lower than that  of our subscription-based options; however, this  difference has
historically represented less than 5% of revenue. As  a result, we expect  that  any shifts in the  relative
popularity of these two purchase options will not substantially impact  our cost of revenue.

We  manage customer acquisition costs based on  the blended customer lifetime value across our
purchase options and so we are able to control our marketing expenses  as a percentage of revenue.  As
a result, we do not believe that shifts  in  the mix  between On Demand or subscription-based purchase
options will materially impact our operating margins. In addition,  the repeat  revenue characteristics of
customers whose first purchase was a  subscription-based purchase option are substantially  similar to
those whose first purchase was an On Demand purchase option.

We  have achieved  significant growth in  the last  three years. Our total revenue  has grown to

$235.5 million in 2013 from $169.6 million in  2012 and  $120.3 million in 2011,  representing a
compound annual growth rate of 41.6%  since 2011. As  our  revenue has grown, so  have our  operating
expenses, to $192.2 million in 2013 from $147.8 million in 2012  and  $97.4 million  in 2011, principally as
a result of increased royalties, marketing costs and payroll expenses.

An important driver of our growth is customer acquisition, which  we  achieve  primarily through

online marketing efforts including paid  search, organic  search,  online  display advertising, email
marketing, affiliate marketing, social  media and strategic  partnerships. Over the  past several years, we
increased our investments in marketing as  a percentage  of revenue.  Since we believe the  market  for
commercial digital imagery is at an early  stage,  we plan to continue  to  invest aggressively in customer
acquisition to achieve revenue and market  share growth.  We believe that  another important driver of
growth is the quality of the user experience we provide on our websites,  especially the efficiency with
which  our search interfaces and algorithms help customers find the images that they need, the degree
to which we make use of the large quantity of  data we collect about images and search patterns,  and
the degree to which our websites have  been localized for international audiences.  To  this end, we have
also invested aggressively in product development and we plan to continue to invest in this area.
Finally, the quality and quantity of content that we make available in  our collection  is another key
driver of our growth. In the last four calendar years, the number of approved and  licensable images
and video clips in the Shutterstock collection has grown from 13 million to over 32  million images,
making it one of the largest collections of its kind.

Even as we have invested in our key growth drivers of customer acquisition, customer experience
improvement and content acquisition, we  have delivered strong profitability.  In 2013, our  net income

53

was $26.5 million and net cash from  operating activities was  $56.4 million. In  the same period, Adjusted
EBITDA, Non-GAAP Net Income, and Free  Cash  Flow were $53.4 million, $31.0 million and
$42.3 million, respectively. See Part II, Item  6 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the heading
‘‘Selected Financial Data—Non-GAAP  Financial Measures.’’

From September 7, 2007 through October 5,  2012, we operated as  a New York  limited liability

company (the ‘‘LLC’’). In May 2012, in connection with the  filing  of a registration statement for our
initial public offering (the ‘‘IPO’’), we formed Shutterstock, Inc.,  a  Delaware  corporation, as  a wholly-
owned subsidiary of the LLC. On October 5, 2012, the Company reorganized by way of a  merger of
the LLC with and into Shutterstock,  Inc.,  with Shutterstock,  Inc.  surviving  in the merger (the
‘‘Reorganization’’).

On October 16, 2012, we completed  our  IPO of  5,175,000 shares of common stock, including
675,000 shares sold as a result of the underwriters’ exercise of their overallotment  option, at a price  of
$17.00 per share. The IPO resulted in net  proceeds to the Company  of approximately $81.8 million
after deducting underwriting discounts  and commissions, and before deducting total estimated expenses
in connection with the offering of $4.9  million.

On September 25, 2013, we completed a  follow-on  offering  of  5,290,000 shares of common stock,
which  included 690,000 shares of common stock sold by us and certain  stockholders  as a result  of the
underwriters’ exercise of their option  to  purchase  additional shares,  at  a  price of $60.00  per  share. We
sold 1,150,000 shares of common stock in the offering and the selling stockholders sold 4,140,000 shares
of common stock in the offering. The aggregate offering price for  shares  sold by us  in the offering
resulted in net proceeds to us of $65.9  million after  deducting  underwriting discounts and  commissions,
and before deducting total expenses incurred in  connection with  the offering of approximately
$0.9 million.

Additionally, upon consummation of the  Reorganization, we recognized  the following one-time

acceleration charges for non-cash stock-based compensation:

(cid:127) a charge of approximately $2.4 million, net of  estimated forfeitures,  in connection  with a the

removal of the change of control condition  for our VAR  Plan  awards and exchanging them for
stock options; and

(cid:127) a charge of approximately $0.5 million in connection with  the removal of  the change of control

condition from the Profits Interest Agreement  entered into with  a Company employee.

Upon the effectiveness of the our registration  statement  on Form  S-1 for our IPO on October  10,

2012, we incurred a one-time acceleration  for non-cash  equity-based compensation of approximately
$3.6 million in connection with the accelerated  vesting  of  50% of the  unvested portion of  the profits
interest award granted to an executive  officer  and related issuance of 302,917  shares of common  stock
which  was based on the exchange date  fair value.

Key Operating Metrics

In addition to key financial metrics, we regularly review  a number  of  key  operating metrics to
evaluate  our business, determine the allocation of resources and make decisions  regarding business
strategies. We believe that these metrics  are useful for  understanding the  underlying  trends in our

54

business. The following table summarizes  our key operating metrics,  which are unaudited, for the years
ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011:

Paid downloads (during period) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Revenue per download (during period) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Images in collection (end of period) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

(in millions, except
revenue per download)
76.0
100.2
$2.23
$ 2.35
23.3
32.2

58.6
$2.05
17.4

Paid Downloads

Measuring the number of paid downloads  that our customers  make in any given period is
important because our revenue and contributor  royalties are  driven by paid download activity. For
customers that choose our On Demand purchase options,  each incremental download results in
incremental recognition of revenue. For customers that  choose  our subscription  purchase  options,  we
do not recognize revenue from each incremental  download, but we believe  that  download activity is an
important measure of the value that  a customer is  getting from a subscription and the likelihood that
he or she will renew. We define paid downloads as the  number of downloads that our customers make
in a given period of our photographs, vectors, illustrations  or  video clips, excluding re-downloads  of
images that a customer has downloaded in the past (which do not generate contributor royalty expense)
and downloads of  our free image of the week (which  we make available as  a means of acquiring new
customers and attracting existing customers to return to our websites more frequently).

Revenue per Download

We  define revenue per download as the amount of revenue recognized in a  given period divided
by the number of paid downloads in that  period.  This metric captures both  changes in our pricing as
well as the mix of purchase options that our customers  choose,  some of which  generate more  revenue
per  download than others. For example,  when a  customer pays  $49.00 for five On Demand images,  we
earn more revenue per download ($9.80)  than when  a customer  purchases a one-month subscription  for
$249.00 and downloads 100 images during  the month ($2.49).  Over the last  three years, revenue  from
each  of our purchase options has grown, however our fastest growing purchase options have  been those
that generate more revenue per download, most  notably our  On Demand and direct sales purchase
options. Due to this change in product mix, our revenue per download has increased  steadily over the
last three years.

Images in our Collection

We  define images in our collection as  the total number of photographs, vectors and illustrations
available to customers on shutterstock.com at  any  point in time. We record this metric  as of the end of
a period. Offering a large selection of  images allows us to acquire  and  retain customers and, therefore,
we believe that broadening our selection of high-quality images is an important driver of our revenue
growth.

Basis of Presentation

Revenue

We  generate revenue by licensing commercial digital imagery. The  significant majority of our
revenue is generated via either subscription or On  Demand purchase  options.  We  generate subscription
revenue through the sale of subscriptions varying in length from 30 days  to one year. Our  most popular
subscription offering allows up to 25 image downloads  per  day for a flat monthly fee. In substantially

55

all cases, we receive the full amount  of the subscription  payment by credit card  at the time of sale;
however, subscription revenue is recognized  on a  straight-line  basis over the subscription period. We
generate On Demand revenue through the sale of fixed packages of downloads varying in quantity  from
one image to 25 images or one video  clip  to  25 video clips. We  also  generate On  Demand  revenue
through Bigstock via the sale of both credits plans (which enable a customer to purchase a  fixed
number of credits which can then be  utilized to download images anytime  within one year).  We
typically receive the full amount of the purchase at the time of sale;  however, revenue  is recognized as
images are downloaded or when the  right to download images expires (typically  365 days after
purchase). We provide a number of other  purchase options which  together  represented approximately
14% and 10% of our revenue in 2013  and  2012, respectively.  These purchase options include custom
accounts (for customers that need multi-seat  access, invoicing, greater or unlimited indemnification, or
a higher volume of images) and video  footage  (which are sold both individually and in fixed packages).
We  typically receive the full amount  of the  purchase  at the  time  of  sale; however, revenue is recognized
as images or video clips are downloaded  or when the right  to  download expires  (typically  365 days after
purchase). Some of our larger custom  accounts  are invoiced  at or  after the time of sale and  pay us on
credit terms. Some custom accounts pay in  quarterly installments over  the  course  of  an annual
commitment.

Our deferred revenue consists of paid but unrecognized  subscription revenue, On Demand

revenue, and other revenue. Deferred  revenue is  recognized as  revenue  when images  or video clips are
downloaded (On Demand), through  the passage of time  (subscriptions) or  when credits or the  right to
download images or video clips expire, and when all other  revenue recognition criteria have been  met.

Costs and Expenses

Cost of Revenue. Cost of revenue consists of royalties paid  to  contributors, credit card  processing

fees, image and video clip review costs, customer  service  expenses, the infrastructure costs  related to
maintaining our websites and associated  employee compensation and  non-cash  equity-based
compensation, facility costs and other  supporting  overhead costs. We expect that our cost  of revenue
will increase in absolute dollars in the  foreseeable future as  our revenue grows.

Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expenses include third-party marketing, advertising,
branding, public relations and sales expenses.  Sales and marketing expenses also include  associated
employee compensation and non-cash  equity-based compensation, commissions and benefits  as well as
facility and other supporting overhead costs. We expect sales and  marketing expenses to increase  in
absolute dollars in the foreseeable future as we  continue to invest in new customer  acquisition.

Product Development. Product development expenses consist of headcount expenses, including
employee compensation and non-cash  equity-based  compensation, benefits and bonuses for salaried
employees and contractors engaged in product management, design, development and testing of our
websites and products. Product development costs  also include facility and other supporting overhead
costs. We expense product development  expenses  as  incurred, except for costs that are capitalized for
certain software development projects  that  have  demonstrated  technological feasibility. We expect
product  development expenses to increase  in absolute  dollars in the foreseeable future as we continue
to invest in developing new products and enhancing the functionality of our existing  products.

General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses include employee  salaries,

non-cash equity-based compensation  and benefits for executive, finance,  business  development,
accounting, legal, human resources, internal information technology and other administrative personnel.
In addition, general and administrative  expenses include outside legal and  accounting services,
insurance, facilities costs and other supporting  overhead costs. We expect to incur incremental general
and administrative expenses to support  our  growth  and to  support operating as  a public company.

56

Income Taxes. Historically, we filed our income tax return as a  ‘‘pass through’’ New York limited

liability company for federal and state income tax  purposes and  were subject to taxation on allocable
portions of our net income and other taxes based on various  methodologies employed by taxing
authorities in certain localities. As a  limited liability company, we recognized no federal and state
income taxes, as the members of the LLC, and not the entity itself, were  subject to income tax on  their
allocated share of our earnings. On October 5, 2012, we  reorganized from a limited liability company  to
a Delaware corporation. Consequently, our corporate  income tax rate has  increased  significantly  now
that we are subject to federal, state and  additional city  income taxes.

As we expand our operations outside  of the  United States, we may become subject to taxation in

non-U.S.  jurisdictions and our effective  tax  rate could fluctuate accordingly.

Our U.S. GAAP income taxes are computed using the asset and liability method, under which

deferred tax assets and liabilities are  determined based on the difference between the financial
statement and tax  bases of assets and  liabilities using enacted statutory income tax  rates  in effect for
the year in which the differences are  expected to affect  taxable income. Valuation allowances are
established when necessary to reduce net deferred tax assets to the  amount  expected to be realized.

Results of Operations

The following table presents our results of operations  for the  periods indicated. The

period-to-period comparisons of results  are not necessarily  indicative of  results for future  periods.

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

(in thousands)

$235,515

$169,616

$120,271

Consolidated Statements of Operations  Data:
Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operating expenses:

Cost of revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sales and marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Product development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General and administrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

90,627
56,738
21,764
23,063

Total operating expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Income from operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

192,192
43,323

Other income (expense), net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Income before income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Provision (benefit) for income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . .

52
43,375

16,896

64,676
45,107
16,330
21,651

147,764
21,852

(47)
21,805

(25,738)

45,504
31,929
9,777
10,171

97,381
22,890

10
22,900

1,036

Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 26,479

$ 47,543

$ 21,864

57

The following table presents the components of  our  results of operations  for the periods indicated

as a percentage of  revenue:

Consolidated Statements of Operations  Data:
Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operating expenses:

Cost of revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sales and marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Product development
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General and administrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Total operating expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Income from operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other income (expense), net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Income before income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Provision (benefit) for income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Year Ended
December 31,

2013

2012

2011

100% 100% 100%

39
24
9
10

82

18
0

18
7

38
26
10
13

87

13
0

13
(15)

38
27
8
8

81

19
0

19
1

Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11% 28% 18%

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2013 and  December 31,  2012

The following table presents our results of operations  for the  periods indicated:

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

$ Change

% Change

(in thousands)

$235,515

$169,616

$ 65,899

39%

Consolidated Statements of Operations  Data:
Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operating expenses:

Cost of revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sales and marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Product development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General and administrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

90,627
56,738
21,764
23,063

64,676
45,107
16,330
21,651

Total operating expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

192,192

147,764

Income from operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other income / (expense) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Income before income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Provision (benefit) for income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43,323
52

43,375
16,896

21,852
(47)

21,805
(25,738)

25,951
11,631
5,434
1,412

44,428

21,471
99

21,570
42,634

40
26
33
7

30

98
211

99
*

Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 26,479

$ 47,543

$(21,064)

*%

* Not meaningful. See ‘‘—Income Taxes’’ below

Revenue

Revenue increased by $65.9 million, or  39%, to $235.5 million in  2013 as compared to 2012. This
increase in revenue was primarily attributable  to  an increase in  the number  of  paid downloads and an
increase in revenue per download. In 2013 and 2012, we  delivered  100.2 million and  76.0 million paid
downloads, respectively, and our average revenue  per  download increased to $2.35 from  $2.23. Paid

58

downloads increased primarily due to  the  acquisition of new customers. Revenue per download
increased primarily due to growth in our  On  Demand  offerings, which capture  a higher effective price
per  image. Comparing 2013 to 2012, revenue from North America increased  to  36% from 35%  while
revenue from Europe decreased to 36%  from 37% and revenue from the  rest  of  the world remained
flat at 28%.

Cost and Expenses

Cost of Revenue. Cost of revenue increased by $26.0 million, or  40%, to $90.6 million in 2013 as
compared to 2012. Royalties increased  $17.9 million, or 37%,  as a result of an increase  in the number
of downloads from existing and new  customers. We anticipate royalties  growing  in line with revenues in
the future, although royalties as a percentage of revenue may vary somewhat  from period  to  period
primarily due to customer usage and the  contributor’s achievement level of royalty  target thresholds.
Credit  card charges increased $2.2 million or 37% driven  by an increase in  card volume activity in 2013.
Employee-related costs increased $2.2 million, or  50%, driven by  increased headcount in  customer
service, content and website operations to support increased  customer volume and  a more robust
website infrastructure. Other costs associated with  website hosting, content  consulting  and depreciation
and amortization expense increased by  $2.1 million, or 48%, to $6.4 million in  2013 as compared to
2012.

Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expenses increased  by  $11.6 million,  or 26%, to
$56.7 million in 2013 as compared to  2012. Advertising expenses,  the largest  component of our sales
and  marketing expenses, increased by $1.6  million, or 5%,  as compared to  the prior period, as a  result
of increased spending on both affiliate and search advertising globally in the  current period. We
anticipate that our global advertising spend will continue to  increase in absolute  dollars in the  future,
as we further our international expansion. Employee-related  expenses, including  travel and
entertainment, increased by $8.1 million, or 77%, driven by increases  in sales and  marketing headcount
to support our expansion into new markets, increased sales commissions as a result of growing revenue
from direct sales, and non-cash equity-based  compensation. Additionally, consulting costs  increased  by
$0.7 million, to $1.1 million in order  to  support our  international expansion.

Product Development. Product development expenses increased by $5.4 million, or 33%, to

$21.8 million in 2013 as compared to  2012. Employee-related expenses, including travel and
entertainment, increased by $3.7 million or 30%, driven by headcount increases in product, engineering
and quality assurance to support our  increasing number  of product development initiatives for  our
websites, including ongoing efforts to  improve our  search capabilities. Consulting costs increased by
$0.5 million, or 39%, primarily due to costs associated with outsourced development  and quality
assurance services  related to employee  headcount  growth. In  addition, hosting  costs for internal  product
development and other allocated overhead expenses, including insurance costs due to operating as  a
public company and other office costs driven  by additional headcount, increased by $0.9 million or
72%.

General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses increased by $1.4 million,  or  7%,

to $23.1 million in 2013 as compared  to  2012. Employee-related expenses, excluding non-cash  equity
based compensation, increased by $2.0 million,  or 35%, as we added finance, legal, human resources,
internal information technology and business intelligence personnel  to  support the growth in our
revenue and the infrastructure necessary to operate as  a public company. Non-income tax expenses
increased $0.5 million, or 21%, primarily due to our  increased volume of sales activity. Other corporate
expenses, including occupancy costs as a result of our new  office  facility, professional fees and allocated
insurance costs due to operating as a  public company and other office costs driven by additional
headcount, increased by $2.7 million  or 67%.  These increases were partially offset by a decrease  in
employee-related non-cash equity-based  compensation in the amount of $4.7 million, or 61%, primarily

59

as a result of one time acceleration in  non-cash equity-based  compensation in 2012, as  more fully
described in Note  10 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements  included  in Part II, Item 8 of
this  Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Income Taxes. Effective October 5, 2012, we became a  Delaware corporation,  and therefore

became subject to federal and state income tax expense.  For all periods on and prior  to  October 5,
2012, we filed our income tax returns  as a limited liability company and was taxed as  a ‘‘pass through’’
partnership for federal and state income  tax purposes  and recognized no  federal and state income
taxes, as the members of the LLC, and not the Company  itself, were subject to income tax on their
allocated share of the Company’s earnings. Our on-going effective  corporate tax rate  is expected to be
approximately 40% as compared to our historical effective tax rate of approximately  2% and, therefore,
comparison of effective tax rate would  result  in a comparison that is  not  meaningful as more fully
described in Note  6 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item  8 of
this  Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2012 and  December 31,  2011

The following table presents our results of operations  for the  periods indicated:

Consolidated Statements of Operations  Data:
Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operating expenses:

Cost of revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sales and marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Product development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General and administrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

64,676
45,107
16,330
21,651

Total operating expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

147,764

Income from operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other income / (expense) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Income before income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(Benefit) provision for income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21,852
(47)

21,805
(25,738)

Year Ended December 31,

2012

2011

$ Change

% Change

(in thousands)

$169,616

$120,271

$ 49,345

41%

45,504
31,929
9,777
10,171

97,381

22,890
10

22,900
1,036

19,172
13,178
6,553
11,480

50,383

(1,038)
(57)

(1,095)
(26,774)

42
41
67
113

52

(5)
(570)

(5)
*

*%

Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 47,543

$ 21,864

$ 25,679

* Not meaningful. See ‘‘—Income Taxes’’ below

Revenue

Revenue increased by $49.3 million, or  41%, to $169.6 million in  2012 as compared to 2011. This
increase in revenue was primarily attributable  to  growth in paid downloads and an increase  in revenue
per  download. In 2012 and 2011, we  delivered 76.0 million and 58.6  million paid downloads,
respectively, and our average revenue  per  download  increased to $2.23 from $2.05.  Paid downloads
increased primarily due to the acquisition  of  new  customers. Revenue per download increased primarily
due to growth in our On Demand offerings, which  capture  a higher effective price per image.
Comparing 2012 to 2011, revenue from North America increased to 35%  from 34% while revenue from
Europe decreased to 37% from 40% and  revenue from the  rest  of  the world  increased  to  28% from
26%.

