Form of Performance Stock Unit Award Agreement

Unless otherwise defined herein, the capitalized terms used in this Performance Stock Unit Award Agreement (the “Award Agreement”) shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Shutterstock, Inc. Amended and Restated 2012 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).

 

 

 

 

You have been granted an Award of Performance Stock Units, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, as follows:

 

Grant Number

 

Date of Grant

 

Vesting Commencement Date

 

Performance Period     

Vesting Schedule                    See Appendix 1 of Exhibit A, attached hereto

 

In the event Participant ceases to be a Service Provider (or gives or is given notice of such termination) for any or no reason before Participant vests in the Performance Stock Unit, the Performance Stock Unit and Participant’s right to acquire any Shares hereunder, or the cash equivalent of all or some portion of such Shares, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, will immediately terminate, unless as otherwise set forth in Exhibit A.

 

By Participant’s acknowledgment on the Merrill Lynch website and the signature of the representative of Shutterstock, Inc. (the “Company”) below, Participant and the Company agree that this Award of Performance Stock Units is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, including the Terms and Conditions of Restricted Stock Unit Grant (and any country-specific addendum thereto), attached hereto as Exhibit A, all of which are made a part of this document.  Participant has reviewed the Plan and this Award Agreement in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Award Agreement and fully understands all provisions of the Plan and Award Agreement.  Participant hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions relating to the Plan and Award Agreement.  Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in the Participant’s residence address.

 

 

1.             Grant.  The Company hereby grants to the individual named in the Notice of Grant attached as Part I of this Award Agreement (the “Participant”) under the Plan an Award of Performance Stock Units, subject to all of the terms and conditions in this Award Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference.  Subject to Section 18 of the Plan, in the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and the terms and conditions of this Award Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan will prevail.

 

2.             Company’s Obligation to Pay.  Each Performance Stock Unit represents the right to receive a Share, or the cash equivalent thereof, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, on the date it vests.  Unless and until the Performance Stock Units will have vested in the manner set forth in Section 3, Participant will have no right to settlement of any such Performance Stock Units.  Prior to actual settlement of any vested Performance Stock Units, such Performance Stock Unit will represent an unsecured obligation of the Company, payable (if at all) only from the general assets of the Company.  Any Performance Stock Units that vest in accordance with Sections 3 or 4 will be settled in whole Shares, or the cash equivalent of some or all of such Shares, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, subject to Participant satisfying any applicable tax withholding or other obligations as set forth in Section 7.  Subject to the provisions of Section 4, such vested Performance Stock Units will be paid in Shares and/or cash, as determined by the Administrator, as soon as practicable after vesting, but in each such case no later than two and one-half (2½) months from the end of the Company’s tax year that includes the vesting date.

 

3.             Vesting Schedule.  Except as provided in Section 4, and subject to Section 5, the Performance Stock Units awarded by this Award Agreement will vest in accordance with the vesting provisions set forth in Appendix 1 to this Award Agreement.  Performance Stock Units scheduled to vest on a certain date or upon the occurrence of a certain condition will not vest in Participant in accordance with any of the provisions of this Award Agreement, unless Participant will have been continuously a Service Provider from the Date of Grant until the date such vesting occurs.  Service Provider status will end on the day that notice of termination is provided (whether by the Company or Parent or Subsidiary for any reason or by Participant upon resignation) and will not be extended by any notice period that may be required contractually or under applicable local law.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator (or any delegate) shall have the sole discretion to determine when Participant is no longer providing active service for purposes of Service Provider status and participation in the Plan.

 

4.             Administrator Discretion.  The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the unvested Performance Stock Units at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan.  If so accelerated, such Performance Stock Units will be considered as having vested as of the date specified by the Administrator.

