Interview with Brian McDunn: FineartAmerica dot com

Posted by Cathy Jourdan at 4/30/2009 3:53 PM
Categories: uncategorized
Fine Art America

In an interview with FineArtAmerica’s founder, Brian McDunn discusses where his company came from, where it is and where it is going.

For those not familiar with FineArtAmerica.com, it is a premier, online art gallery. With over 14000 artists and over 70000 visitors a day, it is quickly becoming the leading online art site. I had a chance to sit down and talk with Brian about FineArtAmerica where he talked candidly about his business and where he sees it in the future. Onto the interview…

Cathy: Tell us a bit about yourself?

I am the founder and owner of FineArtAmerica.com. I built the site over the course of several months in early 2006 and launched it in September of that year. I am an entrepreneur who is passionate about business and programming, and I am constantly looking for new and creative ways to make FAA more efficient and to make it easier for the members to promote themselves and sell their artwork.

What prompted you to start Fine Art America?

Early in 2006, I designed a simple website for my brother who, at the time, was working for an art gallery in Chicago. The gallery represented 20+ different artists, and each time an artist would release a new painting or schedule an appearance at the gallery, my brother would contact me to update the website. As this started to become a frequent occurrence, I decided to write a simple program to allow my brother to upload images on his own and do other things like post events, issue press releases, etc. That's when the light bulb turned on. I realized that there were thousands and thousands of artists and gallery owners around the world who would love to be able to do the exact same thing.

Are you an artist or an art lover?

I would say that I "was" an artist until the age of 18 or so. I spent a lot of my childhood drawing and attending art classes. Since then, I've focused more on school, my family, my career, programming, etc... and haven't had much time for creating art. I like to tell people that FineArtAmerica.com IS my artwork. I really enjoy continually improving the appearance of the site and developing new features for the members to enjoy.

How long has FineArtAmerica.com been online?

FAA has been online since September of 2006.

What do you offer consumers?

FineArtAmerica.com is an online social network and e-commerce marketplace dedicated to the visual arts. The site provides powerful sales and marketing tools to artists and photographers around the world - helping them transform their artwork into flourishing online businesses. Within minutes of opening an account, artists can create an online profile, upload their artwork, add secure shopping cart features, and start selling museum-quality prints to the millions of visitors who stop by Fine Art America each month. They can also socialize with the site’s 14,000 other members, catch up on industry news, browse job openings, enter art contests, issue press releases, blog, and participate in group discussions.

For casual visitors and art collectors, Fine Art America provides tools to discover and track new artists, search for artwork, browse upcoming events, and register for FineArtAmerica’s weekly newsletter - the industry’s only newsletter to deliver personalized news based upon the recipient’s preferences and geographic location. By combining social networking with the thrill of discovery and online sales, FineArtAmerica.com has found a niche amongst the millions of struggling artists around the world and the millions of collectors who yearn to find them.

Can you tell us what sets you apart from other online galleries?

Yes - our visitor traffic! FineArtAmerica.com receives 10x more visitors per member than any other art site on the internet! With only 14,000 members, we are currently attracting more than 75,000 visitors each day. That's approximately 5 visitors for every member. Every other online gallery attracts less than one visitor per member each day. That's like being at a tradeshow with 10,000 other artists... and only 5,000 buyers show up.

Can you share your vision with us? Specifically, where do you see FineArtAmerica in say, five years?

FineArtAmerica.com is going to become the most-visited, most-respected art site on the internet. When you think about buying books online, you think of Amazon.com. When you think about buying art online, I want you to think of FineArtAmerica.com. That's where we're going.

Thank you, Brian!

If I’ve peaked your interest, even just a little and you’d like to learn more you can by visiting: fineartamerica.com/art-website-reviews.html

In addition, FineArtAmerica.com offers a host of unique selling and marketing tools which do not exist anywhere else online. You can read more here: fineartamerica.com/sell-art-online.html

 

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