60

Cost and Expenses

Cost of Revenue. Cost of revenue increased by $19.2 million, or  42%, to $64.7 million in 2012 as
compared to 2011. Royalties increased  $14.3 million, or 42%,  driven by an increase in downloads  from
existing and new customers. Credit card  charges increased $0.9 million or 17% driven by an  increase in
card volume activity in 2012. Employee-related costs  increased  $1.8 million, or 72%,  driven by
increased average headcount in customer  service, content and website  operations  to  46 at  year-end
2012 from 35 employees at year-end 2011 to support increased customer  volume, a more  robust website
infrastructure and the one time acceleration  and vesting following the  Reorganization  of  non-cash
equity-based compensation in the amount  of  $0.2 million. Other costs associated with website hosting,
content consulting and allocation of depreciation and amortization expense increased  by  $1.9 million, or
76%, to $4.3 million in 2012 as compared to 2011.

Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expenses increased  by  $13.2 million,  or 41%, to
$45.1 million in 2012 as compared to  2011. Advertising expenses  increased by $6.8 million,  or 27%, as
compared to the prior period, as a result  of increased spending  on both online and offline advertising,
including spending on both search and display advertising globally. Employee-related expenses
increased by $4.9 million, or 103%, driven by  increases in sales and marketing average  headcount  to  63
employees at year-end 2012 from 36 employees at  year-end 2011, increased sales commissions as a
result of growing revenue from direct sales and the  one time acceleration and vesting following  the
Reorganization of non-cash equity-based compensation in the amount of $0.8  million.

Product Development. Product development expenses increased by $6.6 million, or 67%, to
$16.3 million in 2012 as compared to  2011. Employee-related costs increased by $5.3 million  or 78%,
driven by increases in product, engineering and quality assurance average headcount to 76 employees at
year-end 2012 from 54 employees at year-end 2011 and the  one time  acceleration and vesting post
reorganization of non-cash equity-based compensation in the amount of $1.7  million. The  increased
average headcount costs were driven by an  increasing  number of Product development initiatives for
our  websites, including significant and ongoing  efforts to improve our search capabilities. In addition,
consulting costs increased by  $0.7 million primarily  due to costs associated with outsourced
development and quality assurance services related to employee headcount growth.

General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses increased by $11.5 million,  or

113%, to $21.7 million in 2012 as compared  to  2011. Employee-related expenses increased by
$7.2 million, or 115%, driven  by increases  in finance, legal,  human resources, internal  information
technology and business intelligence  personnel average headcount to 35 employees at year-end  2012
from 24 employees at year-end 2011 to support the growth in our revenue  and the  infrastructure
necessary to operate as a public company.  Included in the employee-related expense increase is
non-cash equity-based compensation  increase  in the amount of $5.6 million related to the one time
acceleration and vesting following the  Reorganization  of  non-cash  equity-based compensation in the
amount of $4.9 million and vesting of  a common member’s  ownership interest in the amount of
$0.7 million, as more fully described  in  Note 9 of the  Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual  Report  on Form 10-K.  In addition, professional fees
increased by $1.3 million, or 128%, due primarily to additional expenses related to being a public
company.

Income Taxes.

In 2012, we recorded a one-time non-cash tax benefit  of  $28.8 million as a  result of

recognition of deferred tax assets resulting  from our tax status change to be subject to taxation as a
corporation commencing October 5,  2012.  The computation of  the effective tax rate includes earnings
incurred prior to October 5, 2012 when we were subject to New York City unincorporated business tax
as a partnership. Our on-going effective corporate tax rate is expected to be approximately 40%  as
compared to our historical effective tax  rate of approximately 2%  and, therefore, comparison of
effective tax rate would result in a comparison that  is not meaningful as more fully described in Note 5

61

of the Notes to Consolidated Financial  Statements included  in Part II,  Item 8 of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2013, we had cash and cash  equivalents of  $155.3 million, which primarily

consisted of money market mutual funds  and  checking accounts.  Additionally, we held short-term
investments in the amount of $54.4 million all of  which mature in  90 days or less. Since inception,  we
have financed our operations primarily  through cash flow generated  from  operations.  In addition, in
October 2012, we received $76.9 million of net proceeds  from  our IPO and in  September 2013  we
received $65.0 million of net proceeds from our follow-on offering.

Historically, our principal uses of cash have been funding our  operations, capital expenditures and

distributions to members. On October 4, 2012, we made  a final distribution to the LLC members
representing all undistributed earnings. The final distribution approximated all of the  cash generated
from the operations of the LLC through October  4, 2012. Following  this final distribution,  no
additional distributions were made to  members of  the LLC.  Additionally, following  the Reorganization,
our  tax rate and related tax payments  have increased significantly  as we became  subject to federal, state
and additional city income tax.

We  entered into a term loan facility in September 2012  that provided for a  $12.0 million term
loan. Following the final distribution to members described above, the borrowings from the term loan
facility were used to fund the short-term capital needs  of  our  operations following  the final distribution
to members and our IPO. On December 24, 2012, we paid down $6.0 million of the term loan and on
March 25, 2013, we paid off the remaining  outstanding balance of $6.0  million.  As of December 31,
2013, we had no outstanding debt and  no available line  of credit.

We  plan to finance our operations and capital expenses largely through our operations. Since  our

results of operations are sensitive to the  level of  competition we face,  increased competition could
adversely affect our liquidity and capital resources,  both by  reducing our revenues  and our net  income,
as a result of reduced sales, reduced prices and increased promotional activities, among other factors,
as well as by requiring us to spend cash on advertising and marketing in an effort  to  maintain  or
increase market share in the face of such competition. In addition, the advertising and marketing
expenses used to maintain market share  and support future  revenues will  be  funded  from current
capital resources or from borrowings or  equity  financings. As a result, our ability to grow our business
relying largely on funds from our operations is  sensitive to competitive  pressures and other risks
relating to our liquidity or capital resources.

On October 16, 2012, we completed  our  IPO of  5,175,000 shares of common stock, including
675,000 shares sold as a result of the underwriters’ exercise of their overallotment  option, at a price  of
$17.00 per share. The IPO resulted in net  proceeds to the Company  from the offering of approximately
$81.8 million after deducting underwriting discounts  and commissions, and before deducting  total
estimated expenses in connection with the offering of $4.9  million.

On September 25, 2013, we completed a  follow-on  offering  of  5,290,000 shares of common stock,
which  included 690,000 shares of common stock sold by us and certain  stockholders  as a result  of the
underwriters’ exercise of their option  to  purchase  additional shares,  at  a  price of $60.00  per  share. We
sold 1,150,000 shares of common stock in the offering and the selling stockholders sold 4,140,000 shares
of common stock in the offering. The aggregate offering price for  shares  sold by us  in the offering
resulted in net proceeds to us of $65.9  million after  deducting  underwriting discounts and  commissions,
and before deducting total expenses incurred in  connection with  the offering of approximately
$0.9 million.

62

We  currently intend to retain all available  funds and any future earnings for  use in  the operation

of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash  dividends  on our common stock  in the
foreseeable future. Any future determination  relating to our  dividend policy will be made  at the
discretion of our board of directors, based on our  financial  condition, results  of operations,  contractual
restrictions, capital requirements, business prospects and other  factors our board of directors may deem
relevant.

Financing Transactions

On  September  21,  2012,  we  entered  into  a  loan  and  security  agreement  providing  for  a

$12.0 million term loan facility, which  we refer to as  the term loan  facility.  We  used  the net proceeds
from the term loan facility for working  capital and  general  business  purposes.

The term loan facility provided for a  term loan of  $12.0 million  and was  scheduled to mature on
the earlier of (i) September 21, 2013 and  (ii) the date on  which such  facility  is accelerated following the
occurrence of an event of default. The term  loan facility provided for  interest  on the term loan, at our
option, at the prime rate as published  in the Wall Street Journal minus 0.75%, or a  LIBOR-based rate
plus a margin of 2.00%. We selected  the one-month LIBOR-based rate and  could  select a new  interest
rate option after the month expires.

On December 24, 2012, we paid down $6.0  million  of  the term loan and on March  25, 2013, we

paid off the remaining outstanding balance  of  $6.0 million. As of  December 31, 2013, we had  no
outstanding debt.

Sources and Uses of Funds

We  believe, based on our current operating  plan, that our cash and  cash  equivalents, and cash
from operations, will be sufficient to meet  our anticipated cash needs for at least  the next 12  months.
Consistent with previous periods, we expect  that future capital  expenditures will primarily relate to
acquiring additional servers and network connectivity hardware and software, leasehold improvements
and furniture and fixtures related to  our  new office facility expansion  and relocation and  general
corporate infrastructure. We anticipate capital  additions of approximately  $18.5 million for  2014 of
which  approximately $4.5 million has already been capitalized in  2013. Additionally, we  expect to
write-off leasehold improvements and  fixed  assets related to our office  facility relocation. See  Note 8  of
the Notes to Consolidated Financial  Statements included in  Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K for information regarding  capital expenditures for the twelve months ended December  31,
2013. Additionally, we may also use funds  to acquire  or invest  in complementary  companies, products,
or technologies.

Historical Trends

The following table summarizes our cash flow data for 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

Net cash provided by operating activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net cash (used in) investing activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
Net cash provided by (used in) financing  activities(1)

$ 56,373
$(70,086)
$ 66,969

(in thousands)
$45,534
$ (4,259)
$46,724

$ 39,547
$ (3,419)
$(28,575)

(1) Comprised of distributions to LLC members  for years  ended  2012 and 2011. Includes net proceeds

from the follow-on offering offset by final repayment of  the term loan  facility  for the  year  ended
2013 and net proceeds from the IPO  offset  by repayments  of  the term loan  facility for year ended
2012. No further distributions to members were made following the Reorganization.

63

Cash Flows

Operating Activities

Our primary source of cash from operating activities  is cash collections from  our customers. The

majority of our revenues are generated from credit card  transactions and are typically  settled within
one to five business days. Our primary  uses of  cash for operating activities are for  settlement of
accounts payable to contributors, vendors  and  personnel-related expenditures.

In 2013, net cash provided by operating activities was $56.4 million, an  increase of 24%  compared

to the same period in 2012, including  net income  of $26.5 million and non-cash compensation of
$6.2 million. Cash inflows from changes in operating assets and liabilities included  an increase in
deferred revenue of $14.2 million, primarily related to an increase in both subscription and  On
Demand  revenue. Accounts payable and other operating liabilities increased by $10.4  million  as trade
payables grew in both average size and  volume and payroll costs increased  due  to  headcount  expansion.
Contributor royalties payable increased  by  $2.2 million due  to  increasing royalty expenses generated by
increased customer download activity.  Conversely, prepaid expenses decreased by $16.9 million
primarily due to federal, state and city  estimated income tax payments made during 2013, excess tax
benefit related to stock option exercises and a change in  tax  accounting  method for the recording of
deferred revenue in the period.

In 2012, net cash provided by operating activities was $45.5 million, an  increase of 15%  compared
to the same period in 2011, including  net income  of $47.5 million which reflected a one-time non-cash
tax benefit of $28.8 million as a result  of  recognition  of  deferred tax assets  resulting from our tax status
change to be  subject to taxation as a corporation and non-cash  compensation  of $10.4 million. Cash
inflows from changes in operating assets and liabilities  included an  increase in deferred revenue  of
$9.5 million, primarily related to an increase in  both  subscription and  On Demand revenue. Accounts
payable and other  operating liabilities increased  by $6.2 million as trade payables grew in both average
size and volume and payroll costs increased  due to headcount  expansion. Contributor royalties payable
increased by $1.7 million due to increasing  royalty expenses  generated by increased customer  download
activity.

In 2011, net cash provided by operating activities was $39.5 million, an  increase of 38%  compared
to 2010, including net income of $21.9  million  and non-cash compensation of $2.1  million.  Cash inflows
from changes in operating assets and  liabilities included an  increase in  deferred revenue  of $8.8 million,
primarily related to an increase in both  subscription and  On Demand revenue. Accounts payable
increased by $5.7 million as trade payables grew in both average size and volume. Additionally,  we
changed the payment date of our annual  performance bonuses and the  payment date of a significant
trade payable, which together accounted for $2.9 million of the increase. Contributor  royalties payable
increased by $1.3 million due to increasing  royalty expenses  generated by increased customer  download
activity.

Investing Activities

Our investing activities have consisted  primarily of capital expenditures to purchase software and
equipment related to our data centers, as  well as  capitalization of software and  website development
costs. In 2013 we invested in short-term investments.

Cash used in investing activities in 2013 was  $70.1 million  consisting of  capital  expenditures to
purchase software and equipment related to our  data centers,  as well as  capitalization of leasehold
improvements in the amount of $14.1  million.  Additionally, we  purchased short-term investments, net
of sales, in the amount of $54.4 million and payment of a  security deposit  of  $1.8 million in connection
with the lease for our new office facilities..

64

Cash used in investing activities in 2012 was  $4.3 million,  consisting entirely of capital

expenditures, primarily for server and  office equipment.

Cash used in investing activities in 2011 was  $3.4 million,  primarily  consisting of capital

expenditures, primarily for server equipment,  office equipment and capitalized website development
costs.

Financing Activities

Cash provided by financing activities  in 2013 was $67.0 million consisting  of proceeds  from our

follow-on offering $65.9 million, proceeds of $6.7 million from the issuance of  common stock in
connection with the exercise of stock  options  and the  corresponding  excess tax  benefit of $1.3 million
as result of the subsequent disposition  of  the common stock issued,  partially offset by payment  of  the
remaining outstanding balance of our term  loan facility in  the amount of $6.0 million and payment  of
deferred offering fees of $1.0 million.  As  of December 31, 2013, we  had no outstanding  debt and no
available line of credit.

In 2012, net cash provided by financing activities was $46.7 million and  comprised  primarily  of
proceeds from our IPO, net of issuance  costs, of $81.8 million  and proceeds from our term  loan facility
of $12.0 million. We historically made  monthly  distributions  to  our LLC  members typically equaling the
cash in excess of that required for general  working  capital.  In connection with the Reorganization,
these distributions ceased, with the final distribution to members occurring  on October 4, 2012.  These
monthly distributions, including the final  distribution totaled $36.0  million during  2012. In addition  we
paid $4.9 million related to offering costs  and paid down $6.0 million of our term loan facility.

In the year ended December 31, 2011,  cash used in  financing activities was $28.6 million, consisting

entirely of distributions to members.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

We  lease office facilities primarily in  New York, New York, under operating lease agreements  that

expire on various dates between 2014 and 2024.  We also have several  co-location agreements with
third-party hosting facilities that between  2014 and 2016. We do  not  have any  material  capital lease
obligations, and our property, equipment  and software have been purchased primarily  with cash. Our
future minimum payments under non-cancelable operating  leases  and purchase  obligations are as
follows as of December 31, 2013:

Payments Due by Period

Total

Less Than
1 Year

1 - 3 Years

3 - 5 Years

More Than
5 Years

Operating lease obligations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Co-location obligations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Purchase obligations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$43,134
3,389
2,475

$1,178
2,047
1,406

(in thousands)
$ 7,691
1,342
1,069

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$48,998

$4,632

$10,101

$7,318
—
—

$7,318

$26,947
—
—

$26,947

On March 21, 2013, we entered into an  operating lease  agreement to lease office  facilities  in New
York City. The lease commenced in August  2013, has a  lease term  of  11 years and  contains aggregate
future minimum lease payments are  approximately $42.2 million. The Company  also entered  into  a
letter of credit in the amount of $1.8  million  as a security  deposit for the leased facilities. The letter of
credit was collateralized by $1.8 million  of cash as  of  December  31, 2013, and as such, is reported  as
restricted cash on the consolidated balance sheet  as of December 31, 2013. Additionally, we expanded
our  co-location agreements with third-party hosting facilities due to our business growth and entered

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into a new software license agreement  to  accommodate our  business  growth, which  agreements expire
between 2014 and 2016.

We  also enter into contractual arrangements under which we agree to provide indemnification of

varying scope and terms to customers with respect  to  certain matters, including,  but not limited to,
losses arising out of the breach of such agreements for damages directly  attributable to a breach by us.
We  are not responsible for any damages, costs, or  losses to  the extent such damages  or losses arise as a
result of the modifications made by the customer,  or the context in which an  image is used.  The
standard maximum aggregate obligation  and  liability  to  any one customer for all claims is limited  to
$10,000. We offer certain of our customers greater  levels of indemnification, including  unlimited
indemnification. We have experienced nominal losses  to  date as  a  result  of  the indemnification we  offer
and, as such, our reserves for indemnification-related  losses  are also  nominal.  We  believe that we  have
the appropriate insurance coverage in  place  to  adequately cover such  indemnification obligations, if
necessary.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted  accounting principles
in the United States, or GAAP. The  preparation  of the consolidated financial statements in  conformity
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires our management to make  a
number of estimates and assumptions  relating  to  the reported amounts of assets and  liabilities,  the
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at  the date of the consolidated financial statements, and
the reported amounts of revenue and  expenses  during the period. We evaluate  our  significant estimates
on an ongoing basis, including, but not limited to, estimates related to allowance  for doubtful  accounts,
chargeback and sales refund reserve,  goodwill, intangibles,  equity-based compensation,  income  tax
provisions and certain non-income tax accruals.  We  base  our estimates on historical experience and  on
various other assumptions that we believe  to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results  of
which  form the basis for making judgments about carrying value  of  assets and liabilities that are  not
readily apparent from other sources. Actual results  could differ from those  estimates.

We  believe that the assumptions and estimates associated with our revenue  recognition, allowance
for doubtful accounts, chargeback and  sales  refund  reserve, stock based compensation, accounting  for
non-income and income taxes, goodwill and intangible assets and advertising costs  have the greatest
potential impact on our financial statements.  Therefore, we  consider these to be our critical accounting
policies and estimates.

Emerging Growth Company

Section 107 of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act  of  2012, or  the  JOBS Act, provides  that

an ‘‘emerging growth company’’ can take advantage of the extended  transition period  provided in
Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act  of 1933, as amended, for  complying with new or revised
accounting standards. However, we have chosen to opt out of any extended transition period, and as a
result we will comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates  on which  adoption
of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies.  Section  107 of the JOBS  Act
provides that our decision to opt out of  the extended transition period  for  complying with  new or
revised accounting standards is irrevocable.

We  will continue to evaluate the benefits of relying on  other  reduced reporting requirements
provided by the JOBS Act from time to time until we  are no longer subject to the JOBS Act.  Subject
to certain conditions set forth in the  JOBS  Act, if,  as an ‘‘emerging growth company,’’ we choose to

66

rely on such exemptions we may not  be  required  to,  among  other things,  (i) provide an  auditor’s
attestation report on our system of internal  controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) provide all  of the compensation disclosure  that  may be required  of
non-emerging growth public companies under  the Dodd-Frank Wall  Street Reform  and Consumer
Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement  that  may be adopted  by  the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB,  regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement
to the auditor’s report providing additional  information about the audit and the financial statements
(auditor discussion and analysis), and  (iv)  disclose  certain executive compensation related items such as
the correlation between executive compensation and performance and  comparisons of the CEO’s
compensation to median employee compensation.

