About us

About Zooid Pictures

Today, Zooid is the market leader in picture and footage research. But did you know that we started out as an independent film and TV production company?

That was back in 1984, when we were one of the first production companies to be commissioned by new kid on the block, Channel 4. We were radical, innovative, and we worked together brilliantly. That’s why we chose the name Zooid — it means distinct individuals that, together, form a colonial animal. Just like the way individuals such as directors, cameramen, sound recordists and others make up a film crew. Or how researchers, photographers, editors, translators and similar specialists form today’s Zooid Pictures Ltd. (Our polymath team offer research in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Afrikaans, Hindi and some Swedish)

Zooid became involved in picture research to generate income between injections of film finance. It soon became our mainstay, particularly because we were – and still are – innovators. We developed the first fully-digital media management system, which led to the first digital book — the Guinness Book of Records. Zooid embraced digital imaging at a time when photographers and agencies viewed it as a threat and thereby enabled both suppliers and publishers to benefit from the digital revolution.

That’s why we were able to build our bespoke Picture Desk software very early on, and refused requests to sell it. It is industry leading, and it is improved constantly, with each new innovation improving its best-of-class performance. When we developed online selection and delivery, we made the two-day picture selection meeting a thing of the past.

In recent years, Zooid has also pioneered digital footage research and management, and our reputation for excellence is unrivalled in the UK, and growing rapidly in the USA and the Middle East. No other company offers such a comprehensive range of picture, footage (video) and illustration services — and we hope that you will give us the opportunity to give your own projects the edge.

Would you like to find out more?

• Meet the Zooid team
• Learn about our full story
• Get in touch to say hello or ask for a quote