Executive Portrait — Eric Migicovsky, CEO of Pebble Technology | Emerce Magazine
Mr. Pebble — Eric Migicovsky on the Cover of Emerce | San Francisco Editorial Photographer Marc Olivier Le Blanc
A Cover Shot and a Conversation About the Future of the Wrist
In September 2015, Marc Olivier Le Blanc photographed Eric Migicovsky for the cover of Emerce — the leading Dutch publication covering online business, media, and marketing. Issue 142 ran Migicovsky as its cover subject under a simple, accurate headline: Mr. Pebble. The image: Migicovsky surrounded by hands, each wearing a Pebble watch, reaching toward him from every direction. It was a cover concept that did exactly what a good magazine cover should — communicated the story in a single frame before anyone read a word.
The Origin Story — From TU Delft to a Kickstarter Record
Eric Migicovsky first conceived of the smartwatch in 2008, while studying as an exchange student in Industrial Design at TU Delft in the Netherlands. The original problem was a practical one: how do you control a smartphone while cycling? The first attempt was a small bike computer. When that proved too niche, the concept evolved into a watch — and Migicovsky kept building prototypes, financing early versions through a local startup competition prize of around five hundred euros and loans from his parents and the Canadian government.
By 2012, with the money running low and traditional investors showing little interest in hardware startups, Pebble turned to Kickstarter — then still a relatively small crowdfunding platform. The campaign was, by Migicovsky's own account, a last resort. In thirty days, it raised $10.3 million, setting a platform record and generating worldwide media attention overnight.
By 2015 — 2.5 Million Watches, 150 Countries, a Three-Horse Race
By the time Marc photographed him, Migicovsky was 28 years old and running a company with over 150 employees, $150 million in annual revenue, and a presence in more than 150 countries. The Pebble appstore had grown to 8,500 apps built by 27,000 developers. A second Kickstarter campaign for the Pebble Time had raised $20.3 million — reaching $1 million in 49 minutes and $2 million ten minutes after that.
In his Emerce interview, Migicovsky described the smartwatch market as a three-horse race between Apple, Google (effectively Samsung), and Pebble — with Pebble holding 25 to 30 percent of the US market, neck and neck with Samsung. His argument for Pebble's differentiation was clear: seven-day battery life, always-on screen, compatibility with both iOS and Android, a low price point starting at €130, and an open ecosystem that Apple and Samsung were structurally unable to replicate.
The Cover Image — A Photographer's Brief
The Emerce cover concept required Marc to photograph Migicovsky with multiple hands — each wearing a different Pebble model — reaching toward him simultaneously. It is the kind of image that looks effortless in the final frame and requires precise coordination to execute: the right number of subjects, the right camera angle, the right relationship between Migicovsky's expression and the hands surrounding him. The result is one of the stronger tech executive cover portraits in Marc's portfolio — specific, conceptually clear, and immediately readable at magazine scale.
The interior portrait, shot separately in a more intimate black and white style, shows Migicovsky in a relaxed, candid pose — a deliberate contrast to the kinetic energy of the cover.
A Postscript
Pebble was acquired by Fitbit in late 2016 and wound down shortly after. The company that had outsold everyone's expectations, twice broken Kickstarter records, and held its own against Apple and Samsung ultimately could not survive the consolidation of the wearables market. The watches, however, still have a devoted following — and the Emerce cover remains a strong document of a moment when the outcome was still genuinely uncertain.
Marc Olivier Le Blanc is a San Francisco editorial and commercial photographer whose portrait work has appeared on the covers and pages of international publications including Emerce, GQ China, Forbes, TIME, and National Geographic. Get in touch to discuss editorial and executive portrait commissions.