Revenue Recognition

All revenue, net of chargebacks and  refunds, is  generated from the license of digital content
through subscription or usage based plans. These purchase options include:  subscription, On  Demand,
and credit pack. We recognize revenue when the  following  basic criteria  are met: there is persuasive
evidence of an arrangement, performance  or delivery of services  has occurred, the sales price  is fixed or
determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. We consider persuasive evidence of  an
arrangement to be an electronic order  form, or a signed contract, which contains the fixed pricing
terms. Performance or delivery is considered  to  have occurred upon the ratable passage of  time for
subscription plans, the download of digital  content or the  expiration of a contract period for which
there are unused downloads or credits.  Collectability is reasonably assured since most of our customers
purchase products by making electronic payments  at the time of a transaction with  a credit  card. We
establish a chargeback allowance and  sales  refund  reserve allowance  based on  factors surrounding
historical credit card chargeback trends, historical sales refund  trends and  other information.  As of
December 31, 2013 and 2012, we recorded a chargeback allowance and sales refund allowances of
$0.4 million and $0.1 million, respectively,  which is included in  other  liabilities. Collectability is assessed
for customers who pay on credit based on a  credit  evaluation for new customers, when necessary, and
transaction history with existing customers. Any cash received in advance  of  revenue recognition is
recorded  as deferred revenue.

Subscription plans range in length from  thirty days to one year. Subscription plan  revenues are
recognized on a straight-line basis using  a daily convention method over the plan term. On  Demand
plans are typically for a one-year term and  permit  the customer to download up to a  fixed  amount  of
digital content. On Demand revenues are recognized at the time the customer downloads  the digital
content. Revenue related to unused digital content, if any, is  recognized  in full at  the end of the  plan
term assuming we have no further obligation to the  customer. Credit pack plans  are generally for a
one-year term and enable the customer  to  purchase  a fixed  number  of  credits which can then be
utilized to pay for  downloaded digital content. The number of credits utilized for  each  download
depends on the digital content size and format.  Credit pack revenues are recognized  based on  customer
usage on a per credit basis as digital  content is  downloaded.  Revenue  related to unused credits, if any,
is recognized in full at the end of the plan term assuming we have no  further obligation  to  the
customer. Most plans automatically renew  at  the end of the  plan term  unless the customer elects not to
renew. We recognize revenue from three types of plans on  a gross basis in accordance  with the
authoritative guidance on principal-agent  considerations  as  we  are the primary obligor in the
arrangement, have latitude in establishing  the product’s price, perform a detailed  review of the digital
content before accepting it into our collection to ensure it is  of  high quality  before it may be purchased
by our customers, can reject contributor’s images in  its sole discretion,  and has credit  risk.

Customers typically pay in advance (or upon commencement  of  the term) via credit  card, wire  or

check. Fees paid or invoiced in advance are deferred and recognized as described  above. Customers
that do not pay in advance are invoiced  and  are required  to make  payment under standard credit
terms. We do not generally offer refunds  or  the right of  return to customers.  There are situations in
which  a customer may receive a refund  but the determination is made on a case-by-case  basis.

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We  also license digital content to customers through third  party resellers. We contract  with third
party resellers around the world to access markets  where we do  not have a significant  presence. Third
party resellers license our products directly to end-user customers and remit a fixed amount to us  based
on the type of plan sold. The terms of  the reseller program  indicate  that the third party reseller is  the
primary obligor to the end-user customer  and bears  the risks and rewards as  principal  in the
transaction. In assessing whether our revenue should  be  reported on  a gross  or net basis  with respect  to
our  reseller program, we follow the authoritative guidance  in ASC 605-45,  ‘‘Principle  Agent
Considerations.’’ We recognize revenue net of reseller commission  in accordance with  the type of plan
sold, consistent with the plan descriptions  above. We generally  do not offer refunds  or the right of
return  to resellers.

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for  Doubtful Accounts

Our accounts receivable consists of customer  obligations due under  normal trade terms, carried  at

their face value less an allowance for  doubtful accounts. We determine our allowance for  doubtful
accounts based on the evaluation of  the aging  of our accounts receivable  and on a
customer-by-customer analysis of our  high-risk customers. Our reserve contemplates our historical loss
rate on receivables, specific customer  situations and the economic environments  in which  we operate.
As of December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012, we recorded an allowance for doubtful accounts  of
$0.6 million and $0.2 million, respectively.

Equity-Based Compensation

Between June 7, 2007 and October 5, 2012, we were organized  as a  limited  liability  company.
Beginning in 2011, the Company granted  equity  rights similar  to  options under  its  Value Appreciation
Rights Plan (‘‘VAR Plan’’) in the form of value appreciation  rights (the ‘‘VAR Plan awards’’).  Each
VAR Plan award had an exercise price, a  vesting period  and an expiration  date, in  addition to other
terms and conditions similar to typical equity  option grant terms and conditions. The VAR Plan awards
were subject to a time-based vesting  requirement and a condition that a change of control occur in
order to trigger a payment with respect to the VAR Plan awards. In connection  with the
Reorganization, all of the VAR Plan awards were exchanged for options to purchase an aggregate of
1,661,719 shares of common stock of  Shutterstock, Inc. with  only a time-based vesting requirement,
which  were granted pursuant to our 2012 Omnibus  Equity Incentive Plan (the ‘‘2012  Plan’’).

We  measure and recognize non-cash  equity-based compensation expense for  all  equity-based
payment awards made to employees  based on  estimated  fair values. The value portion of the  award
that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense over the requisite  service  period. For  awards
with a change of control condition, an  evaluation is made at the grant  date and future  periods  as to the
likelihood of the condition being met. Compensation  expense is  adjusted in  future periods for
subsequent changes in the expected outcome  of the change of control  conditions until the  vesting  date.
Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant  and  revised, if  necessary, in subsequent periods if actual
forfeitures differ from those estimates.

We  use the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the fair value  of  stock options  and

other equity-based awards granted pursuant to the  2012 Plan, stock purchased  pursuant to the
Employee Stock Purchase Plan (‘‘2012 ESPP’’) and the VAR Plan awards, which are discussed  further
in Note 10, Equity-Based Compensation.

The determination of the grant date  fair  value using  an option-pricing model requires judgment

and as well as assumptions regarding a number of other complex and subjective variables.  These
variables include our fair value of the  common  ownership interest pre-IPO, our  closing  market  price at
the grant date post-IPO, the expected unit price volatility over the expected  term of the awards,

68

awards’ exercise and cancellation behaviors, risk-free  interest  rates, and  expected dividends, which  are
estimated as follows:

(cid:127) Fair Value of Common Stock/Membership Unit. Prior to completion of the IPO, our fair value of
common ownership interest was estimated internally and approved by  the Board of  Managers
(‘‘BOM’’) because we were not publicly traded. Our intention upon  granting VAR  Plan  awards
was for the granted award to have exercisable price per unit  that was not less than the  per  unit
fair value of our common equity on the  date of  grant. The valuations of our common equity unit
were prepared in accordance with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Statement on Standards for Valuation Services 1: Valuation of a Business, Business Ownership
Interest, Security, or Intangible Asset. The assumptions used in the valuation  model were based on
future expectations combined with our judgment. In the  absence of a public trading market, we
exercised significant judgment and considered  numerous objective and subjective  factors to
determine the fair value of the common equity  unit as of the date of each VAR Plan award
grant. Some but not all of these factors included operating and financial performance, current
business conditions and projections, the hiring of  key  personnel, our history and introduction of
new functionality and services, our stage  of development, the likelihood of achieving a liquidity
event for the common ownership interests, any adjustment necessary to recognize  a lack of
marketability for our common ownership interests, the market performance  of comparable
publicly traded companies, and U.S. and global capital market  conditions. We  also obtained
independent third party valuations on a  periodic basis. After October 11,  2012, the date our
common stock began trading on the NYSE,  the grant  date fair  value for stock-based  awards is
based on the closing price of our common stock on the NYSE on the date  of grant and fair
value for all other purposes related  to  stock-based awards  shall be the closing price  of our
common stock on the NYSE on the relevant date.

(cid:127) Expected Term. The expected term was estimated using the simplified method allowed  under

Securities and Exchange Commission  (‘‘SEC’’)  guidance.

(cid:127) Volatility. As we do not have a trading history for  our  common ownership interest pre-IPO or a
significant range of our common stock post-IPO, the expected price volatility  for the  common
ownership interest and common stock  was  estimated  by taking  the average historic price
volatility for industry peers based on daily price observations over  a  period equivalent to the
expected term of the VAR Plan awards  and  stock options granted post-IPO. Industry peers
consist of several public companies similar  in size,  stage of life cycle and financial leverage.  We
did not rely on implied volatilities of  traded options  in the industry peers’ common stock
because  the volume of activity was relatively low. We intend to continue  to  consistently  apply
this process using the same or similar public companies  until a sufficient amount of historical
information regarding the volatility of the Company’s own common stock becomes available, or
unless circumstances change such that  the identified  companies are no longer similar to the
Company, in which case, more suitable companies whose share prices  are publicly  available
would be utilized in the calculation.

(cid:127) Risk-free Interest Rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the yields of U.S.  Treasury

securities with maturities similar to the expected term of for each award  group.

(cid:127) Dividend Yield. The Company has historically paid cash dividends or  distributions  to  its members.
Following the Reorganization, the Company has not paid cash  dividends or  distributions to our
stockholders and it does not intend to do so  for the  foreseeable  future. As a result,  the
Company used an expected dividend yield of zero.

If any  of the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model changes significantly, the  fair value for
future awards may differ materially compared with  the awards  granted previously. The awards granted
pursuant to the 2012 Plan, the 2012 ESPP and VAR Plan are  subject to a time-based vesting

69

requirement. The majority of stock option  awards granted under the  2012 Plan vest  over four years.
The 2012 ESPP provides for purchase  periods  approximately every  six months  and a  participant must
be employed on the purchase date to  participate in the  2012 ESPP. The  VAR Plan awards had  a
condition that a change of control (as defined  in the VAR Plan) must  occur for a payment  to  trigger
with respect to the VAR Plan awards. In  connection with our Reorganization, all of the VAR  Plan
awards were exchanged for options to  purchase  shares of  common  stock of Shutterstock, Inc. As of
December 31, 2011, no equity-based compensation expense  had been  recognized  with respect to the
VAR Plan awards because the qualifying event had not occurred. As a result  of the completion of the
IPO, we began recording share-based compensation expense using the accelerated attribution method,
net of forfeitures, based on the grant  date  fair value of the  VAR  Plan  awards that were  exchanged for
options to purchase shares of common  stock of Shutterstock, Inc. as part  of  our  Reorganization.

For any equity-based awards that qualified for liability classification pre-IPO, we  have elected to

use the intrinsic value method to value the common membership interest  in accordance with
authoritative guidance on stock compensation. See Note 10, Equity-Based Compensation, for further
information.

The total non-cash stock-based compensation expense we recognized  is approximately $6.2  million,

$10.4 million, and $2.1 million, during the fiscal years ending December 31, 2013, 2012, and  2011,
respectively.

Income Taxes

We  filed our income tax returns as a  limited  liability  company  and was taxed  as a ‘‘pass through’’

partnership for federal and state income  tax purposes  for all periods prior  to  its Reorganization  on
October 5, 2012. For all periods prior  to  the Reorganization, we recognized no federal and  state
income taxes, as the members of the LLC, and not us, were  subject to income tax on  their  allocated
share of our earnings. However, we were subject  to  taxation on allocable portions of  its net  income  or
other taxes based on various methodologies employed  by taxing authorities  in certain localities.  We
generally made monthly dividend distributions  to  its members under the terms of the LLC’s operating
agreement, subject to the our operating  cash needs.

Effective with the Reorganization, we became a  Delaware corporation, and therefore became
subject to federal and state tax expense  beginning  October 6,  2012. As a result of  this tax status change,
we recorded an incremental net deferred tax  asset and  a one-time non-cash tax benefit of
approximately $28.8 million in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012.

We  filed tax returns as a partnership  for the period from January 1, 2012 through  October 5,  2012
and filed tax returns as a corporation for  the period  from October  6, 2012 through  December 31,  2012
and will continue to do so for all periods and any new tax jurisdictions thereafter. Significant
management judgment is required in  projecting  ordinary income  in order  to  determine  our estimated
effective tax rate.

We  account for unrecognized tax benefits using a more-likely-than-not threshold for  financial
statement recognition and measurement  of tax  positions  taken or expected to be taken in  a tax  return.
We  establish reserves for tax-related uncertainties  based on estimates of whether, and  the extent to
which,  additional taxes will be due. We record an  income  tax liability, if any, for the difference between
the benefit recognized and measured and  the  tax position taken or  expected to be taken on our tax
returns. To the extent that the assessment of such tax positions changes, the change in estimate is
recorded  in the period in which the determination  is made.  The reserves are adjusted in light of
changing  facts and circumstances, such  as the outcome of  a  tax  audit or lapses in statutes of limitations.
Any reserve for uncertain tax provisions  is included in the income  tax provision. Penalties and interest,
if any, on uncertain tax positions are included in income tax expense.

70

We  assessed the realizability of deferred tax  assets and determined that based  on the  available
evidence, including a history of taxable income and estimates of future taxable income, it is more  likely
than not that the deferred tax assets  will be realized.  We  will continue to evaluate  its  ability  to  realize
deferred tax assets on a quarterly basis. Significant management judgment  is required in determining
the provision for income taxes and deferred tax assets and  liabilities. In the  event that actual results
differ  from these estimates, we will adjust these  estimates in future  periods which may result  in a
change in the effective tax rate in a future year.

We  are subject to certain compliance  requirements  for non-income  taxes, including  payroll, value-

added and sales-based taxes. Where  appropriate, we  have made accruals for  these  matters, which are
reflected in our consolidated financial statements.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and intangible assets acquired  in a  business combination  and  determined  to  have an

indefinite useful life are not amortized, but instead tested for impairment at least annually on
October 1 of each fiscal year or more frequently  if  events occur or circumstances exist that indicate
that the fair value of a reporting unit  may  be  below  its  carrying value. Goodwill has been allocated  to
the Company’s reporting units, for the purposes of preparing our impairment analyses,  based on  a
specific  identification basis.

Advertising Costs

We  expense the cost of advertising and promoting our products as incurred. The majority of  our
advertising costs are related to search  engine  marketing  and  other online  advertising  and, to a  lesser
extent, tradeshow participation, print, advertising, affiliate  marketing  and  general branding  and market
awareness efforts.

Recent  Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial  Statements  included  in Part II, Item  8 of this

Annual Report on Form 10-K for a full description  of recent  accounting pronouncements, which  is
incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative  Disclosures About Market Risk.

We  are exposed to market risks in the ordinary  course of our business,  including risks related to

interest rate fluctuation, foreign currency  exchange rate fluctuation and inflation.

Interest Rate Fluctuation Risk

Our investments include cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. Our  cash and cash
equivalents consist of cash and money market accounts. Short-term investments  consist of commercial
paper. The primary objective of our investment  activities is  to  preserve  principal while maximizing
income without significantly increasing  risk. Because our  cash, cash equivalents and  short-term
investments have a maximum term of  ninety days, our  portfolio’s  fair value is  not  particularly sensitive
to interest rate changes. We do not enter into investments for  speculative purposes.  We determined
that the nominal difference in basis points for investing our cash,  cash equivalents and short-term
investments in longer-term investments did not warrant a change in our investment  strategy. In future
periods, we will continue to evaluate our  investment policy in order  to  ensure that we continue to meet
our  overall objectives.

We  do not have any long-term borrowings as of December 31, 2013.

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Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

Revenues derived from customers residing outside North America as a percentage of  total  revenue
was approximately 65% in 2013, 2012  and 2011. Our sales to international customers are denominated
in multiple currencies, including but not limited to the U.S.  Dollar, the Euro, the  British Pound and  the
Yen. Revenue denominated in foreign currencies as a percentage of total revenue was approximately
35% in each of 2013, 2012 and 2011.  We  have foreign currency  risks related to foreign-currency
denominated revenues. All amounts owed  and paid to our  foreign contributors are denominated  and
paid in U.S. Dollars. Accordingly, changes in exchange rates,  and in particular a  strengthening of  the
U.S. Dollars, will negatively affect our  revenue and other  operating results  as expressed in U.S. Dollars.
Based on our 2013 foreign currency denominated  revenue, a 10% change in  the exchange  rate of  the
U.S. Dollar against all foreign currency denominated revenues would result  in an approximately 3%
impact on our revenue.

During  the year ended December 31,  2013,  the Company established foreign subsidiaries in various

countries around the world and as a result the financial statements  of  its  newly created foreign
subsidiaries are recorded in the applicable  foreign currencies  (functional currencies). Financial
information is translated from the applicable functional  currency to the U.S.  Dollar (the  reporting
currency) for inclusion in the Company’s  consolidated financial statements. Income,  expenses and cash
flows are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during the fiscal period, and assets and
liabilities are translated at fiscal period-end exchange rates. Resulting translation adjustments are
included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity.
During  the years ended December 31, 2012  and  2011, the Company had determined that the U.S.
Dollar was its functional currency worldwide  and therefore did not have any foreign currency
translation adjustment. During the years ended December 31,  2013, 2012  and 2011, the Company’s
foreign currency transaction activity was immaterial  to  the financial statements.

Inflation Risk

We  do not believe that inflation has  had a material  effect on  our business, financial condition or
results of operations. If our costs were  to  become subject to significant inflationary pressures, we may
not be able to fully offset such higher  costs  through price increases. Our  inability  or failure to do so
could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

The information required by this item is  incorporated by reference  to  the consolidated financial

statements  and  accompanying  notes  set  forth  on  pages  F-1  through  F-37  of  this  Annual  Report  on
Form 10-K.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive  Officer and our Chief Financial
Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of  our disclosure controls  and procedures as of December  31, 2013.
The term ‘‘disclosure controls and procedures,’’ as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)  under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the ‘‘Exchange Act’’), means controls and other
procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a
company in the reports that it files or  submits under the  Exchange Act is  recorded, processed,

72

summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in  the SEC’s rules and forms.  Disclosure
controls and procedures include, without  limitation, controls  and  procedures designed to ensure  that
information required to be disclosed  by  a  company in  the reports that  it files  or submits under  the
Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the  company’s management,  including its principal
executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions  regarding required
disclosure. Management recognizes that  any controls  and procedures, no matter  how well designed and
operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their  objectives and  management
necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the  cost-benefit  relationship  of  possible  controls and
procedures. Based on the evaluation of our disclosure  controls and procedures  as of December 31,
2013, our Chief Executive Officer and  Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as  of such date, our
disclosure controls and procedures were  effective at  the reasonable  assurance level.

Management’s Report on Internal Control  Over  Financial Reporting and Attestation Report of the Registered
Public Accounting Firm

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal  control over

financial reporting to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting
and the preparation of financial statements for  external purposes in  accordance with generally  accepted
accounting principles.

Management assessed our internal control  over financial reporting  as of December 31, 2013.
Management based its assessment on  criteria established  in Internal Control—Integrated Framework
(1992 framework)  issued by the Committee of  Sponsoring Organizations of  the Treadway Commission.

Based on our assessment, management has concluded that our internal  control over financial
reporting was effective as of December 31, 2013.  The  certifications of our  principal executive  officer
and principal financial officer attached as  Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2 to this report include,  in paragraph 4
of such certifications, information concerning our disclosure controls and procedures and internal
controls over financial reporting.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent  registered public accounting firm, has audited the
consolidated financial statements included in  this  Form 10-K. However PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is
not yet required to issue a report on  our internal control over financial reporting.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended
December 31, 2013 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our  internal
control over financial reporting.