 

Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or this Award Agreement to the contrary, if the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the Performance Stock Units is accelerated in connection with Participant’s termination as a Service Provider (provided that such termination is a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A, as determined by the Company), other than due to death, and if (x) Participant is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A at the time of such termination as a Service Provider and (y) the payment of such accelerated Performance Stock Units will result in the imposition of additional tax under Section 409A if paid to Participant on or within the six (6) month period following Participant’s termination as a Service Provider, then the settlement of such accelerated Performance Stock Units will not occur until the date six (6) months and one (1) day following the date of Participant’s termination as a Service Provider, unless the Participant dies following his or her termination as a Service Provider, in which case, the Performance Stock Units will be settled in Shares and/or cash as soon as practicable following his or her death.  It is the intent of this Award Agreement to comply with the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the Performance Stock Units provided under this Award Agreement or Shares and/or cash issuable thereunder will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities herein will be interpreted to so comply.  For purposes of this Award Agreement, “Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Code, and any proposed, temporary or final Treasury Regulations and Internal Revenue Service guidance thereunder, as each may be amended from time to time.

 

5.             Forfeiture upon Termination of Status as a Service Provider.  Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Award Agreement, except as set forth in Appendix 1, the balance of the Performance Stock Units that have not vested as of the time notice is provided (whether by Participant or the Company or Parent or Subsidiary) of Participant’s termination as a Service Provider for any or no reason and Participant’s right to acquire any Shares and/or cash hereunder will immediately terminate.

 

6.             Death of Participant.  Any distribution or delivery to be made to Participant under this Award Agreement will, if Participant is then deceased, be made to Participant’s designated beneficiary, or if no beneficiary survives Participant, the administrator or executor of Participant’s estate.  Any such transferee must furnish the Company with (a) written notice of his or her status as transferee, and (b) evidence satisfactory to the Company to establish the validity of the transfer and compliance with any laws or regulations pertaining to said transfer.

 

7.             Withholding of Taxes.  Regardless of any action the Company or Participant’s employer (the “Employer”) takes with respect to any or all applicable national, local, or other tax or social contribution, withholding, required deductions, or other payments, if any, that arise upon the grant, vesting or settlement of the Performance Stock Units or the holding or subsequent sale of Shares, and the receipt of dividends, if any (“Tax-Related Items”), Participant acknowledges and agrees that the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items legally due by Participant is and remains Participant’s responsibility and may exceed the amount actually withheld by the Company or the Employer.  Participant further acknowledges that the Company and the Employer (a) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the Performance Stock Units, including grant or vesting, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired under the Plan, and the receipt of dividends, if any; and (b) does not commit to and is under no obligation to structure the terms of the Performance Stock Units or any aspect of the Performance Stock Units to reduce or eliminate Participant’s liability for Tax-Related Items, or achieve any particular tax result.  Further, if Participant has become subject to tax in more than one jurisdiction between the date of grant and the date of any relevant taxable event, Participant acknowledges that the Company and/or the Employer (or former employer, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Award Agreement, no certificate representing the Shares will be issued and no cash will be paid to Participant, unless and until satisfactory arrangements (as determined by the Administrator) will have been made by Participant with respect to the payment of any Tax-Related Items which the Company determines must be withheld with respect to the Performance Stock Units.

 

On each vesting date (or other date or time at which the Company is required to withhold Tax-Related Items), the Company will retain from the Shares otherwise issuable on such date a number of Shares having a fair market value (as determined by the Company in its sole discretion) equal to the Company’s minimum statutory withholding obligation with respect to Tax-Related Items. If the Company is unable to retain sufficient Shares to satisfy such Tax-Related Items, the Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Company or an affiliate of the Company has the right to deduct from payments of any kind otherwise due to the Participant any national, state, local or other taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld for Tax-Related Items relating to the vesting of the Performance Stock Units. If Participant fails to make satisfactory arrangements for the payment of any required Tax-Related Items hereunder at the time any applicable Performance Stock Units otherwise are scheduled to vest pursuant to Sections 3 or 4, Participant will permanently forfeit such Performance Stock Units and any right to receive Shares and/or cash thereunder and the Performance Stock Units will be returned to the Company at no cost to the Company.

 

8.             Rights as Stockholder.  Neither Participant nor any person claiming under or through Participant will have any of the rights or privileges of a stockholder of the Company in respect of any Shares deliverable hereunder unless and until, and only to the extent that, certificates representing Shares will have been issued, recorded on the records of the Company or its transfer agents or registrars, and delivered to Participant.  After such issuance, recordation and delivery, Participant will have all the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to voting such Shares and receipt of dividends and distributions on such Shares.

