EMPICS
EMPICS, a PA Media company, is a UK firm which deals with licensing photographs of people and events for the press and other mass news media. EMPICS is the photo licensing arm of the PA Images division, bringing together the news, sport and entertainment picture productions and archives of PA Media (formerly known as the Press Association), EMPICS, AP and niche photographers. History. EMPICS, originally known as East Midlands Pictures, was founded in 1985 by Phil O'Brien, as a news/sport/features photographic agency after covering the East Midlands M1 plane crash. Profits were invested in colour wiring equipment  and with the company then focusing on sports photography. EMPICS was based in Musters Road, Nottingham, very near to the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground and home stadiums of Nottingham Forest and Notts County. Towards the end of the 1990s, it was branded as EMPICS SPORTS PHOTO AGENCY. Over the years many staff moved on to work for rivals Allsport including Picture Desk Manager John Childs who left in 1997 along with photographer Laurence Griffiths. EMPICS later moved into the centre of Nottingham and expanded with many new sales staff. Empics were the original official photographers of the UEFA Champions League  with photographers shooting team photos and headshots of the participating teams for the TV broadcasters and also commercial and advertising photography for TEAM Marketing who produce the UCL. It acquired the collection of FIFA Photographer Peter Robinson gained the reputation as a worldwide stock football agency covering global soccer tournaments. On 11 May 2004, EMPICS Ltd was acquired by the Press Association with business partners Caroline Hodinott and Phil O'Brien eventually leaving the company to be managed by PA. Past directors include award-winning photographers Ross Kinnaird, Steve Etherington, Neal Simpson and Phil O'Brien. Past news photographers include Phil O'Brien  and British Press Award winner Rob Rathbone. Past sport photographers include Other notable employees within the industry include Current photographers include Neal Simpson, Michael Egerton, Adam Davy, Steve Pond, Tony Marshall, Barry Coombs and John Walton. Collections include: Plus exclusive specialist collections - Chelsea F.C., Sports & General, Barratts sports personalities, Peter Robinson's Football Archive, Haymarket photo shoots, Sutton Motorsports and Cruise Pictures