Limitations on Controls

Our disclosure controls and procedures  and internal control over  financial reporting are  designed
to provide reasonable assurance of achieving  their objectives  as specified above. Management does  not
expect, however, that our disclosure controls  and procedures or our  internal control over  financial
reporting will prevent or detect all error  and  fraud. Any control  system, no matter how well  designed
and operated, is based upon certain assumptions  and can provide only reasonable, not absolute,
assurance that its objectives will be met. Further, no  evaluation of controls  can provide  absolute
assurance that misstatements due to  error  or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and
instances of fraud, if any, within the  Company have  been detected.

Item 9B. Other Information.

None.

73

Item 10. Directors, Officers and Corporate Governance

PART III

We  have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics  that applies to  all of our directors,

officers and employees, including our principal executive officer and our principal financial and
accounting officer. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics  is available on  our investor relations
website at http://investor.shutterstock.com  in the Corporate Governance section. We will post any
amendments to, or waivers from, a provision of this  Code  of Business Conduct and Ethics by posting
such information on our website, at the address and  location specified above.

The other information required by Item 10 of this Annual Report on Form  10-K will be included

in our Definitive Proxy Statement to  be  filed  with the SEC  in connection  with the solicitation of
proxies for our 2014 Annual Meeting  of  Stockholders  (our ‘‘Proxy  Statement’’), which we expect  to  file
not later than 120 days after the end of  the fiscal  year to which this  report relates, and which  is
incorporated herein by reference.

Item 11. Executive Compensation

The information required by Item 11  of this Annual Report on Form  10-K  will be included in  our

Proxy Statement, which we expect to file  not later than 120 days after  the end  of  the fiscal year to
which  this report relates, and which is  incorporated herein by reference.

Item 12. Security Ownership Of Certain  Beneficial  Owners  And Management And Related

Stockholder Matters

The information required by Item 12  of this Annual Report on Form  10-K  will be included in  our

Proxy Statement, which we expect to file  not later than 120 days after  the end  of  the fiscal year to
which  this report relates, and which is  incorporated herein by reference.

Item 13. Certain Relationships And Related  Transactions, And  Director Independence

The information required by Item 13  of this Annual Report on Form  10-K  will be included in  our

Proxy Statement, which we expect to file  not later than 120 days after  the end  of  the fiscal year to
which  this report relates, and which is  incorporated herein by reference.

Item 14. Principle Accountant Fees And Services

The information required by Item 14  of this Annual Report on Form  10-K  will be included in  our

Proxy Statement, which we expect to file  not later than 120 days after  the end  of  the fiscal year to
which  this report relates, and which is  incorporated herein by reference.

74

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement  Schedules.

PART IV

(a) The following documents are included as part  of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

(1) Financial Statements

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting  Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-3
Consolidated Statements of Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-4
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-5
Consolidated  Statements  of  Stockholders’  Equity/Members’  Deficit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-6
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-7
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-8

(2) Exhibits

See the Exhibit Index immediately following the signature page of this  Annual Report on

Form 10-K.

F-1

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders  of
Shutterstock, Inc.:

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated balance sheets  and the related  consolidated
statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity/members’  deficit and cash  flows
present  fairly, in all material respects,  the  financial  position  of Shutterstock, Inc. and its  subsidiaries  at
December 31, 2013 and 2012, and the results of their operations  and their  cash flows for each of the
three years in the period ended December  31, 2013 in  conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America. These  financial statements  are the  responsibility of the
Company’s management. Our responsibility  is to express  an opinion on these financial statements based
on our audits. We conducted our audits  of these  statements in accordance with the standards  of  the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  Those  standards require  that  we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable  assurance about whether the  financial statements  are free
of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a  test basis, evidence supporting the
amounts and disclosures in the financial  statements,  assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We  believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis  for  our opinion.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

New York, New York
February 28, 2014

F-2

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In Thousands, Except Par Value Amount)

December 31,

2013

2012

ASSETS
Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Short-term investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Credit  card receivables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accounts receivable, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prepaid expenses and other current assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred tax assets, net

Total current assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Property and equipment, net
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Intangible assets, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Goodwill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred tax assets, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$155,355
54,429
2,083
6,081
19,809
5,431

243,188
20,256
853
1,423
10,720
2,048

$102,096
—
1,373
1,738
2,008
18,760

125,975
5,255
1,040
1,423
13,239
182

Total assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$278,488

$147,114

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY/MEMBERS’ DEFICIT
Current liabilities:

Accounts payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accrued expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contributor royalties payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Term loan facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Total current liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other non-current liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Total liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 4,164
23,638
9,180
52,100
—
2,846

91,928
3,961

95,889

$

2,606
15,606
6,984
37,934
6,000
161

69,291
889

70,180

Commitments and contingencies (Note  8)

Stockholders’ equity/members’ deficit:

Common stock, $0.01 par value; 200,000  shares authorized; 35,071  and 33,513

shares outstanding as of December 31,  2013 and  December  31, 2012,
respectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Additional paid-in capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accumulated comprehensive income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Retained earnings/accumulated deficit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

351
127,443
9
54,796

Total stockholders’ equity/members’ deficit

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

182,599

335
48,282
—
28,317

76,934

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity/members’ deficit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$278,488

$147,114

See accompanying notes to consolidated  financial statements

F-3

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In Thousands, Except For Share and  Per Share Data)

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

$

235,515

$

169,616

$

120,271

45,504
31,929
9,777
10,171

97,381

22,890
10

22,900
1,036

21,864

7,144
4,058

Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operating expenses:

Cost of revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sales and marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Product development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General and administrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

90,627
56,738
21,764
23,063

64,676
45,107
16,330
21,651

Total operating expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

192,192

147,764

Income from operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other income (expense), net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Income before income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Provision (benefit) for income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Less:

Preferred interest distributed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preferred interest accretion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Undistributed earnings (loss) to participating shareholder/

members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43,323
52

43,375
16,896

21,852
(47)

21,805
(25,738)

$

26,479

$

47,543

$

9,000
—

—
—

80

(4,086)

(2,692)

Net income available to common shareholders/members . . . .

$

26,399

$

42,629

$

13,354

Net income (loss) per basic share available  to  common

shareholders/members:
Distributed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Undistributed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Net income (loss) per diluted share available to common

shareholders/members:
Distributed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Undistributed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Diluted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$

$

$

$

Weighted average shares outstanding:

— $

0.78

0.78

$

— $

0.77

0.77

$

1.14
0.65

1.79

1.13
0.66

1.79

$

$

$

$

1.03
(0.39)

0.64

1.03
(0.39)

0.64

Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Diluted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33,878,494
34,426,009

23,785,299
23,833,223

20,849,242
20,849,242

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

F-4

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

(In Thousands)

Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Foreign currency translation gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unrealized gain on investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$26,479
3
6

$47,543
—
—

$21,864
—
—

Other comprehensive income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9

—

—

Comprehensive income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$26,488

$47,543

$21,864

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

F-5

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY/MEMBERS’ DEFICIT

(In Thousands, Except Share Data)

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

Common
Membership
Capital

Common Stock

Additional

Shares

Amount Paid-in Capital

Accumulated Other
Comprehensive
Income  (Loss)

Accumulated
Deficit/
Retained  Earnings

Balance at January 1, 2011 . . . .
Common members’ distribution .
Preferred members’ interest

accretion . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Balance at December 31, 2011 . .
Common members’ distribution .
Conversion to corporation . . . .
Equity-based compensation . . . .
Issuance of common stock in
connection with the initial
public offering, net of issuance
costs of $11,085 . . . . . . . . .
Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Balance at December 31, 2012 . .
Equity-based compensation . . . .
Offering costs in connection with
initial public offering . . . . . .

Issuance of common stock in

connection with the secondary
offering, net of issuance costs
of $4,052 . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Issuance of common stock in
connection with employee
stock option exercises . . . . . .

Issuance of common stock in
connection with employee
stock purchase plan . . . . . . .

Tax  benefit from exercise of

employee stock options . . . . .
Foreign currency translation . . .
Unrealized gain (loss) on

investments . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . .

— $ —
—
—

$

$ 5,699
—

—
—

5,699
—
(5,699)
—

—
—

—
—
28,338,281
—

—

5,175,000
—

— 33,513,281
—
—

—

—
—

—
—
283
—

52
—

335
—

—

$—
—

—
—

—
—
—
—

—
—

—

—
—

—
—

—
—
(36,114)
7,558

76,838
—

48,282
6,208

(20)

1,150,000

12

64,936

—

312,807

94,894

—
—

—
—

3

1

—
—

—
—

4,784

1,912

1,341
—

—
—

—
3

6

$ 9

—

—

—

—

—
—

—
—

$(60,002)
(21,431)

(4,058)
21,864

(63,627)
(27,000)
71,401
—

—
47,543

28,317
—

—

—

—

—

—
—

—
26,479

Total

$ (54,303)
(21,431)

(4,058)
21,864

(57,928)
(27,000)
29,871
7,558

76,890
47,543

76,934
6,208

(20)

64,948

4,787

1,913

1,341
3

6
26,479

Balance at December 31, 2013 . .

$ — 35,070,982

$351

$127,443

$ 54,796

$182,599

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

F-6

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In Thousands)

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 26,479

$ 47,543

$ 21,864

Adjustments to  reconcile net income to net cash provided  by operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-cash equity based compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Excess tax benefit from the exercise of stock options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bad debt  reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chargeback and sales refund reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Amortization of deferred financing fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Credit  card  receivables
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accounts receivable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prepaid  expenses and other current and non-current assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Due from related party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accounts payable and other liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contributors royalties payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Income taxes  payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Net cash provided by operating activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES

Capital  expenditures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Purchase  of investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sale and  maturities of investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Acquisition  of intangibles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Security deposit (payment)/receipt

Net cash used in investing activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES

Net proceeds from issuance of common stock in follow-on offering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock in initial  public offering . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Proceeds from exercise of stock options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Excess tax benefit from the exercise of stock options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Proceeds from term loan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Payment of  term loan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Payment of  term loan fee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Payment of  offering fees
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Members’ distributions

3,870
15,848
6,208
(1,341)
519
355
125

(710)
(4,862)
(16,857)
—
10,377
2,196
—
14,166

2,640
(31,300)
10,385
—
326
—
41

(409)
(1,417)
113
168
6,238
1,723
—
9,483

1,520
253
2,122
—
256
40
—

(261)
(553)
(1,211)
(24)
5,735
1,302
(316)
8,820

$ 56,373

$ 45,534

$ 39,547

(14,068)
(115,019)
60,595
—
(1,594)

(3,808)
—
—
(254)
(197)

(3,442)
—
—
—
23

$ (70,086)

$ (4,259)

$ (3,419)

65,895
—
6,700
1,341
—
(6,000)
—
(967)
—

—
81,811
—
—
12,000
(6,000)
(166)
(4,921)
(36,000)

—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
(28,575)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net increase in  cash and cash equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cash and  cash  equivalents—Beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 66,969
3
53,259
102,096

$ 46,724
—
87,999
14,097

$(28,575)
—
7,553
6,544

Cash and  cash  equivalents—Ending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 155,355

$102,096

$ 14,097

Supplemental  Disclosure of Cash Information:
Cash paid for:

Income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 14,194
34
$

$
$

4,845
67

$ 1,225
—

Supplemental  Disclosure of Non-Cash Investing and  Financing Activities:

Capital  expenditures in accounts payable and other liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preferred members’ interest accretion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$
$

4,616

$
— $

— $
—
— $ 4,058

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

F-7

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies

Summary of Operations

Shutterstock, Inc. (the ‘‘Company’’ or ‘‘Shutterstock’’)  operates an industry-leading  global

marketplace for commercial digital imagery. Commercial  digital imagery  consists  of licensed
photographs, illustrations and video clips that companies use in  their visual communications, such as
websites, digital and print marketing materials, corporate communications, books,  publications and
video content. The Company licenses  commercial  digital  imagery to its customers. Contributors upload
their digital imagery to the Company’s  website  in exchange for  a royalty  payment based on customer
download activity. The Company is headquartered in New York City with offices in London, Berlin,
Chicago and San Francisco.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements  reflect the operations  of  the Company and its wholly-owned

subsidiaries. All intercompany balances  and  transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Reorganization

In May 2012, in connection with the  filing of a registration statement for the Company’s initial

public offering (the ‘‘IPO’’), Shutterstock  Images  LLC, a New York limited liability company
(the ‘‘LLC’’) formed Shutterstock, Inc., a Delaware corporation, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of
the LLC. On October 5, 2012, the LLC  reorganized, by  way of a merger of the LLC with and into
Shutterstock, Inc. with Shutterstock, Inc.  surviving in the  merger (the  ‘‘Reorganization’’). In connection
with this  Reorganization, the preferred  and common membership interests in the  LLC, including any
interests that vested upon the Reorganization, were exchanged for  an  aggregate of 28,338,281 shares of
Shutterstock, Inc. common stock.

Initial Public Offering

On October 16, 2012, the Company completed its IPO of  5,175,000  shares  of  common stock,
including 675,000 shares sold as a result  of  the underwriters’ exercise of their overallotment option,  at a
price of $17.00 per share. The IPO resulted in net proceeds  to  the Company of approximately $81,811
after deducting underwriting discounts  and commissions, and before deducting total expenses incurred
in connection with the offering of $4,927.

Follow-On Offering

On September 25, 2013, the Company completed a  follow-on offering of 5,290,000 shares of its

common stock, which included 690,000  shares of  common  stock sold by the Company  and certain
stockholders as a result of the underwriters’ exercise of their  option to purchase additional  shares, at a
price of $60.00 per share. The Company  sold  1,150,000 shares of common stock in  the offering  and the
selling stockholders sold 4,140,000 shares of  common  stock in the offering. The  aggregate  offering price
for shares sold by  the Company in the  offering  resulted in net  proceeds to the  Company of $65,895
after deducting underwriting discounts  and commissions, and before deducting total expenses incurred
in connection with the offering of approximately $947.

F-8

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the consolidated  financial statements in conformity with accounting principles

generally accepted in the United States of  America requires  the  Company’s management to make  a
number of estimates and assumptions  relating  to  the reported amounts of assets and  liabilities,  the
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at  the date of the consolidated financial statements, and
the reported amounts of revenue and  expenses  during the period. The Company evaluates its
significant estimates on an ongoing basis,  including, but not limited to allowance  for doubtful  accounts,
sales refund reserve, goodwill, intangible  assets, non-cash  equity based  compensation,  income  tax
provisions and for certain non-income tax  accruals. The  Company bases its estimates  on historical
experience and on various other assumptions  that it believes  to  be  reasonable, the results of which  form
the basis for making judgments about carrying values  of assets and liabilities that are  not  readily
apparent from other sources. Actual  results could differ from those estimates.

Sales, Value-Added and Use Taxes

Amounts charged to customers or paid  on behalf  of  customers related to sales taxes, value-added

taxes and other usage taxes are classified  net of revenue. Where appropriate, the Company has accrued
for these matters, which are reflected in  the Company’s consolidated financial statements. These
accruals are subject to statute of limitations requirements and review by governmental authorities.

Concentration of Credit and Contributor Risk

At certain times, the Company’s cash  balances  with any one financial institution may exceed
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation  insurance limits. The  Company believes it mitigates its risk by
depositing its cash balances with financial institutions of high quality.

The Company’s customers and contributors are located  worldwide. The majority of  the Company’s
customers purchase products by making electronic payments  at the time of a transaction.  The Company
performs ongoing financial condition evaluations for its existing  customers and performs credit
evaluations for certain new customers.  Concentration of credit  risk is limited  due  to  the Company’s
large number of diversified customers. No single customer accounted  for or  exceeded 10% of revenue
for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 or 2011,  respectively.  As of December 31, 2013  and 2012,
no single customer accounted for or exceeded 10%  of  credit card receivables. As of  December 31,
2013, no single customer accounted for or  exceeded 10%  of accounts  receivable,  and as of
December 31, 2012, two customers accounted for 33% of accounts receivable. The customers that
accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s accounts  receivable balance as of  December 31,  2012,
accounted for less  than 2% of total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2013 and  2012,
respectively.

No single contributor accounted for  or exceeded 10% of contributor royalties for  the years ended

December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company records its financial assets and liabilities  at fair value.  The accounting standard  for

fair value provides a framework for measuring fair value,  and defines fair value as the  price that would

F-9

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an  orderly transaction between market
participants at the reporting date. The  accounting standard establishes a  three-tier hierarchy as follows:
Level 1—quoted prices (unadjusted) in  active markets for identical assets or  liabilities; Level  2—inputs
other than quoted prices included within  Level  1 that are either directly or indirectly  observable; and
Level 3—unobservable inputs in which little or no market activity exists, therefore requiring an entity to
develop its own assumptions about the  assumptions that market  participants would use in pricing.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid securities  with original maturities of three months or less

when acquired to be cash equivalents.  Cash  primarily  consists of balances  in checking, savings and
money market accounts, which are recorded at cost  and approximate fair value and are considered a
Level 1 measurement based on bank  reporting.

Short-Term Investments

Short-term investments consist of commercial paper and are classified as available-for-sale

securities. As these securities mature  in  90 days or  less and are available to support current  operations,
the Company has classified all available-for-sale securities as short-term. Available-for-sale securities
are carried at fair value with unrealized gains  and losses reported  as a  component  of  accumulated  other
comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity and in the  consolidated  statement  of
comprehensive income, while realized gains and losses, and other-than-temporary impairments, if any,
are reported as a component of net income. For the  periods presented, realized and unrealized gains
and losses on investments were not material.  An impairment  charge, if  any, is  recorded in the
consolidated statements of operations for  declines in fair value below  the cost of  an individual
investment that are deemed to be other than  temporary. The Company  assesses whether a  decline in
value is temporary based on the length  of  time that  the fair  market  value has  been below cost, the
severity of the decline, as well as the intent and ability  to  hold, or plans to sell,  the investment. We did
not identify any of our short-term investments as other-than-temporarily impaired as  of December  31,
2013. The Company had no short-term  investments as of December 31, 2012.

Restricted Cash

The Company’s restricted cash relates to security deposits  for leased office locations. As of
December 31, 2013, the Company had  $243 of restricted  cash recorded  in prepaid expenses  and other
current assets that related to a leased office location that  expires in  2014 and  had $2,017 of restricted
cash recorded in other assets that related  to  leased office locations  that expire in 2015 and  2024,
respectively. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had $243  of restricted cash recorded in  prepaid
expenses and other current assets that related to a leased office  location that was scheduled  to  expire
in 2013 but was then extended through  January  2014 and had $182 of restricted cash recorded in other
assets that related to a leased office location that expires  in 2015. The  carrying value  of restricted cash
approximates fair value.

F-10

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

Credit Card Receivables

The Company’s credit card receivables represent amounts  due from third  party credit  card
processors. Such amounts generally convert to cash  within three to five days with little or no  default
risk.

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for  Doubtful Accounts

The Company’s accounts receivable are  customer obligations due under normal  trade terms,

carried at their face value less an allowance for doubtful accounts if required. The Company
determines its allowance for doubtful accounts  based on the evaluation  of  the aging of its accounts
receivable and on a customer-by-customer  analysis of its high-risk customers. The Company’s  reserve
contemplates its historical loss rate on  receivables,  specific  customer situations and the economic
environments in which the Company  operates. The  following  table presents the changes in  the
allowance for doubtful accounts (in thousands):

Allowance for doubtful accounts:

Balance, beginning of period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Add: bad debt expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Less: write-offs, net of recoveries and other adjustments . . .