 

9.             No Guarantee of Continued Service or Grants.  PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF THE PERFORMANCE STOCK UNITS PURSUANT TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT THE WILL OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) AND NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THIS AWARD OF PERFORMANCE STOCK UNITS OR ACQUIRING SHARES OR CASH HEREUNDER.  PARTICIPANT FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THIS AWARD AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET FORTH HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND WILL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH PARTICIPANT’S RIGHT OR THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) TO TERMINATE PARTICIPANT’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT ANY TIME, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE.

 

Participant also acknowledges and agrees that: (a) the Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature and it may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time; (b) the grant of Performance Stock Units is voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of Performance Stock Units, or benefits in lieu of Performance Stock Units even if Performance Stock Units have been granted repeatedly in the past; (c) all decisions with respect to future awards of Performance Stock Units, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company; (d) Participant’s participation in the Plan is voluntary; (e) the Performance Stock Units and the Shares and/or cash subject to the Performance Stock Units are extraordinary items that do not constitute regular compensation for services rendered to the Company or the Employer, and that are outside the scope of Participant’s employment contract, if any; (f) the Performance Stock Units and the Shares and/or cash subject to the Performance Stock Units are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation; (g) the Performance Stock Units and the Shares and/or cash subject to the Performance Stock Units are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purposes, including, but not limited to, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, or end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments and in no event should be considered as compensation for, or relating in any way to, past services for the Company or the Employer; and (h) in accepting this Award of Performance Stock Units, Participant will be bound by any clawback policy that the Company may adopt in the future.

 

10.          Address for Notices.  Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of this Award Agreement will be addressed to the Company, in care of its General Counsel at Shutterstock, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10118 or at such other address as the Company may hereafter designate in writing.

 

11.          Grant is Not Transferable.  Except to the limited extent provided in Section 6, this grant and the rights and privileges conferred hereby will not be transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated in any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) and will not be subject to sale under execution, attachment or similar process.  Upon any attempt to transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of this grant, or any right or privilege conferred hereby, or upon any attempted sale under any execution, attachment or similar process, this grant and the rights and privileges conferred hereby immediately will become null and void.

 

12.          Binding Agreement.  Subject to the limitation on the transferability of this grant contained herein, this Award Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs, legatees, legal representatives, successors and assigns of the parties hereto.

13.          Additional Conditions to Issuance of Stock.  If at any time the Company will determine, in its discretion, that the listing, registration or qualification of any Shares issuable hereunder upon any securities exchange or under any state or federal law, or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory authority is necessary or desirable as a condition to the issuance of Shares to Participant (or his or her estate), such issuance will not occur unless and until such listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval will have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Company.  Where the Company determines that the delivery of the payment of any Shares will violate federal securities laws or other applicable laws, the Company will defer delivery until the earliest date at which the Company reasonably anticipates that the delivery of Shares will no longer cause such violation.  The Company will make all reasonable efforts to meet the requirements of any such state or federal law or securities exchange and to obtain any such consent or approval of any such governmental authority.  The Company shall not be obligated to issue any Shares pursuant to the Performance Stock Units at any time if the issuance of Shares violates or is not in compliance with any laws, rules or regulations of the United States or any state or country.

 

Furthermore, the Company reserves the right to impose other requirements on Participant’s participation in the Plan, on the Performance Stock Units and on any Shares acquired under the Plan, to the extent the Company determines it is necessary or advisable in order to comply with local law or facilitate the administration of the Plan, and to require Participant to sign any additional agreements or undertakings that may be necessary to accomplish the foregoing.  Furthermore, Participant understands that the laws of the country in which he or she is resident at the time of grant or vesting of the Performance Stock Units or the holding or disposition of Shares (including any rules or regulations governing securities, foreign exchange, tax, labor or other matters) may restrict or prevent the issuance of Shares or may subject Participant to additional procedural or regulatory requirements he or she is solely responsible for and will have to independently fulfill in relation to the Performance Stock Units or the Shares.  Notwithstanding any provision herein, the Performance Stock Units and any Shares and/or cash shall be subject to any special terms and conditions or disclosures as set forth in any addendum for Participant’s country (the “Country-Specific Addendum,” which forms part this Award Agreement).

