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Former Glasser Images owner issues online statement

Jack Glasser says he is trying to make things right.

The former owner of Glasser Images has released a statement on social media, several weeks after the photography business unexpectedly closed.

Hundreds of customers – including couples who had hired Glasser to photograph their weddings – were informed they would not receive refunds for booking in advance and paying in full. Couples whose weddings had already been shot were left to wonder when or even if they’d ever see their photos.

In his statement posted on the Glasser Images Facebook page, Jack Glasser said that since he began his company at age 16, his goal was always to document special memories. But he says the pandemic caused instability for Glasser Images, and he was not prepared to handle it.

He promised to make sure every customer received their photos, but that he is unable to say when the images will be ready.

He also said he is working with the Attorney General’s office, in hopes of proving that the closure was not done lightly and was the result of his poor management.

His full statement is below:

With the holidays upon us, and with several weeks to consider the upheaval and damage I have caused since I shut down Glasser Images, I wanted to take a moment to again apologize to the hundreds of people we have impacted and give an update on how I am trying to make this right.

My intention from the very day I began my company in high school at age 16 was to document special memories, and running a small business from that early age was a true labor of love. However, I was ill-prepared for the instability facing Glasser Images when the Pandemic hit, and I am sorry our closure became a source of pain for many hoping to recover joyous moments. I am working tirelessly to rectify the damage done.

My commitment is singular — to do my best to ensure that every single customer of Glasser Images receives their photos and videos. Unfortunately, this process takes time, and I am unable to give definitive dates on when this will be accomplished; I can only promise that I will get it done. ShootProof is generously and meticulously working through the photography side of our challenges, and we are actively pursuing potential partners to help with our video backlog.

Last week, I had an official meeting with North Dakota’s Attorney’s General Office. I will continue to fully cooperate with their investigation and hope they will come to understand that my actions were not malicious, but rather the result of underestimating just how difficult a situation I put myself in over the last 18 months.

Having run a small business more than half of my life. I had previously always been able to figure out a way to make it work, regardless of how bleak things seemed. Unfortunately, this time, I couldn’t pull the company out of the red.

While I am personally saddened that Glasser Images has closed, my true sorrow lies with two other groups: the employees and contractors who depended on this job to make their living, and the customers — the people I went into this business for in the first place — who are shouldering the real cost of this situation.

All I can do now is promise to do my best to fix this situation and deliver on that pledge as quickly as I can.

- Jack Glasser