$ 249
519
(143)

$ —
$ 256
326
256
(333) —

Balance, end of period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 625

$ 249

$256

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

Deferred Financing Fees

The Company deferred and amortized certain  financing costs related to its term loan facility.
These costs were deferred and amortized over the term of the debt period. As  of  December 31, 2013
and December 31, 2012, the deferred financing fees balance was $0  and $125, respectively, which is
included in prepaid and other current  assets. Amortization of deferred financing costs  amounted  to
$125 and $41 for the years ended December 31,  2013 and 2012. There was no amortization  expense of
deferred financing costs for the year  ended  December 31,  2011.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at  cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization.

Depreciation and amortization is calculated  using  the straight-line method over  the estimated useful
lives of the related assets. The useful lives  are as follows:

Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Furniture and fixtures . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Leasehold improvements . . . . . . . . . . . .

3  years
7 years
3  years
Shorter of expected useful life or lease
term

F-11

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

Capitalized Internal Use Software

The Company accounts for the cost of  computer software developed or  obtained for internal use
of its application by capitalizing qualifying costs,  which are incurred during  the application development
stage, and amortizing them over the software’s estimated useful life.  Costs incurred  in the preliminary
and post-implementation stages of the  Company’s products are expensed as  incurred. The amounts
capitalized include external direct costs  of services  used  in developing internal-use  software and  payroll
and payroll-related costs of employees directly associated  with the  development activities. The
Company amortizes capitalized software  over the expected period of benefit, which  is currently three
years, beginning when the software is  ready for its  intended use. For  the  years  ended December 31,
2013, 2012 and 2011, the Company had  gross  capitalized costs  of $768, $605 and  $459, respectively,
which  is included in property and equipment and  amortization expense of $194, $154  and $41,
respectively, which is included in general and administrative expense. The  Company’s policy is  to
amortize such capitalized costs using  the  straight-line method over  the estimated useful life.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, inclusive of definite useful  life intangible assets, are reviewed for impairment
whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that  the  carrying value of an asset may not be
recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be  held and used is measured  by a comparison of the carrying
value of an asset to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset.  If
the carrying value of an asset exceeds its  estimated  future cash flows, an  impairment charge  is
recognized in the amount by which the  carrying  value of the asset exceeds the fair value  of  the asset.
Assets  to be disposed of would be separately presented  in the balance sheet and reported at the lower
of the carrying value or the fair value less  costs  to  sell, and are no longer depreciated.  The assets and
liabilities of a disposed group classified as held for sale would be presented separately in the
appropriate asset and liability sections of  the balance sheet. There were no impairment charges in  2013,
2012 or 2011.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and intangible assets acquired  in a  business combination  and  determined  to  have an

indefinite useful life are not amortized, but instead tested for impairment at least annually on
October 1 of each fiscal year or more frequently  if  events occur or circumstances exist that indicate
that the fair value of a reporting unit  may  be  below  its  carrying value. Goodwill has been allocated  to
the Company’s reporting units, for the purposes of preparing our impairment analyses,  based on  a
specific  identification basis.

Revenue Recognition

All revenue, net of chargebacks and  refunds, is  generated from the license of digital content
through subscription or usage based plans. The  Company’s three primary  plans are: subscription  plans,
On Demand plans, and credit pack plans.  The Company recognizes revenue  when all of the  following
basic criteria are met: there is persuasive  evidence of an arrangement, performance or  delivery of
services has occurred, the sales price is fixed or  determinable, and collectability is  reasonably  assured.
The Company considers persuasive evidence of an  arrangement to be an  electronic order  form, or a

F-12

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

signed contract, which contains the fixed  pricing terms. Performance  or  delivery is  considered to have
occurred upon the ratable passage of time for  subscription plans, the download of  digital  content or the
expiration of a contract period for which there are  unused downloads  or credits. Collectability is
reasonably assured since most of the Company’s customers purchase products by making electronic
payments at the time of a transaction with  a credit card. The  Company establishes a chargeback
allowance and sales refund reserve allowance based  on factors surrounding  historical  credit card
chargeback trends, historical sales refund  trends and other information. As of December 31, 2013  and
2012, the Company has recorded a chargeback  allowance  and sales refund  allowance of $425 and  $70,
respectively, which is included in other  liabilities. Collectability is assessed for customers who pay on
credit based on a credit evaluation for new  customers, when necessary,  and  transaction history with
existing customers. Any cash received in  advance of revenue recognition is  recorded as deferred
revenue.

Subscription plans range in length from  thirty days to one year. Subscription plan  revenues are
recognized on a straight-line basis using  a daily convention method over the plan term. On  Demand
plans are typically for a one-year term and  permit  the customer to download up to a  fixed  amount  of
digital content. On Demand revenues are recognized at the time the customer downloads  the digital
content on a per unit basis. Revenue related to unused digital content,  if  any, is recognized  in full at
the end of the plan term assuming no  further Company obligation remains.  Credit pack plans are
generally for a one-year term and enable the customer  to  purchase a fixed number of credits which can
then be utilized to pay for downloaded digital content. The  number of credits utilized for each
download  depends  on  the  digital  content  size  and  format.  Credit  pack  revenue  is  recognized  based  on
customer usage on a per credit basis  as digital content  is downloaded. Revenue related to unused
credits, if any, is recognized in full at the  end  of  the plan  term assuming no further  Company
obligation remains. Most plans automatically  renew at the end of the plan  term unless  the customer
elects not to renew. The Company recognizes revenue from its  three types of plans on  a gross basis in
accordance with the authoritative guidance on  principal-agent considerations as the Company is the
primary obligor in the arrangement, has  control in establishing  the product’s  price, performs a detailed
review of the digital content before accepting it to its  collection to ensure it  is of high  quality before it
may be purchased by the customers, can  reject contributor’s images in  its  sole  discretion, and  has credit
risk.

Customers typically pay in advance (or upon commencement  of  the term) via credit  card, wire  or

check. Fees paid or invoiced in advance are deferred and recognized as described  above. Customers
that do not pay in advance are invoiced  and  are required  to make  payment under standard credit
terms. The Company does not generally  offer refunds or the  right of return to customers. There  are
situations in which a customer may receive  a refund but the determination is made on a case-by-case
basis.

F-13

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

The Company also licenses digital content to customers  through third party resellers. The

Company contracts with third party resellers around the world  to  access  markets  where the  Company
does not have a significant presence.  Third party resellers sell the Company’s products  directly to
end-user customers and remit a fixed amount to the Company based on  the type of plan sold. The
terms of the reseller program indicate that  the third  party reseller is the  primary  obligor to the
end-user customer and bears the risks and rewards as  principal  in the transaction.  In  assessing whether
the Company’s revenue should be reported on  a gross or  net basis with respect  to  our reseller program,
the Company follows the authoritative guidance in ASC  605-45,  ‘‘Principle Agent Considerations.’’  The
Company recognizes revenue net of reseller commission in accordance  with the  type of plan  sold,
consistent with the plan descriptions above. The Company generally  does  not  offer refunds  or the right
of return to resellers.

Cost of Revenue

The Company’s cost of revenue includes contributor royalties,  credit card processing fees, image
and video reviewer expenses, hosting and bandwidth expenses, non-cash  equity-based compensation,
amortization of content intangible assets,  and  depreciation  of  network equipment, which are the direct
costs related to providing content to customers. Additionally, the  Company includes  an allocation of
overhead costs primarily related to payroll, insurance,  and  facilities expenses based  on headcount.

Contributor Royalties and Internal Sales Commissions

Contributor royalties are generally paid weekly or monthly.  The  Company expenses contributor

royalties in the period during which a customer download  occurs and includes  the corresponding
contributor royalties in cost of revenue.  The Company  advances certain contributor royalties which are
initially deferred and recognized based  on  the contractual royalty rate  or  when the  Company
determines future recovery is not probable. For the year ended  December 31,  2013, the Company
deferred $3,419 in royalty advances which  is included in  prepaid expenses and other current assets. The
Company amortized $510 in royalty advance expense which is included in  cost of revenue. The
Company did not defer any royalty advances and therefore did  not amortize  any royalty advance
expense for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.

Internal sales commissions are generally paid in the  month following collection or  invoicing of the

commissioned receivable. Internal sales commission  expense is  included in  sales and marketing expense.
Internal sales commissions are deferred  and recognized  over the expected future  revenue stream  which
is generally up to twelve months. For the  years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, the  Company
deferred $2,005, $2,023 and $651, respectively,  in internal sales commissions which  is included in
prepaid expenses and other current assets  and amortized  $2,086,  $1,649 and $597, respectively, in
internal sales commission expense which is included in sales and  marketing expense.

Product Development

The Company expenses product development  costs as  incurred, except for costs that are capitalized

for certain software development projects  that have demonstrated technological  feasibility. Product
development costs are primarily comprised of  development personnel  salaries, equipment costs as well
as allocated occupancy costs and related  overhead. For the years ended  December 31,  2013, 2012 and

F-14

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

2011, the Company capitalized $163,  $146  and $25, respectively, which  is  included in total capitalized
software costs included in property and  equipment.

Advertising Costs

The Company expenses the cost of advertising and promoting its products as incurred. Such costs

totaled $34,090, $32,648 and $25,176  for the  years  ended December 31, 2013,  2012 and  2011,
respectively, which are included in sales and marketing expense.

Deferred Rent

The Company records rent expense on a straight-line basis over the term  of the related  lease. The
difference between the rent expense  recognized and the actual payments made in accordance with the
lease agreement is recognized as a deferred rent liability on the  Company’s balance sheet. As of
December 31, 2013, the Company had  recorded a deferred rent balance of $4,783, of  which $2,406 is
included in other liabilities and $2,377  is  included in  other  non-current liabilities.  As of December 31,
2012, the Company has recorded a deferred rent balance of and  $122, of which $68 is included in other
liabilities and $54 is included in other non-current liabilities.

Equity-Based Compensation

Between June 7, 2007 and October 5, 2012, the  Company was organized as  a limited liability
company. Beginning in 2011, the Company granted  equity rights similar  to options under its Value
Appreciation Rights Plan (‘‘VAR Plan’’) in the  form of value appreciation rights (the  ‘‘VAR  Plan
awards’’). Each VAR Plan award had an  exercise price,  a vesting period and an  expiration date, in
addition to other terms and conditions  similar to typical equity  option grant terms and conditions. The
VAR Plan awards were subject to a time-based vesting requirement and a condition that a change  of
control occur in order to trigger a payment with respect to the  VAR Plan awards. In connection  with
the Reorganization, all of the VAR Plan  awards were exchanged for options to purchase an aggregate
of 1,661,719 shares of common stock  of  Shutterstock, Inc. with only a time-based  vesting  requirement,
which  were granted pursuant to the Company’s 2012  Omnibus  Equity Incentive Plan (the ‘‘2012 Plan’’).

The Company measures and recognizes  non-cash equity-based  compensation expense for all equity-

based payment awards made to employees based on estimated fair values. The  value portion  of the
award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense over the requisite  service  period. For
awards with a change of control condition,  an evaluation is  made  at the  grant date and future periods
as to the likelihood of the condition being met. Compensation expense is adjusted in future periods for
subsequent changes in the expected outcome  of the change of control  conditions until the  vesting  date.
Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant  and  revised, if  necessary, in subsequent periods if actual
forfeitures differ from those estimates.

The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the fair value  of  stock
options and other equity-based awards granted pursuant to the 2012 Plan, stock purchased pursuant  to
the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (‘‘2012  ESPP’’)  and the  VAR  Plan  awards, which are  discussed
further in Note 10, Equity-Based Compensation.

F-15

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

The determination of the grant date  fair  value using  an option-pricing model requires judgment

and as well as assumptions regarding a number of other complex and subjective variables.  These
variables include the Company’s fair value of the common  ownership interest  pre-IPO,  the Company’s
closing market price at the grant date post-IPO, the  expected unit  price volatility over the  expected
term of the awards, awards’ exercise  and  cancellation  behaviors, risk-free interest rates, and  expected
dividends, which are estimated as follows:

(cid:127) Fair Value of Common Stock/Membership Unit. Prior to completion of the IPO, the Company’s

fair value of common ownership interest  was  estimated  internally and approved by the Board of
Managers (‘‘BOM’’) because the Company was not publicly traded. The Company’s intention
upon granting VAR Plan awards was for  the granted award  to  have exercisable price per unit
that was not less than the per unit fair value  of the Company’s  common equity on the date  of
grant. The valuations of the Company’s common equity unit were  prepared  in accordance with
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Statement on  Standards for Valuation
Services 1: Valuation of a Business, Business Ownership  Interest, Security, or  Intangible Asset. The
assumptions used in the valuation model were based on future  expectations combined  with the
Company’s judgment. In the absence of a public trading market, the Company exercised
significant judgment and considered  numerous objective and  subjective factors to determine the
fair value of the common equity unit as of the date of each VAR Plan award grant.  Some but
not all of these factors included operating  and  financial performance, current business conditions
and projections, the hiring of key personnel, the Company’s history and  introduction  of new
functionality and services, the Company’s  stage of development, the  likelihood of achieving  a
liquidity event for the common ownership interests, any adjustment necessary to recognize  a lack
of marketability for our common ownership interests, the market performance of comparable
publicly traded companies, and U.S. and global  capital market  conditions. The Company also
obtained independent third party valuations  on a  periodic  basis. After October 11, 2012, the date
the Company’s common stock began  trading  on the NYSE, the grant date fair value for stock-
based awards is based on the closing price  of  the Company’s common  stock  on the  NYSE on
the date of grant and fair value for  all other purposes related to stock-based  awards  shall be the
closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NYSE  on the relevant date.

(cid:127) Expected Term. The expected term is estimated using the simplified method allowed under

Securities and Exchange Commission (‘‘SEC’’)  guidance.

(cid:127) Volatility. As the Company does not have a trading  history for  its  common ownership interest

pre-IPO or a significant range of its common  stock post-IPO,  the  expected price  volatility  for the
common ownership interest and common stock was estimated by taking  the average historic
price volatility for industry peers based  on  daily price observations  over a period equivalent to
the expected term of the VAR Plan awards  and  stock options  granted post-IPO. Industry peers
consist of several public companies similar  in size,  stage of life cycle and financial leverage.  The
Company did not rely on implied volatilities of traded  options in the  industry  peers’ common
stock because the volume of activity was relatively  low.  The  Company intends to continue  to
consistently apply this process using the  same  or similar  public companies until  a sufficient
amount of historical information regarding the  volatility of the Company’s  own common stock
becomes available, or unless circumstances change  such  that the  identified companies are  no

F-16

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

longer similar to the Company, in which case,  more suitable companies whose share prices are
publicly available would be utilized in the calculation.

(cid:127) Risk-free Interest Rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the  yields of  U.S. Treasury

securities with maturities similar to the expected  term of each award group.

(cid:127) Dividend Yield. The Company has historically paid cash dividends  or distributions  to  its members.
Following the Reorganization, the Company has not paid cash  distributions to its stockholders
and  it does not intend to do so for the foreseeable  future. As a result, the Company  used  an
expected dividend yield of zero.

If any  of the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model changes significantly, the  fair value for
future awards may differ materially compared with  the awards  granted previously. The awards granted
pursuant to the 2012 Plan, the 2012 ESPP and VAR Plan are  subject to a time-based vesting
requirement. The majority of stock option awards granted under the  2012 Plan vest  over four years.
The 2012 ESPP provides for purchase periods  approximately every  six months  and a  participant must
be employed on the purchase date to  participate. The VAR Plan awards had a condition that a  change
of control (as defined in the VAR Plan) must occur for a payment  to  trigger with  respect to the VAR
Plan awards. In connection with the Company’s Reorganization,  all of the VAR Plan awards were
exchanged for options to purchase shares of common stock of Shutterstock, Inc. As of December 31,
2011, no equity-based compensation expense had  been  recognized with respect to the  VAR  Plan awards
because  the qualifying event had not occurred. As a result of the completion of the  IPO, the  Company
began recording share-based compensation expense using the accelerated attribution method,  net of
forfeitures, based on the grant date fair  value of the VAR Plan awards  that  were exchanged  for options
to purchase shares of common stock  of  Shutterstock, Inc.  as part  of the Company’s Reorganization.

For any equity-based awards that qualified for liability classification pre-IPO, the Company has
elected to use the intrinsic value method to value  the common membership  interest in accordance with
authoritative guidance on stock compensation. See Note 10, Equity-Based Compensation, for further
information.

Income Taxes

The Company filed its income tax returns  as a  limited  liability  company and was taxed  as a ‘‘pass

through’’  partnership for federal and  state income tax purposes  for all periods  prior to its
Reorganization on October 5, 2012. For all periods prior to the  Reorganization,  the Company
recognized no federal and state income taxes,  as the members of the LLC,  and not the  Company itself,
were subject to income tax on their allocated share of the Company’s earnings.  However, the  Company
was subject to taxation on allocable portions of its net income or other taxes based on various
methodologies employed by taxing authorities in  certain localities.  The  Company generally made
monthly dividend distributions to its members under the  terms of the  LLC’s operating agreement,
subject  to the Company’s operating cash  needs.

Effective with the Reorganization, the Company  became a Delaware corporation, and therefore

became  subject to federal and state income tax  expense beginning October 6, 2012. As a result  of  this
tax status change, the Company recorded an  incremental net deferred tax  asset and  a one-time

F-17

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

non-cash tax benefit of approximately  $28,811 in  the fourth  quarter of the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2012.

The Company filed tax returns as a partnership for the  period from  January 1, 2012  through
October 5, 2012 and filed tax returns  as a corporation for the period  from October 6, 2012  through
December 31, 2012 and will continue to do so for all periods and any new tax  jurisdictions thereafter.
Significant management judgment is  required in  projecting  ordinary  income in order  to  determine  the
Company’s estimated effective tax rate.

The Company accounts for unrecognized tax benefits using a more-likely-than-not threshold for
financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken  or expected  to  be  taken in  a
tax return. The Company establishes  reserves for tax-related uncertainties  based on estimates  of
whether, and the extent to which, additional  taxes will be due. The Company records  an income tax
liability, if any, for the difference between the benefit recognized and  measured and  the tax  position
taken or expected to be taken on the Company’s tax returns. To the extent  that  the assessment of  such
tax positions changes, the change in estimate is recorded in the  period in  which the determination is
made. The reserves are adjusted in light  of changing  facts  and circumstances, such as the  outcome of a
tax audit or lapses in statutes of limitations. Any reserve  for uncertain  tax provisions is  included in the
income tax provision. Penalties and interest,  if any, on uncertain tax positions  are included in income
tax expense.

The Company assessed the realizability of deferred tax assets and determined that based on the
available evidence, including a history  of taxable income and  estimates of future taxable income, it  is
more likely than not that the deferred tax  assets will  be  realized. The  Company will continue  to
evaluate  its ability  to realize deferred  tax  assets on a quarterly basis.  Significant management judgment
is required in determining the provision  for  income  taxes and deferred tax assets  and liabilities. In the
event that actual results differ from these estimates, the Company will  adjust these estimates in future
periods which may result in a change in  the effective tax rate in  a future year.

The Company is subject to certain compliance requirements for non-income  taxes, value-added and

sales-based taxes. Where appropriate, the  Company  has made accruals  for  these  matters, which are
reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Net Income Per Share

Basic net income per share is computed  by  dividing the  net income attributable to common

shareholders/members by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding  during the
period. The Company applies the two-class  method for calculating and presenting  income  per  share.
Under the two-class method, net income is allocated  between shares of common stock and other
participating securities based on their  contractual participating rights  to  share in  the earnings as if  all  of
the earnings for the period have been distributed. Participating securities are defined as securities that
participate in dividends with common  stock according to a pre-determined formula or  a contractual
obligation to share in the income of the  entity.  Any  potential  issuance of common shares, including
those that are contingent and do not participate  in dividends, are excluded  from weighted average
number of common shares outstanding. Undistributed net income (loss) for a given period is
apportioned to participating members based on  the weighted-average number  of  each class  of  securities

F-18

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

outstanding during the applicable period  as a  percentage of  the combined weighted-average number of
these securities outstanding during the  period.  Income available  to  common  shareholders/members  is
computed by deducting dividends paid to preferred members, accretion to redemption value on
preferred members shares, less income allocated  to  participating  securities including unvested shares for
the restricted award holder since these  unvested shares  have participating rights.  See  Note 10,  Equity-
Based Compensation, for further discussion.