 

14.          Plan Governs.  This Award Agreement is subject to all terms and provisions of the Plan.  In the event of a conflict between one or more provisions of this Award Agreement and one or more provisions of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan will govern.  Capitalized terms used and not defined in this Award Agreement will have the meaning set forth in the Plan.

 

15.          Administrator Authority.  The Administrator will have the power to interpret the Plan and this Award Agreement and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to interpret or revoke any such rules (including, but not limited to, the determination of whether or not any Performance Stock Units have vested).  All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Administrator in good faith will be final and binding upon Participant, the Company and all other interested persons.  No member of the Administrator will be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan or this Award Agreement.

 

16.          Electronic Delivery and Language.  The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to Performance Stock Units awarded under the Plan or future Performance Stock Units that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or request Participant’s consent to participate in the Plan by electronic means.  Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another third party designated by the Company.  If Participant has received this Award Agreement, including appendices, or any other document related to the Plan translated into a language other than English, and the meaning of the translated version is different than the English version, the English version will control.

 

17.          Captions.  Captions provided herein are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of this Award Agreement.

 

18.          Agreement Severable.  In the event that any provision in this Award Agreement will be held invalid or unenforceable, such provision will be severable from, and such invalidity or unenforceability will not be construed to have any effect on, the remaining provisions of this Award Agreement.

 

19.          Modifications to the Agreement.  This Award Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties on the subjects covered.  Participant expressly warrants that he or she is not accepting this Award Agreement in reliance on any promises, representations, or inducements other than those contained herein.  Modifications to this Award Agreement may be made in the manner, and to the extent, set forth in the Plan.

 

20.          Data Privacy.  Participant hereby explicitly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use and transfer, in electronic or other form, of Participant’s personal data as described in this Award Agreement by and among, as applicable, the Company and its affiliates for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing Participant’s participation in the Plan.  Participant understands that the Company and its affiliates may hold certain personal information about Participant, including, but not limited to, Participant’s name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title, any shares of stock or directorships held in the Company or any affiliate, details of all Performance Stock Units or any other entitlement to shares of stock awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested or outstanding in Participant’s favor, for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing the Plan (“Personal Data”).  Participant understands that Personal Data may be transferred to any third parties assisting in the implementation, administration and management of the Plan, that these recipients may be located in the United States, Participant’s country (if different than the United States), or elsewhere, and that the recipient’s country may have different data privacy laws and protections than Participant’s country.

 

21           Foreign Exchange Fluctuations and Restrictions.  Participant understands and agrees that the future value of the underlying Shares is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty and may decrease.  Participant also understands that neither the Company, nor any affiliate is responsible for any foreign exchange fluctuation between local currency and the United States Dollar or the selection by the Company or any affiliate in its sole discretion of an applicable foreign currency exchange rate that may affect the value of the Performance Stock Units or Shares received (or the calculation of income or Tax-Related Items thereunder).  Participant understands and agrees that any cross-border remittance made to transfer proceeds received upon the sale of Shares must be made through a locally authorized financial institution or registered foreign exchange agency and may require the Participant to provide such entity with certain information regarding the transaction.

 

22.          Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan.  By accepting this Award, Participant expressly warrants that he or she has received an Award of Restricted Stock Units under the Plan, and has received, read and understood a description of the Plan.  Participant understands that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time.

 

23.          Governing Law.  This Award Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof.  For purposes of litigating any dispute that arises under this Award of Performance Stock Units or this Award Agreement, the parties hereby submit to and consent to the jurisdiction of the State of New York, and agree that such litigation will be conducted in the courts of the County of New York, New York, or the federal courts for the United States for the Southern District of New York, and no other courts.

The [•] Performance Stock Units (the “Target PSUs”) granted hereunder represent the aggregate target number of shares of common stock that could potentially be earned, as set forth below if the relevant performance metrics are achieved at the target level. If the Company achieves performance above or below the target level, Participant shall vest in the number of shares of common stock as set forth in the matrix below.

The number of PSUs subject to vesting upon achievement of Outstanding Adjusted EBITDA for each year constitutes the maximum number of PSUs that can be vested for that year, subject to section (b) below, even if performance exceeds the Outstanding Adjusted EBITDA level.