The ASMP Names Thomas Maddrey as Its New CEO as it Enters 80th Year

The Board of Directors of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) unanimously selected ASMP Chief Legal Officer Thomas Maddrey to serve as its new CEO, the organization announced today. He will assume the position on December 14.

ASMP is one of the premier trade associations for photographers, videographers, and visual content creators and boasts nearly 7,000 members across 38 chapters in 70 countries. The organization says it exists because the work of these visual creators is important to the economy and culture. Maddrey has been involved with the ASMP for more than 25 years, dating back to joining as a Student Member while he was in high school.

“Beginning his career as a professional photographer, workshop leader, fine art gallery owner, and photo educator, he later became a lawyer and built his own Dallas-based law firm, Maddrey PLLC, into one of the preeminent law firms in the nation representing the interests of artists and photographers,” the ASMP explains.

Thomas Maddrey, CEO of ASMP

“He joined ASMP full-time in 2021 as General Counsel and was later promoted to be its first-ever Chief Legal Officer, with an expanded portfolio of responsibilities in that role. During his tenure at ASMP, Maddrey has been the counsel of record on numerous Supreme Court amicus briefs and was instrumental in building the ASMP Academy Powered by Sony. Maddrey currently sits on the Board of Directors of Texas Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts, the Dallas Bar Entertainment, Art and Sports Law Section, and The Dallas Opera, and formerly served on the Board of the Copyright Alliance in Washington, D.C., among others.”

Maddrey isn’t just a lawyer either: he holds a bachelor of arts in Commercial Photography from Brooks Institute, which makes him uniquely qualified to speak on photographers’ matters from both a knowledge of the industry and a legal perspective. That is why he is one of two experts that PetaPixel regularly calls on to help dissect and understand complicated legal issues that arise in the photography industry.

“ASMP has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I am humbled and honored to have been chosen to lead this organization as it enters its 80th year of helping to define the artistic, cultural, and media landscape across the world,” Maddrey says. “Our Members are artisans without equal, and these photographers and new media content creators can count on ASMP to support them and their industry each and every day. I can’t wait to get to work continuing to grow ASMP as the association most important to visual artists of all stripes.”