Diluted net income per share is computed by dividing the net  income available  to  common

shareholders/members adjusted for any  changes in income  that  would result from the assumed
conversion of the potential common  shares by the  weighted average common shares outstanding and all
potential common shares, if they are dilutive. Diluted net income  available to common  shareholders/
members for the years ended December  31, 2013  and  2012  includes the effect  of  1,787,606 and
1,789,318 shares, respectively, while 193,040 and 106,500 shares, respectively,  were excluded since they
were anti-dilutive. The Company had  no  assumed shares available  to  purchase for the year ended
December 31, 2011.

A reconciliation of assumed exercised shares used in  calculating basic and diluted net income

(loss) share available to common shareholders/members  follows:

Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stock options and employee stock purchase

plan shares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unvested restricted stock awards . . . . . . . . . .

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

33,878,494

23,785,299

20,849,242

508,935
38,580

47,924
—

—
—

Diluted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34,426,009

23,833,223

20,849,242

Segment Reporting

The Company has identified three operating segments. These three operating segments  have been

aggregated into one reportable segment based on  the aggregation criteria within the  authoritative
guidance on segment reporting. The Company  considered the  similarity  of the product sold, the
distribution processes involved, targeted customers and economic characteristics among the  three
operating segments in its aggregation criteria evaluation. The operating segments share operational
support functions such as sales, marketing, public relations, various product development  and
engineering support, in addition to the  general and administrative  functions of human resources, legal,
finance and information technology.

F-19

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

The following represents our geographic  revenue based  on customer location:

North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rest of the world . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 84,754
84,644
66,117

$ 59,963
62,943
46,710

$ 40,536
47,967
31,768

Total revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$235,515

$169,616

$120,271

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

Included in North America is the United  States which comprises 32%, 32%, and 30% of  total
revenue for years ended December 31,  2013, 2012, and 2011, respectively. No other country accounts
for more than 10% of the Company’s revenue  in any period.  All long-lived assets are located in North
America.

Foreign Currency Transactions

During  the year ended December 31,  2013,  the Company established foreign subsidiaries in various

countries around the world and as a result the financial statements  of  its  newly created foreign
subsidiaries are reported in the applicable  foreign currencies  (functional currencies). Financial
information is translated from the applicable functional  currency to the U.S.  Dollar (the  reporting
currency) for inclusion in the Company’s  consolidated financial statements. Income,  expenses and cash
flows are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during the fiscal period, and assets and
liabilities are translated at fiscal period-end exchange rates. Resulting translation adjustments are
included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity.
During  the years ended December 31, 2012  and  2011, the Company had determined that the U.S.
Dollar was its functional currency worldwide  and therefore did not have any foreign currency
translation adjustment. During the years ended December 31,  2013, 2012  and 2011, the Company’s
foreign currency transaction activity was immaterial  to  the financial statements.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) includes certain changes in stockholders’ equity that are excluded

from net income (loss) such as cumulative foreign currency  translation adjustments  and unrealized
gains or losses on marketable securities.  As  of December  31, 2013, accumulated other  comprehensive
income (loss) of $9 was comprised of  foreign  currency  translation  gain in the  amount  of $3 and
unrealized gain on investments in the  amount of  $6. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had  no
accumulated other comprehensive income.

Recently Issued Accounting Standard Updates

In July 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-11, Presentation of Unrecognized Tax Benefit  When a Net

Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar  Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists. This update
provides guidance  on the financial statement presentation of unrecognized  tax benefits when a  net
operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss,  or a tax credit carryforward, exists. The  guidance from
this  update is effective prospectively beginning January 1, 2014. The Company  does not anticipate  that

F-20

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(1) Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on  our financial  condition or results  of
operations.

In March 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-05, Parent’s Accounting for the Cumulative Translation
Adjustment upon Derecognition of Certain  Subsidiaries or  Groups of Assets within  a Foreign Entity or of an
Investment in a Foreign Entity. The objective of ASU 2013-05 is to resolve the diversity in practice
regarding the release into net income  of the cumulative translation adjustment upon derecognition of a
subsidiary or group of assets within a  foreign entity.  The guidance  from this update  is effective
prospectively beginning January 1, 2014. The Company  does  not anticipate that the  adoption  of this
standard will have a material impact on  our financial condition or results of operations.

(2) Short-Term Investments and Fair Value  Measurements

Short-term investments are summarized as follows:

As of December 31, 2013

Amortized Cost

Unrealized Gains

Unrealized
Losses

Estimated Fair Market
Value

Commercial Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Total

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$54,431

$54,431

$—

$—

$(2)

$(2)

$54,429

$54,429

The Company had no short-term investments  as of December  31, 2012.

As of December 31, 2013

Aggregate Fair
Value

Level 1

Level 2

Level  3

Commercial Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$54,429

$54,429

$— $54,429

$— $54,429

$—

$—

The Company’s investments classified as a  level 2 are priced using quoted  market prices for

identical assets which are subject to infrequent transactions. The Company had no  short-term
investments as of December 31, 2012. Cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, restricted  cash,
accounts payable, accrued expenses and  deferred revenue carrying amounts approximate fair value
because of the short maturity of these  instruments. The  Company’s non-financial assets, which include
property and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill,  are not  required to be measured at  fair value
on a recurring basis. However, if certain triggering events occur, or  if an annual impairment  test is
required and the Company is required  to  evaluate  the non-financial asset  for impairment,  a resulting
asset impairment would require that the  non-financial asset be recorded at  the fair value.

(3) Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The Company’s goodwill balance is attributable  to  its Bigstock reporting unit  and is tested  for
impairment at least annually on October  1 or  upon a  triggering event. There have been no changes in
the carrying amount of goodwill through December 31,  2013.

F-21

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(3) Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Continued)

Intangible assets consist of the following as of  December 31,  2013 and  2012:

As of December 31, 2013

Gross
Carrying
Amount

Accumulated
Amortization

Net
Carrying
Amount

Weighted
Average  Life
(Years)

Amortizing intangible assets:

Customer relationships . . . . . . . . . . .
Trade name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contributor content . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Domain name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Patents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 600
400
450
86
193

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$1,729

$(600)
(119)
(127)
(9)
(21)

$(876)

$ —
281
323
77
172

$853

4
14
15
15
17

As of December 31, 2012

Gross
Carrying
Amount

Accumulated
Amortization

Net
Carrying
Amount

Weighted
Average  Life
(Years)

Amortizing intangible assets:

Customer relationships . . . . . . . . . . .
Trade name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contributor content . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-compete agreement . . . . . . . . . .
Domain name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Patents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 600
400
450
100
86
193

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$1,829

$(486)
(91)
(98)
(100)
(3)
(11)

$(789)

$ 114
309
352
—
83
182

$1,040

4
14
15
3
15
17

During  the first quarter of 2012, the  Company acquired  patents for $193, which will be amortized

over sixteen to nineteen years. The patents were put into service in April 2012. During  the third and
fourth quarters of 2012, the Company acquired domain names for $10 and $50, respectively.  These
domain names were put into service in  the same  period as purchased and will be amortized over fifteen
years. Amortization expense related to the intangible assets was $187, $243 and $244 for the years
ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The Company also determined that there was
no indication of impairment for the intangible assets for all periods presented. Estimated amortization
expense for the next five years is: $78  in each  fiscal year 2014 through 2018 and  $463 thereafter.

The Company performed its annual goodwill assessment on October 1,  2013 and concluded that
the fair value of its reporting unit is  more than its carrying amount, and therefore no  adjustment to the
carrying  value of goodwill was necessary. There  were no  impairments of goodwill in any of  the periods
presented in the consolidated financial statements.

F-22

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(4) Property and Equipment

Property and equipment is summarized as  follows:

December 31,

2013

2012

Computer equipment and software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Furniture and fixtures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Leasehold improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$14,108
2,588
10,669

$ 8,971
806
484

Property and equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Less: accumulated depreciation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27,365
(7,109)

10,261
(5,006)

Property and equipment, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$20,256

$ 5,255

Depreciation and amortization expense amounted to $3,683, $2,397 and  $1,276, for  the years
ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Depreciation and amortization expense is
included in cost of revenue and general and administrative expense  based on the nature  of  the asset.

(5) Accrued Expenses

Accrued expenses consisted of the following:

December 31,

2013

2012

Accrued compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Royalty tax withholdings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accrued construction costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Professional fees
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accrued marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other accrued expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 6,379
5,305
4,501
3,994
605
475
2,379

$ 4,246
4,644
—
3,567
469
588
2,092

Total accrued expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$23,638

$15,606

(6) Income Taxes

The Company’s geographical breakdown of its income before  income  taxes is as  follows:

Domestic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Foreign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$43,375
—

$21,805
—

$22,900
—

Income before income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$43,375

$21,805

$22,900

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

F-23

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(6) Income Taxes (Continued)

The following table summarizes the consolidated provision  (benefit) for income taxes:

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

Current:

Federal provision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
State & local provision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Foreign provision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$

949
98
—

$ 4,329
1,233
—

$ —
723
—

Deferred:

Federal (benefit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
State & local provision (benefit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Foreign provision (benefit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14,885
964
—

(29,772) —
253
—

(1,528)
—

Provision (benefit) for income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$16,896

$(25,738) $976

The provision for income taxes differs from statutory income  tax  rate  as follows:

US income tax at federal statutory rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
State and local taxes, net of federal benefit . . . . . . . . . . . .
Foreign rate differential
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Benefit from change in tax status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LLC income not subject to federal and state  tax . . . . . . . . .
Non-deductible—restricted stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-deductible—other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

35.0% 35.0% —%
2.8% 4.0%
2.3%
—%
—% —%
—% (31.4)% —%
—% (131.8)% —%
7.3% —%
1.3%
0.3% 0.5%
0.  4%

Total provision (benefit) for income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . .

39.00% (117.8)% 4.5%

Effective with the Reorganization, the Company  became  a Delaware corporation, and therefore

became subject to federal and state tax  expense beginning October  6, 2012. As a result  of this  tax
status change, the Company recorded an incremental  net deferred tax asset and a one-time non-cash
tax benefit of approximately $28,811.

F-24

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(6) Income Taxes (Continued)

The Company’s tax effects of temporary differences  and tax carryforwards that give rise to

significant portions of the deferred tax assets are presented below:

Year Ended
December 31,

2013

2012

Deferred tax assets:

Intangible amortization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-income tax reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-cash equity-based compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred rent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$13,235
2,376
2,159

14,861
2,576
1,136
— 14,237
6
378

1,784
932

Deferred tax assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20,486

33,194

Deferred tax liabilities:

Depreciation and amortization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(4,335)

(1,195)

Net deferred tax assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$16,151

$31,999

It  is the Company’s practice and intention to indefinitely reinvest the earnings of its foreign
subsidiaries in those operations. As of December 31,  2013, the excess of  the  amount  for financial
reporting over the tax basis of investment  in these  foreign subsidiaries is insignificant and the
unrecognized deferred tax liability is not material.

The following table summarizes changes to the Company’s unrecognized tax benefits  as follows:

Year Ended
December 31,

2013

2012

2011

Balance of unrecognized tax benefits at January 1 . . . . . . . . . .
Gross additions for tax positions for  prior years . . . . . . . . . .
Gross additions for tax positions for  current year . . . . . . . . .
Gross reductions for tax positions of prior years . . . . . . . . .
Gross expirations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gross settlements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 60

$—
$ 805
18 —
8
1,056
60
727
(369) — —
— —
— —

—
—

Balance of unrecognized tax benefits at December 31 . . . . . . .

$1,500

$805

$60

During  the years ended December 31, 2013,  2012 and 2011, the  Company recorded reserves for
uncertain tax benefits in the amount of $1,064, $745  and $60, respectively, a  portion of which  relates to
tax refund claims. To the extent these  unrecognized tax benefits are ultimately recognized,  the
Company’s effective tax rate may be  impacted in future periods in the  amount  of  $1,229. The liability
for unrecognized tax benefits is included in other non-current  liabilities. The Company has no on-going
income tax examinations. The Company is  no longer subject to US federal or state  and local tax
examinations by tax authorities for years before 2009. The Company does not anticipate  significant
changes to its uncertain tax positions through the next fiscal year.

F-25

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(6) Income Taxes (Continued)

The Company recognizes interest expense and tax  penalties related to unrecognized tax  benefits in

income tax expense in the consolidated  statements  of operations.  The Company  accrued interest  and
penalties in the amount of $113 related  to  unrecognized tax benefits for the  year ended December  31,
2013. The Company did not accrue any  interest or  penalties related to unrecognized tax  benefits for the
years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.

The Company filed Form 3115, Application for Change in Method of Accounting, with the Internal

Revenue Service (‘‘IRS’’) during the  third quarter of 2013, to change its tax accounting  method for
revenue from a cash basis to accrual basis for years beginning after  December 31,  2012. As  a result, the
Company will defer revenue on its 2013 and subsequent  tax  returns until performance  or delivery
thereby deferring taxable income. In general, the  Company will eventually pay taxes  with respect  to  the
deferred revenue when the related revenue is  performed or delivered in the future. While the change
did not impact the provision for income  tax, it  resulted in a reclassification of approximately $17,300
between current deferred tax assets and prepaid and  other current  assets in the  third  quarter  period of
2013.

Deferred tax assets relating to employee stock  based compensation deductions were reduced to

reflect exercises of non-qualified stock  option grants. Some  exercises of non-qualified  stock  option
grants resulted in tax deductions in excess  of previously  recorded benefits resulting in a  ‘‘windfall’’.
Although these additional deductions  are  reported on  the corporate tax return and  resulted in a  net
operating loss (‘‘NOL’’), these related tax benefits were not recognized for financial reporting purposes.
These windfalls will not be recognized until the related deductions result  in a  reduction of taxes
payable and cash tax payments. Accordingly, since  the tax  benefit does  not reduce our current taxes
payable, these tax benefits were not reflected in deferred  tax assets  for  financial  reporting purposes as
of December 31, 2013. Such benefits  included in  NOLs but not reflected in deferred tax assets were
approximately $7,800 as of December 31,  2013. These NOLs will expire if  not  used by 2033.

(7) Term Loan Facility

On September 21, 2012, the Company entered into a Loan  and  Security Agreement  that  provided

for a $12,000 term loan facility, which  the Company refers to as the term  loan facility. On
December 24, 2012, the Company paid  down $6,000 of  the term loan  facility.  On March 25,  2013, the
Company paid off the remaining $6,000 of the loan  facility. At December 31,  2013 and December  31,
2012, the Company recorded accrued  interest in the  amount  of  $0 and $3, respectively, which  is
included in accrued expenses.

The Company capitalizes costs directly associated with acquiring third party financing. During the
year ended December 31, 2013, the Company accelerated and recognized $125 as a result of paying off
the term loan facility. As of December  31,  2012, deferred financing costs, net  of accumulated
amortization were $125.

The Company was in compliance with the financial covenants  and other  covenants applicable to it

under the term loan facility prior to paying off the term loan facility  on  March 25, 2013.

F-26

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(8) Commitments and Contingencies

The Company leases facilities under  agreements accounted  for as operating  leases. Rental expense
for operating leases for the years ended December  31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 was approximately $2,997,
$1,799 and $1,113, respectively. Some leases have  defined escalating rent provisions,  which are
expensed over the term of the related lease on  a straight-line basis commencing with the date  of
possession. Any rent allowance or abatement  is netted in this  calculation. All leases  require payment of
real estate tax and operating expense  increases.

On March 21, 2013, the Company entered into an  operating lease  agreement to lease new office

facilities in New York, New York. The  Company  took possession  of the premises during the  third
quarter of 2013, and as a result, the lease  commenced. The  Company also  entered into a letter of
credit in the amount of $1,829 as a security deposit for the  leased facilities. The letter of credit was
collateralized by $1,829 of cash as of  December 31, 2013, and  as such, is  considered to be restricted
cash and is included in other assets on  the consolidated balance sheet.

Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases (with initial or remaining

lease terms in excess of one year) as  of December 31,  2013 are as follows:

Year  Ending December 31

2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2017 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Thereafter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Operating
Leases

$ 1,178
3,974
3,717
3,659
3,659
26,947

Total minimum lease payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$43,134

Capital Expenditures

As of December 31, 2013, the Company had committed to purchase approximately $2,500 of data

server equipment and $3,700 related to completion of its new office facility.

Unconditional Purchase Obligations

As of December 31, 2013, the Company had unconditional purchase obligations in  the amount of

$5,864, which consisted primarily of contracts related to infrastructure  services and  contractual
commitments for software licenses and marketing services.  As of December 31, 2013, the Company’s
unconditional  purchase  obligations  for  the  years  ending  December  31,  2014,  2015  and  2016  are  $3,454,
$1,845 and $565, respectively.

Legal Matters

From time to time, the Company may  become party to litigation  in the ordinary course of business,

including direct claims brought by or against the Company  with respect to intellectual property,
contracts, employment and other matters, as well  as claims brought  against the  Company’s customers
for whom the Company has a contractual  indemnification obligation.  The  Company assesses the

F-27

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(8) Commitments and Contingencies  (Continued)

likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes with respect to these matters and  determines  loss
contingency assessments on a gross basis after  assessing  the probability  of  incurrence  of a loss and
whether a loss is reasonably estimable. In  addition, the  Company considers other relevant  factors that
could impact its ability to reasonably  estimate a  loss. A  determination  of  the amount of reserves
required, if any, for these contingencies  is made after analyzing each  matter. The Company reviews
reserves, if any, at least quarterly and  may change  the amount in the  future due to new developments
or changes in strategy in handling these matters. Although the results of litigation and  threats of
litigation, investigations and claims cannot  be  predicted with certainty, the Company currently believes
that the final outcome of these matters will  not have a  material adverse  effect on its business,
consolidated financial position, results  of  operations, or cash flows. Regardless of  the outcome,
litigation can have an adverse impact  on the Company  because of defense and settlement costs,
diversion of management resources and  other  factors. The Company currently  has no  material  active
litigation matters and, as such, no material reserves related to litigation.

Indemnifications

In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into contractual arrangements  under which

it agrees to provide indemnification of varying scope and terms  to  customers with respect to certain
matters, including, but not limited to,  losses arising out  of  the breach of Company’s intellectual
property warranties for damages to the  customer  directly attributable to the Company’s breach. The
Company is not responsible for any damages, costs, or  losses to the extent such damages,  costs or
losses arise as a result of the modifications made by the customer,  or the context in which  an image is
used. The standard maximum aggregate  obligation and  liability to any one  customer for all claims is
limited to $10. The Company offers certain of its customers  greater levels  of  indemnification, including
unlimited indemnification. As of December 31,  2013 and 2012, the  Company has recorded  no liabilities
related to indemnification obligations in accordance  with the authoritative guidance  for loss
contingencies. Additionally, the Company believes that  it has  the appropriate insurance coverage in
place to adequately cover such indemnification  obligations,  if necessary.

Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements

The Company has entered into employment arrangements  and indemnification agreements with

certain executive officers and with certain employees. The agreements specify various employment-
related matters, including annual compensation,  performance incentive bonuses, and severance benefits
in the event of termination with or without  cause.

(9) Employee Benefit Plans

The Company has a 401(k) defined contribution plan (‘‘401(k)  Plan’’) and provides for annual
discretionary employer matching contributions  not  to  exceed  3%  of  employees’ compensation  per  year.
Matching contributions also are fully  vested and non-forfeitable at all times.

The Company recorded employer matching  contributions of $615,  $412 and $221 for the years

ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

F-28

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(10) Equity-Based Compensation

2012 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan

On October 10, 2012, the Company’s 2012  Plan  became effective. The 2012 Plan  provides for the

grant of incentive stock options to Company  employees, and for the grant of non-statutory stock
options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted  stock units, performance  units and
performance shares to employees, directors and consultants.  The  maximum aggregate number of shares
that may be issued under the 2012 Plan is  6,750,000 shares of common stock. The number of shares
available for issuance under the 2012  Plan  will be increased  annually  commencing  January 1, 2013  by
an amount equal to the lesser of 1,500,000 shares of common stock, 3% of the outstanding  shares of
common stock as of the last day immediately preceding  fiscal year,  or such other  amount  as determined
by the Company’s board of directors.  Any awards issued under the 2012  Plan  that  are forfeited by the
participant, will become available for future grant under  the 2012 Plan. In connection  with the
Company’s reorganization to a corporation, the VAR  Plan awards  were  exchanged for  options to
purchase shares of common stock of  Shutterstock, Inc.  granted pursuant to the Company’s 2012 Plan.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

On October 10, 2012, the Company’s 2012  ESPP became effective. The 2012 ESPP  provides
participating employees with the option  to  purchase  common stock through payroll deductions  of up  to
15% of eligible compensation and a maximum purchase of 1,000 shares during each offering period.
The common stock is purchased at 85%  of the  lower of the  fair market value of common stock  on
(1) the first trading day of the offering period, or (2) the last day of the  offering period. The offering
periods generally start on the first trading day  on or  after June 1 and December 1 of each year;
however, the first such offering period commenced  on October 10, 2012,  the date  the Company’s
Registration Statement was declared  effective. An employee will  not  be  granted rights to purchase
common stock if an employee immediately after  the grant would  own stock possessing 5%  or more of
the total combined voting power or value  of  all classes of the  Company’s capital stock or  holds rights to
purchase stock under all of the Company’s employee  stock  purchase plans  that  would accrue at a  rate
that exceeds $25 worth of stock for each  calendar year. The Company has reserved 2,000,000 shares for
issuance under the 2012 ESPP. The number of shares  available  for issuance  under the  2012 ESPP
provides for an annual increase commencing January 1, 2013  by an  amount  equal to the lesser of
1,000,000 shares of common stock, 3% of the outstanding  shares of our  common  stock as of the  last
day immediately preceding fiscal year,  or such other  amount  as determined by the  Company’s board of
directors. As of December 31, 2013,  94,894 shares  have been  issued under the  2012 ESPP.

The Company estimates the fair value  of  purchase rights under the 2012  ESPP using the Black-
Scholes valuation model. The fair value of each purchase right under the  2012 ESPP was  estimated  on

F-29

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(10) Equity-Based Compensation (Continued)

the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option  valuation  model and the  straight-line attribution
approach with the following weighted-average assumptions:

Expected term (in years) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Volatility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Risk-free interest rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dividend yield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Year Ended
December 31, 2013

0.50
49% - 50%
0.08% - 0.10%
—%

Period from
October 10, 2012
to
December 31, 2012

0.64

49%
0.15%
—%

The Company has recognized a non-cash  stock-based  compensation  expense of $588  and $134, net
of estimated forfeitures, in connection  with  the 2012 ESPP  for  the years ended December 31, 2013  and
2012, respectively. There was no non-cash  stock-based compensation  in connection  with the 2012  ESPP
for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Value Appreciation Rights Plan

Between June 7, 2007 and October 5, 2012, the  Company was organized as  a limited liability
company. Beginning in 2011, the Company granted  equity rights similar  to options under its VAR Plan
in the form of value appreciation rights.  Each VAR Plan award  had an  exercise  price, a vesting period
and an expiration date, in addition to other terms and conditions similar to  typical equity option  grant
terms and conditions. For the convenience of communicating the  issuance  of  VAR  Plan  awards  to
employees, the BOM designated a total of 3,000,000 notional units for  the VAR Plan to represent 10%
of the Company’s overall interest. The  VAR  Plan awards  were  subject to a time-based vesting
requirement and a condition that a change of control occur for a payment to trigger  with respect to the
VAR Plan awards. Payment could occur  in the form  of cash,  units or other  securities at the discretion
of the BOM and are equal to the appreciation  in value over the participant’s grant  date price.  The
determination of the type of payment  was  subject to the discretion of the  Company and not the holder.
Additionally, the Company has never settled any VAR units  with cash.  As a  result, the VAR  units were
accounted for as equity awards. Given  the change-of-control condition, there was no equity-based
compensation charge recorded for the  year ended December 31,  2011. In  connection with  the
Reorganization, all of the VAR Plan awards were exchanged for options to purchase an aggregate of
1,661,719 shares of common stock of  Shutterstock, Inc. with  only a time-based vesting requirement,
which  were granted pursuant to the Company’s 2012  Plan.

F-30

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(10) Equity-Based Compensation (Continued)

The Company’s VAR Plan awards were made in the form  of notional units  and were exchanged
for options to purchase shares of common  stock  of Shutterstock, Inc. upon the Reorganization. The
following is a summary of these awards  and  weighted  average exercise price  per  option/notional unit:

Plan
Options/Units

Weighted Average
Exercise Price

Units outstanding at December 31, 2011 . . . . . . . . . . .
Options/Units granted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Options/Units exercised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Options/Units cancelled or forfeited . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Options outstanding at December 31, 2012 . . . . . . . . .
Options granted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Options exercised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Options cancelled or forfeited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1,344,500
418,000
—
(70,218)

1,692,282
552,850
(312,807)
(70,564)

Options outstanding at December 31,  2013 . . . . . . . . .

1,861,761

Vested and exercisable at December 31, 2013 . . . . . . .

574,204

$15.10
19.38
—
21.15

$16.11
49.97
15.30
22.29

$26.09

$15.97

The intrinsic value of the total stock options  outstanding at December 31,  2013 and 2012 was
approximately $107,100 and $16,700, respectively. The intrinsic value of  the total stock options vested
and exercisable at December 31, 2013  and 2012 was approximately $38,900 and $4,600, respectively. No
stock options expired during the years  ended 2012.

The following weighted average assumptions were used in the fair value  calculation for  the years

ended December 31, 2013 and 2012:

Year Ended
December 31,
2013

Year Ended
December 31,
2012

Expected term (in years) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Volatility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Risk-free interest rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dividend yield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6.3
50%

5.2 - 6.3
49%

1.0% - 2.3% 1.0% - 1.6%

—%

—%

Following the Reorganization, the VAR Plan  awards were exchanged for options to purchase

shares of the Company’s common stock  having the same time-based vesting schedules, which range
from one to six years. The VAR Plan  awards that were granted and  outstanding as of the
Reorganization date were exchanged  for options to purchase an aggregate of 1,661,719 shares of
common stock of Shutterstock, Inc. The Company recognized non-cash equity-based compensation
expense of $4,507, net of forfeitures, in connection with the vesting of stock options during the  year
ended December 31, 2013. As a result  of the  Reorganization,  the Company recognized a non-cash
stock-based compensation expense of $2,412, net of estimated forfeitures, in connection with a one-time
acceleration charge as a result of the removal of the change of control condition during the year  ended
December 31, 2012. Since the Reorganization through  December 31,  2012, the Company  has also

F-31

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(10) Equity-Based Compensation (Continued)

recognized a non-cash stock-based compensation expense of $618,  net of estimated forfeitures, in
connection with the normal service vesting  of stock options.

As of December 31, 2013, the total unrecognized compensation charge related to 2012 Plan
non-vested options is approximately $16,400, which  is expected to be recognized  through fiscal year
2017.

Profits Interest Awards

On November 1, 2007, the Company  entered into a  Profits Interest Grant  and Repurchase

Agreement (a ‘‘Profits Interest Agreement’’) with an employee of  the Company whereby the employee
received a 0.4% membership interest  in  the Company  in consideration of  future services to be rendered
over a forty-eight month period starting  on January  1, 2008. The  Profits Interest Agreement terms
stipulated that the executive would have  no rights to allocations  or  distributions relating  to  the
Company’s operating profits. Only upon  a Liquidation of  the Company, as  defined  in the Company’s
operating agreement, would the executive  be entitled  to  operating profits of the Company.  In
connection with the Reorganization, this  membership interest in the  LLC was  exchanged for  shares of
the Company’s stock, which do not contain a liquidation condition. The award was determined  to  meet
the characteristics  of an equity-based award and was measured  at fair value on the grant  date. Based
on the evaluation of the change of control condition in  effect on  the grant date and  through each
subsequent reporting period as to the probability that the  change of control condition will be achieved,
the Company did not record a compensation charge for this  award during the year ended
December 31, 2011. Upon consummation of  the Reorganization and in  connection with  the removal of
the change of control condition from the Profits Interest Agreement entered  with the Company
employee, the award was considered  vested and  the Company recognized a  non-cash stock-based
compensation expense of $509, which  is  included  in general and administrative expense, during the year
ended December 31, 2012. There is no recognized  compensation charge  during the year ended
December 31, 2013 and no unrecognized  compensation charge at December 31,  2013 related  to  this
award.

Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units Awards

On August 17, 2010, the Company entered into a Profits  Interest Agreement with an executive
whereby the Company issued a membership  interest  in the Company in consideration of  future services
to be rendered. The Profits Interest Agreement terms stipulated that the executive would have  no
rights to allocations or distributions relating to the Company’s operating profits. Only upon  a
Liquidation of the  Company, as defined  in the Company’s operating  agreement, would the  executive be
entitled to operating profits of the Company.  In connection with  the Reorganization, this membership
interest in the LLC was exchanged for restricted  and  unrestricted  shares of the  Company’s stock, which
did not contain a liquidation condition.  The Profits  Interest Agreement  was effective as of April 5, 2010
and entitled the executive to an aggregate  amount  of 4% of  any liquidation of the Company’s in excess
of $300,000. The Profits Interest Grant was to vest over a  six year period. The Profits  Interest
Agreement also contained a put feature  whereby the executive had the option to put back to the
Company up to 10% annually of any vested  portion of the  membership interest at  the fair value on  the
date  the executive would sell the vested  interest back to the Company. Since the  put feature did not

F-32

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(10) Equity-Based Compensation (Continued)

subject the executive to the typical risks  of stock  ownership, the membership  interest was  classified as a
liability and recorded utilizing the intrinsic  method. The Company’s process  for determining the fair
value of the awards included consideration of third party valuation reports and  the fair value
determined served as the basis for calculating the compensation charge. The Company  recorded a
compensation charge of $0, $2,827 and $2,122,  which is  included in general  and administrative expense,
during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011,  respectively. This liability was re-measured
each  reporting period until a Liquidation occurred. Upon  consummation  of the Reorganization, the
vested portion of the profits interest was exchanged  for shares of common  stock  of Shutterstock, Inc.
and the liability in the amount of $5,147  was re-classed to equity. The unvested  portion was exchanged
for shares of restricted stock having the  same  vesting terms  as the  profits interest. The Amended and
Restated Restricted Stock Agreement  entered into by the Company with the executive governs  the
terms of the restricted stock. Pursuant  to  the terms of the  Amended  and  Restated Restricted Stock
Agreement, 50% of the then-outstanding  shares  of restricted stock held by  the executive  vested  and
were released from the Company’s right to acquire such  shares  upon the effectiveness of the
Company’s Registration Statement on  October 10, 2012.  The Company recognized a non-cash stock-
based compensation expense of $3,627, which is included in general and administrative expense, in
connection with a one-time acceleration  charge for the  vesting of 50% of the unvested portion of the
restricted stock award based on the exchange  date fair  value during the year ended December 31, 2012.
The Company recognized non-cash equity-based compensation expense of  $1,036 during the year ended
December 31, 2013 in connection with the normal vesting  of restricted stock. Additionally, the
Company recognized a non-cash stock-based compensation expense of  $258, which  is included in
general and administrative expense, since the Reorganization date  through December  31, 2012 as a
result of the restricted stock’s normal service vesting.

On June 3, 2013, the Company issued  10,000 restricted stock units  pursuant to the 2012  Plan. The
restricted stock units vest 25% on the first anniversary of the  relevant  vesting commencement date and
the remaining 75% vest quarterly over three years thereafter. The restricted  stock  units are  accounted
for as equity awards and expensed based  on the fair value on  the date of  grant over the four  year
vesting period. The Company recognized non-cash equity-based compensation  expense of $77  during
the year ended December 31, 2013 in  connection  with the normal vesting of restricted stock  units.
There was no non-cash equity-based compensation  expense related to restricted stock units during the
years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.

As of December 31, 2013, the total unrecognized compensation charge related to the  restricted
stock/restricted stock units is approximately $2,700, which  is expected to be  recognized through  fiscal
2017.

F-33

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(10) Equity-Based Compensation (Continued)

The following table summarizes non-cash  equity-based compensation  expense included in the

Company’s statement of operations for  the years ended  December 31,  2013, 2012  and 2011:

Year Ended December 31,

2013

2012

2011

Cost of revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sales and marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Product development
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General and administrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$ 437
1,296
1,493
2,982

$

219
783
1,696
7,687

$ —
—
—
2,122

Total

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$6,208

$10,385

$2,122

(11) Members’ Equity and Stockholders’  Equity

Common Members’ Equity

Prior to the Reorganization, common members’ equity  consisted of common membership interests.
Only certain members had voting rights  as designated in the LLC’s Operating Agreement with respect
to any action presented for a vote of  the  Company’s members and only certain members were entitled
to profits interest distributions from  the  Company’s earnings. Common membership  was not
transferable without prior consent from  the Company’s  BOM.

Redeemable Preferred Members’ Equity

On June 6, 2007, prior to the Reorganization, the Company’s then sole shareholder sold  25% of

the common members’ equity to outside investors for an aggregate purchase price of $60,000.  On
February 28, 2008, the outside investors paid  a purchase price adjustment in  the amount of $1,800 to
the selling member as a result of the Company  achieving  an EBITDA Target as defined in  the purchase
agreement. The outside investors had  the same rights and  terms as common members’  equity holders
except for a liquidation preference and  a  put preference. The  put  preference provided the outside
investors with the option to redeem their  investment for cash  with proper  notice  to  the Company on
June 6, 2011 or thereafter. The Company treated this transaction as an equity modification. As a result,
the Company recorded the change in the  fair value of the  25%  interest immediately prior  to  and after
the modification of the equity interest  as  a deemed  dividend  and charged  it against common members’
deficit on the modification date. The Company  accreted the difference between the carrying  value of
the preferred membership interest and  the redemption value  by applying the effective  interest method.
The Company concluded that the preferred interest possessed characteristics and risks  more similar to
equity and classified such instrument outside  of  common members’ equity. Since the preferred
members had the option to redeem their investment for cash with  proper notice to the Company  on
June 6, 2011 or thereafter, the Company  recorded the transaction  outside of common  members’ equity.
The purchase agreement also provided for the reduction of preferred interests  for any distributions

F-34

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(11) Members’ Equity and Stockholders’  Equity (Continued)

paid to the preferred holders. A summary  of the  Company’s preferred  members’  interest  account
activity is as follows:

Balance as of December 31, 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preferred interest accretion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Distributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Balance as of December 31, 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Distributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exchanged(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Balance as of December 31, 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Balance as of December 31, 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Balance

36,811
4,058
(7,144)

33,725
(9,000)
(24,725)

$

$

—

—

(1) Balance exchanged from redeemable preferred  members’  interest to stockholders’ equity

upon consummation of the Reorganization

As of the Reorganization date, the outside investors did not exercise this  put preference, therefore,

the entire redeemable preferred membership interests in  the LLC  were exchanged  for shares of
Shutterstock, Inc. common stock.

Common Stock

In connection with the Reorganization,  the common and  redeemable preferred membership
interests in the LLC, including any interests  that vested upon the Reorganization, were exchanged for
shares of Shutterstock, Inc. common  stock. The  holders  of common stock are  entitled to one vote for
each  share held of record on all matters  submitted to a vote of  the  stockholders.  Subject to preferences
that may be applicable to any outstanding  preferred stock,  holders of common stock are  entitled to
receive ratably such dividends as may  be  declared by  the board  of directors out of  funds  legally
available for that purpose. In the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the  Company, the
holders  of common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining  after payment of
liabilities, subject to the prior distribution  rights of any outstanding preferred  stock.  The common stock
has no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription  rights. The outstanding shares of  common
stock are fully paid and non-assessable. Under the  amended and restated certificate of incorporation,
which  became effective upon completion of  the IPO,  the Company’s certificate of incorporation
authorized 200,000,000 shares of $0.01  par  value common  stock.

Preferred Stock

Under the amended and restated certificate of incorporation, which became effective upon
completion of the IPO, the Company’s  board of  directors has  the authority, without further  action by
the stockholders, to issue up to 5,000,000  shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par  value, in one or more
series. The board of directors also has  the  authority to designate  the  rights, preferences, privileges and
restrictions of each such series, including dividend rights, dividend  rates, conversion rights, voting rights,

F-35

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(11) Members’ Equity and Stockholders’  Equity (Continued)

terms of redemption, redemption prices, liquidation  preferences  and the number  of shares constituting
any series.

The issuance of preferred stock may  have the effect  of  delaying, deferring or preventing  a change
in control of Shutterstock without further action  by the stockholders.  The issuance of preferred stock
with voting and conversion rights may  also adversely affect the voting power of the holders  of common
stock. In certain circumstances, an issuance  of  preferred stock could have  the effect of decreasing the
market price of the common stock. As  of  December  31, 2013, the  Company has not issued  and has  no
plans to issue any shares of preferred  stock.

Distributions to Members

In accordance with the LLC’s Amended and  Restated Limited  Liability Company Agreement,

prior to the Reorganization, cash distributions to the members were based on their respective
percentage interests to the extent cash  was available as determined by  the board.  Distributions were
also limited to the extent that liabilities, excluding any owed to the members, exceeded fair market
value of the LLC ‘s assets. Upon a dissolution event  of  the LLC, any assets were to be distributed 1) to
creditors, including members who are  creditors, by payment or provision for payment of the debt and
liabilities of the LLC and the expenses  of  the liquidation; 2) to the  setup of any reserves that are
reasonably necessary for any contingent or unforeseen liabilities or obligations of the LLC; 3) to the
preferred members until they have received distributions which, when aggregated with all prior
distributions made to them equal their  liquidation  preference; 4) to Pixel Holdings Inc.,  which was
the LLC’s majority member, until such time that it has received  distributions equal to the liquidation
preference paid to the preferred members; 5) 75%  to  the common member with 8.5% membership
interest, and 25% to the preferred members,  until the aggregate  amount of  the distributions made to
the 8.5% membership interest holder equals the  product of $120,000  multiplied  by  their  vested
percentage; and 6) to the members in proportion to their percentage  interests. For  the years ended
December 31, 2012 and 2011, the LLC  distributed $36,000 and  $28,575, respectively,  to  its common  and
preferred members. Upon consummation of  the Reorganization, the  LLC’s  Amended  and Restated
Limited Liability Company Agreement  terminated. There have been  no distributions  made since the
Reorganization on October 5, 2012.

(12) Related Parties

In connection with the follow-on offering in September 2013, Pixel Holdings Inc. (‘‘Pixel

Holdings’’), an entity of which Jonathan Oringer, the Company’s Founder, Chief Executive Officer and
Chairman of the Board, was the sole  stockholder, merged with and into the  Company on
September 18, 2013. In this merger,  Mr. Oringer received an equivalent number of shares  of common
stock of the Company as the number  that  was previously owned by  Pixel Holdings such that, following
the merger, Mr. Oringer owns his interest in the Company directly  rather than  through Pixel Holdings.
As a result of the merger, the Company assumed $208 in  liabilities  primarily  related to Pixel Holdings’
normal operating activities. The Company paid these liabilities during the  year ended December  31,
2013 and was fully indemnified by Mr.  Oringer, as  provided for in  the merger agreement, as  of
December 31, 2013. The merger agreement also provided for  certain customary representations  and
warranties.

F-36

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

(13) Unaudited Quarterly Financial Data

The following table sets forth, for the periods  indicated, the Company’s financial  information for

the eight most recent quarters ended  December 31, 2013. In  the Company’s opinion, this  unaudited
information has been prepared on a basis  consistent with the annual consolidated financial statements
and includes all adjustments, consisting  only  of  normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair
presentation of the unaudited information  for the periods presented.

Three Months Ended

Dec. 31,
2013

Sept. 30,
2013

June 30,
2013

Mar. 31,
2013

Dec. 31,
2012(1)

Sept. 30,
2012(2)

June 30,
2012(2)

Mar.  31,
2012(2)

68,031 $

59,558 $

56,809 $

51,117 $

49,157 $

42,260 $

40,625 $

37,574

26,102
16,499
6,464
6,473

55,538

12,493
24

12,517

4,660

7,857

—
—

21

22,936
14,947
5,685
6,076

49,644

9,914
20

9,934

3,740

6,194

—
—

18

21,768
13,314
5,060
5,734

45,876

10,933
20

10,953

4,090

6,863

—
—

22

19,821
11,978
4,555
4,780

41,134

9,983
(12)

9,971

4,406

5,565

—
—

19

18,794
12,022
5,675
9,709

46,200

2,957
(49)

2,908

(26,111)

29,019

2,950
—

16,057
9,752
3,795
3,766

33,370

8,890
(3)

8,887

146

8,741

2,263
—

15,436
11,093
3,441
4,444

34,414

6,211
2

6,213

141

6,072

1,688
—

14,389
12,240
3,419
3,732

33,780

3,794
3

3,797

86

3,711

2,100
—

(2,668)

(77)

(170)

(1,172)

7,836 $

6,176 $

6,841 $

5,546 $

28,737 $

6,555 $

4,554 $

2,783

—
0.22

0.22

—
0.22

0.22

—
0.18

0.18

—
0.18

0.18

—
0.20

0.20

—
0.20

0.20

—
0.17

0.17

—
0.16

0.16

0.27
0.61

0.88

0.27
0.61

0.88

0.33
(0.02)

0.31

0.33
(0.02)

0.31

0.24
(0.02)

0.22

0.24
(0.02)

0.22

0.30
(0.17)

0.13

0.30
(0.17)

0.13

Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $
Operating expenses:
Cost of revenue . . . . . . . . . .
Sales & marketing . . . . . . . . .
Product development . . . . . . .
General and administrative . . .

Total operating expenses . . . . .

Income from operations . . . . .
Other income/(expense), net . . .

Income before income taxes . . .
Provision (benefit) for income

tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Net income . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Less:
Preferred interest distributed . .
Preferred interest accretion . . .
Undistributed (loss) earnings to
participating shareholder/
members . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Net income available to
common shareholders/
members . . . . . . . . . . . . . $

Net income(loss) per basic share

available to common
members:

Distributed . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Undistributed . . . . . . . . . . . .

Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Net income (loss) per diluted
share available to common
members:

Distributed . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Undistributed . . . . . . . . . . . .

Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Weighted average shares

outstanding:

Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Diluted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34,935,495
35,619,474

33,692,876
34,280,656

33,471,679
34,040,934

33,398,797
33,851,843

32,497,727
32,681,570

20,849,242
20,849,242

20,849,242
20,849,242

20,849,242
20,849,242

(1) During the fourth quarter of fiscal year  2012, the Company identified an under-accrual in each  of the  prior quarters of  2012 related
to non-income tax expense. As a result, the Company  recorded an incremental charge  of approximately $900 to general  and
administrative expense during the fourth  quarter  of 2012. The  Company does not believe the adjustment is material  to  the fourth
quarter or any previously reported periods.

(2) Certain interim period balances have been  reclassified within total operating expenses to conform  to  current period presentation.

F-37

Pursuant to the requirements of Section  13  or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the

registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its  behalf  by the undersigned,  thereunto duly
authorized.

SIGNATURES

SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

Dated: February 28, 2014

By:

/s/ JONATHAN ORINGER

Jonathan Oringer
Chief Executive Officer and Director

Each  person whose individual signature appears below hereby authorizes and appoints Jonathan
Oringer, Thilo Semmelbauer and Timothy E. Bixby, and each of them, with full power of substitution
and resubstitution and full power to  act  without the other, as his or her true  and lawful attorney-in-fact
and agent to act in his or her name, place and stead and to execute in the  name and  on behalf of  each
person, individually and in each capacity stated below, and  to  file any and all amendments to this
Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to file  the same,  with all  exhibits thereto, and other documents in
connection therewith, with the Securities  and  Exchange Commission, granting  unto said
attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of  them,  full power and authority to do and perform each and
every act and thing, ratifying and confirming all that  said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them or
their or his substitute or substitutes may lawfully  do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange  Act of 1934, this report has been signed

below by the following persons on behalf of  the registrant and in the capacities  indicated.

Signature

Title

Date

/s/ JONATHAN ORINGER

Jonathan Oringer

Chief Executive Officer and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)

February 28, 2014

/s/ THILO SEMMELBAUER

Thilo Semmelbauer

President and Chief Operating Officer

February 28,  2014

/s/ TIMOTHY E. BIXBY

Timothy E. Bixby

Chief Financial Officer (Principal
Financial and Accounting Officer)

February 28, 2014

/s/ STEVEN BERNS

Steven Berns

/s/ JEFF EPSTEIN

Jeff Epstein

/s/ THOMAS R. EVANS

Thomas R. Evans

Director

February 28,  2014

Director

February 28,  2014

Director

February 28,  2014

Signature

Title

Date

/s/ JEFFREY LIEBERMAN

Jeffrey Lieberman

/s/ JONATHAN MILLER

Jonathan Miller

Director

February 28,  2014

Director

February 28,  2014

Exhibit
Number

2.1

2.2

3.1

3.2

4.1

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit Description

Form

File No.

Exhibit

Filing Date

Incorporated by Reference

Agreement and Plan of Merger,
dated as of October 5, 2012,
between the Registrant and
Shutterstock Images LLC.

Agreement and Plan of Merger,
dated as of October 5, 2012,
among the Registrant,
Shutterstock Investors II, Inc.,
Insight Venture Partners
(Cayman) V, L.P., Shutterstock
Investors III, Inc. and Insight
Venture Partners V Coinvestment
Fund, L.P.

Amended and Restated Certificate
of Incorporation of the Registrant,
as currently in effect.

Amended and Restated Bylaws of
the Registrant, as currently in
effect.

Registration Rights Agreement,
dated as of October 5, 2012,
between the Registrant and the
investors listed on  Schedule 1
thereto.

S-1/A 333-181376

2.1 October  5, 2012

S-1/A 333-181376

2.2 October  5, 2012

S-1/A 333-181376

3.2

June 29, 2012

S-1/A 333-181376

3.4

September 27, 2012

S-1/A 333-181376

4.2 October 5, 2012

10.1§ Form of Indemnification
Agreement between the
Registrant and each of its Officers
and Directors.

10.2§

10.3§

2012 Omnibus Equity Incentive
Plan and Form of Award
Agreements.

2012 Employee Stock Purchase
Plan and Form of Subscription
Agreement.

10.4§

Shutterstock, Inc. Short-Term
Incentive Plan.

S-1/A 333-181376

10.1 August  30, 2012

S-1/A 333-181376

10.2

September  27, 2012

S-1/A 333-181376

10.3

June 29, 2012

S-1/A 333-181376

10.7 August 30, 2012

10.5(a)§ Employment Agreement between

S-1/A 333-181376

10.8(a) September 27, 2012

Shutterstock Images LLC and
Jonathan Oringer dated
September 24, 2012.

10.5(b)§ Severance and Change in Control
Agreement between Shutterstock
Images LLC and Jonathan
Oringer dated September 24,
2012.

S-1/A 333-181376

10.8(b) September 27,  2012

Exhibit
Number

Exhibit Description

Form

File No.

Exhibit

Filing Date

Incorporated by Reference

10.6(a)§ Employment Agreement between

S-1/A 333-181376

10.9(a) September 27, 2012

Shutterstock Images LLC and
Thilo Semmelbauer dated
March 21, 2010.

10.6(b)§ Severance and Change in Control
Agreement between Shutterstock
Images LLC and Thilo
Semmelbauer dated
September 24, 2012.

S-1/A 333-181376

10.9(b) September 27,  2012

10.6(c)§ Amended and Restated Restricted

10-Q/A

001-35669

10.6(c) December 19, 2012

Stock Agreement between the
Registrant and Thilo
Semmelbauer effective as of
October 5, 2012.

10.7(a)§ Employment Agreement between

S-1/A 333-181376

10.10(a) September 27, 2012

Shutterstock Images LLC and
Timothy E. Bixby dated May 16,
2011.

10.7(b)§ Severance and Change in Control
Agreement between Shutterstock
Images LLC and Timothy E.
Bixby dated September 24, 2012.

S-1/A 333-181376

10.10(b) September 27,  2012

10.8(a)§ Employment Agreement between

S-1/A 333-181376

10.11(a) September 27, 2012

Shutterstock Images LLC and
James Chou dated September 24,
2012.

10.8(b)§ Severance and Change in Control
Agreement between Shutterstock
Images LLC and James Chou
dated September 24, 2012.

S-1/A 333-181376

10.11(b) September 27,  2012

10.9

21.1

23.1

24.1

Lease Agreement, between
Shutterstock, Inc. and Empire
State Building Company LLC,
dated March 21, 2013.

10-Q

001-35669

10.1 May 10,  2013

List of Subsidiaries.

S-1/A 333-181376

21.1 August 30,  2012

Consent of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP,
Independent Registered Public
Accounting Firm.

Power of Attorney (included  on
signature page of this Annual
Report on Form 10-K).

Exhibit
Number

31.1

31.2

Exhibit Description

Form

File No.

Exhibit

Filing Date

Incorporated by Reference

Certification of Chief Executive
Officer pursuant to Exchange Act
Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a), as
adopted pursuant to Section 302
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.

Certification of Chief Financial
Officer pursuant to Exchange Act
Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a), as
adopted pursuant to Section 302
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.

32.1# Certifications of Chief Executive

Officer and Chief Financial
Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C.
Section 1350, as adopted pursuant
to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-
Oxley Act of 2002.

99.1

Consent of L.E.K.
Consulting LLC.

101.INS* XBRL Instance Document.

101.SCH* XBRL Taxonomy Extension

Schema Document.

101.CAL* XBRL Taxonomy Extension

Calculation Linkbase Document.

101.DEF* XBRL Taxonomy Extension

Definition Linkbase Document.

101.LAB* XBRL Taxonomy Extension  Label
Linkbase Document.

101.PRE* XBRL Taxonomy Extension

Presentation Linkbase Document.

* XBRL information is furnished  and  not  filed for purposes of Sections 11  and 12 of the Securities
Act of 1933 and Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act  of 1934, and  is not subject to liability
under those sections, is not part of any registration  statement  or prospectus to which it  relates and
is not incorporated or deemed to be incorporated  by reference into any registration statement,
prospectus or other document.

§ Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

# These certifications are not deemed  filed with the Securities and  Exchange Commission and  are

not to be incorporated by reference in any filing  we make under the Securities Act  of 1933 or the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, irrespective of any general incorporation  language  in any filings.

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED  PUBLIC  ACCOUNTING FIRM

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration  Statements on  Form  S-8

(File  Nos. 333-184371 and 333-184544) of Shutterstock, Inc. of  our report  dated February 28, 2014
relating to the financial statements, which appears in  this Form 10-K.

EXHIBIT 23.1

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

New York, New York
February 28, 2014

EXHIBIT 31.1

CERTIFICATION  PURSUANT TO RULE  13a-14(a)  OR  15d-14(a) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT  OF 1934,  AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302
OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Jonathan Oringer, certify that:

1.

I have reviewed this annual report  on Form  10-K of Shutterstock,  Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does  not  contain any untrue statement  of  a material fact or

omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made,  in light  of the circumstances
under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period  covered by this
report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and  other financial  information included in  this
report, fairly present in all material respects the financial  condition, results of operations and  cash
flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in  this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying  officer and I are responsible for establishing and  maintaining

disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in  Exchange  Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for
the registrant and  have:

a. Designed such disclosure controls and  procedures,  or caused such disclosure  controls and

procedures to be designed under  our supervision,  to  ensure that material  information relating
to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made  known to us by others within
those entities, particularly during  the period in which  this  report is being prepared;

b. Designed such internal control over  financial reporting,  or caused such  internal control over
financial reporting to be designed under  our  supervision, to  provide reasonable assurance
regarding the reliability of financial reporting  and  the preparation of financial statements for
external  purposes in accordance with generally accepted  accounting  principles;

c. Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure  controls and procedures and

presented in this report our conclusions about  the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and
procedures, as of the end of the period  covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

d. Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s  internal control over financial reporting
that occurred during the registrant’s  most recent fiscal  quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal
quarter in the case of an annual report) that  has materially  affected, or is reasonably likely to
materially affect, the registrant’s internal control  over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying  officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent  evaluation
of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s  auditors and the  audit committee of
the registrant’s board of directors (or persons  performing  the equivalent functions):

a. All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation  of  internal

control over financial reporting which  are reasonably likely  to  adversely affect  the registrant’s
ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

b. Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees  who have a

significant role in the registrant’s internal control over  financial  reporting.

Date: February 28, 2014

By: /s/ JONATHAN ORINGER

Jonathan Oringer
Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)

EXHIBIT 31.2

CERTIFICATION  PURSUANT TO RULE  13a-14(a)  OR  15d-14(a) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT  OF 1934,  AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302
OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Timothy E. Bixby, certify that:

1.

I have reviewed this annual report  on Form  10-K of Shutterstock,  Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does  not  contain any untrue statement  of  a material fact or

omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made,  in light  of the circumstances
under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period  covered by this
report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and  other financial  information included in  this
report, fairly present in all material respects the financial  condition, results of operations and  cash
flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in  this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying  officer and I are responsible for establishing and  maintaining

disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in  Exchange  Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for
the registrant and  have:

a. Designed such disclosure controls and  procedures,  or caused such disclosure  controls and

procedures to be designed under  our supervision,  to  ensure that material  information relating
to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made  known to us by others within
those entities, particularly during  the period in which  this  report is being prepared;

b. Designed such internal control over  financial reporting,  or caused such  internal control over
financial reporting to be designed under  our  supervision, to  provide reasonable assurance
regarding the reliability of financial reporting  and  the preparation of financial statements for
external  purposes in accordance with generally accepted  accounting  principles;

c. Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure  controls and procedures and

presented in this report our conclusions about  the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and
procedures, as of the end of the period  covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

d. Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s  internal control over financial reporting
that occurred during the registrant’s  most recent fiscal  quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal
quarter in the case of an annual report) that  has materially  affected, or is reasonably likely to
materially affect, the registrant’s internal control  over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying  officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent  evaluation
of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s  auditors and the  audit committee of
the registrant’s board of directors (or persons  performing  the equivalent functions):

a. All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation  of  internal

control over financial reporting which  are reasonably likely  to  adversely affect  the registrant’s
ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

b. Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees  who have a

significant role in the registrant’s internal control over  financial  reporting.

Date: February 28, 2014

By: /s/ TIMOTHY E. BIXBY

Timothy E. Bixby
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

EXHIBIT 32.1

CERTIFICATION  OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE  OFFICER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL  OFFICER
PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION  1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906  OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Annual Report  on Form 10-K of Shutterstock, Inc. for the year ended
December 31, 2013 as filed with the  Securities and  Exchange Commission  on the date hereof (the
‘‘Report’’), I,  Jonathan Oringer, as Chief Executive Officer of Shutterstock, Inc.,  hereby certify,
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted  pursuant to Section 906 of the  Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002, that, to the best of my knowledge, the Report fully complies with the requirements of
Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities  Exchange  Act of 1934,  and the information  contained in the
Report fairly presents, in all material respects,  the  financial condition and results of operations of
Shutterstock, Inc.

Date: February 28, 2014

By: /s/ JONATHAN ORINGER

Jonathan Oringer
Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)

In connection with the Annual Report  on Form  10-K of Shutterstock, Inc. for the year ended
December 31, 2013 as filed with the  Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the
‘‘Report’’), I, Timothy E. Bixby, as Chief  Financial Officer of Shutterstock, Inc., hereby certify, pursuant
to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section  906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that,
to the best of my knowledge, the Report  fully  complies with the requirements of Section  13(a) or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the  information contained in  the Report fairly presents, in
all material respects, the financial condition  and  results  of  operations of Shutterstock, Inc.

Date: February 28, 2014

By: /s/ TIMOTHY E. BIXBY

Timothy E. Bixby
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

Consent of L.E.K. Consulting LLC

EXHIBIT 99.1

Reference is made to the report entitled ‘‘Visual Stock  Content Global Market Size and Forecast’’

dated August 8, 2012, which L.E.K. Consulting LLC (‘‘L.E.K.’’) has prepared for Shutterstock
Images LLC (the ‘‘Report’’).

L.E.K. hereby consents to the inclusion of references to its name and references to, and

information derived from, the Report  in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Shutterstock,  Inc. the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2013  (the ‘‘Annual  Report’’) filed with the  United States Securities and
Exchange Commission (the ‘‘SEC’’),  and  any  subsequent amendment to the Annual Report filed with
the SEC, provided that any modifications  to  the use of L.E.K.’s name or the  statements attributed to
L.E.K. in such Annual Report or in any  subsequent amendment shall be subject  to  the prior consent of
L.E.K.

Date: February 26, 2014

L.E.K. Consulting LLC

By: /s/ SHUBA SATYAPRASAD

Name: Shuba Satyaprasad
Title: General Counsel

Board of Directors

Executive Officers

Jon Oringer 
Founder, CEO & Chairman

Jon Oringer 
Founder, CEO & Chairman

Thilo Semmelbauer 
President & COO

Tim Bixby 
Chief Financial Officer

James Chou 
Chief Technology Officer

Independent Registered Public 
Accounting Firm 
PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP 
300 Madison Avenue 
New York, NY 10017

Transfer Agent 
American Stock Transfer & Trust 
Company 
6201 15th Avenue 
Brooklyn, NY 11219

Company Information 
Current information about 
Shutterstock, press releases  
and investor information  
are available on our website  
at www.shutterstock.com

Steven Berns 
EVP & CFO,  
Tribune Company

Jeff Epstein 
Former EVP & CFO,  
Oracle Corporation

Thomas R. Evans 
Former President & CEO,  
Bankrate, Inc.

Jeffrey Lieberman 
Managing Director,  
Insight Venture Partners

Jonathan Miller 
Former Chairman & CEO,  
News Corp. Digital Media Group

Stockholder Information 

Corporate Headquarters 
Shutterstock, Inc. 
350 Fifth Avenue 
New York, NY 10118

Investor Relations 
Copies of our annual  
report on Form 10-K for  
the year ended December  
31, 2013 are available free  
of charge, upon request to  
Shutterstock, Inc.  
350 Fifth Avenue 
New York, NY 10118 
Attn: Corporate Secretary

Stock Listing 
Our common stock is  
listed on the New York  
Stock Exchange under 
 the symbol “SSTK”

Counsel 
Orrick, Herrington &  
Sutcliffe LLP 
51 West 52nd Street 
New York, NY 10019