diff --git a/lib/assetmanager.js b/lib/assetmanager.js
index 32927fcd4d..5dac4f3807 100644
--- a/lib/assetmanager.js
+++ b/lib/assetmanager.js
@@ -15,15 +15,19 @@ var path = require('path'),
     configuration = require('./configuration'),
     formidable = require('formidable'),
     probe = require('node-ffprobe'),
-    IncomingForm = formidable.IncomingForm;
+    IncomingForm = formidable.IncomingForm,
+    FFMpeg = require('fluent-ffmpeg');
 
 /**
  * CONSTANTS
  */
 
 var MODNAME = 'assetmanager',
-    WAITFOR = 'contentmanager'
-    STREAM_BUFFER_SIZE = 64 * 1024;
+    WAITFOR = 'contentmanager',
+    STREAM_BUFFER_SIZE = 64 * 1024,
+    THUMBNAIL_WIDTH = '?',
+    THUMBNAIL_HEIGHT = '48',
+    DEFAULT_THUMBNAIL_IMAGE = 'none';
 
 // errors
 function AssetNotFoundError (message, assetID) {
@@ -78,6 +82,7 @@ exports = module.exports = {
           rest.get('/asset/query', instance.queryAssets.bind(instance));
           rest.get('/asset/:id', instance.getAsset.bind(instance));
           rest.get('/asset/serve/:id', instance.serveAsset.bind(instance));
+          rest.get('/asset/thumb/:id', instance.assetThumb.bind(instance));
           rest.delete('/asset/:id', instance.deleteAsset.bind(instance));
 
           preloader.emit('preloadChange', MODNAME, app.preloadConstants.COMPLETE);
@@ -252,6 +257,7 @@ exports = module.exports = {
               description: fields.description,
               repository: repository,
               path: storedFile.path,
+              thumbnailPath: DEFAULT_THUMBNAIL_IMAGE,
               size: storedFile.size,
               directory: directory,
               isDirectory: false,
@@ -291,23 +297,53 @@ exports = module.exports = {
                 // Derive assetType and (if available) store extra metadata depending on the type of file uploaded
                 switch (storedFile.type.split('/')[0]) {
                   case 'image':
-                  asset.assetType = 'image';
-                  asset.metadata = probeData ? {width: probeData.streams[0].width, height: probeData.streams[0].height} : null;
-                  break;
+                    asset.assetType = 'image';
+                    asset.metadata = probeData ? {width: probeData.streams[0].width, height: probeData.streams[0].height} : null;
+                    var imageThumbnailPath = asset.path.substr(0, asset.path.lastIndexOf(fileExt)) + '_thumb' + fileExt ;
+                    new FFMpeg({ source: asset.path })
+                      .withSize(THUMBNAIL_WIDTH + 'x' + THUMBNAIL_HEIGHT)
+                      .keepPixelAspect(true)
+                      .on('error', function (err) {
+                        // keep default thumbnail, but log error
+                        logger.log('error', 'Failed to create thumbnail: ' + err.message);
+                        return doCreate(asset);
+                      })
+                      .on('end', function () {
+                        asset.thumbnailPath = imageThumbnailPath;
+                        return doCreate(asset);
+                      })
+                      .saveToFile(imageThumbnailPath);
+                  return; // return is important!
 
                   case 'video':
-                  asset.assetType = 'video';
-                  asset.metadata = probeData ? {duration: probeData.streams[0].duration, width: probeData.streams[0].width, height: probeData.streams[0].height} : null;
-                  break;
+                    asset.assetType = 'video';
+                    asset.metadata = probeData ? {duration: probeData.streams[0].duration, width: probeData.streams[0].width, height: probeData.streams[0].height} : null;
+                    var pathToDir = asset.path.substr(0, asset.path.lastIndexOf('/'));
+                    new FFMpeg({ source : asset.path })
+                      .withSize(THUMBNAIL_WIDTH + 'x' + THUMBNAIL_HEIGHT)
+                      .on('error', function (err) {
+                        // keep default thumbnail, but log error
+                        logger.log('error', 'Failed to create thumbnail: ' + err.message);
+                        return doCreate(asset);
+                      })
+                      .on('end', function (filenames) {
+                        // hmmm - do we keep the original file name? should we rename?
+                        if (filenames && filenames.length) {
+                          asset.thumbnailPath = path.join(pathToDir, filenames[0]);
+                        }
+                        return doCreate(asset);
+                      })
+                      .takeScreenshots(1, pathToDir);
+                  return; // return is important!
 
                   case 'audio':
-                  asset.assetType = 'audio';
-                  asset.metadata = probeData ? {duration: probeData.streams[0].duration} : null;
+                    asset.assetType = 'audio';
+                    asset.metadata = probeData ? {duration: probeData.streams[0].duration} : null;
                   break;
 
                   default:
-                  asset.assetType = 'other';
-                  asset.metadata = null;
+                    asset.assetType = 'other';
+                    asset.metadata = null;
                   break;
                 }
 
@@ -532,6 +568,42 @@ exports = module.exports = {
     });
   },
 
+  /**
+   * serves the thumb for an asset - one at a time!
+   *
+   * @param {object} req
+   * @param {object} res
+   * @param {callback} next
+   */
+
+  assetThumb: function (req, res, next) {
+    this.retrieveAsset({ _id: req.params.id }, function (error, assetRecs) {
+      if (error) {
+        return next(error);
+      }
+
+      // record was not found
+      if (!assetRecs || assetRecs.length !== 1) {
+        res.statusCode = 404;
+        return res.end();
+      }
+
+      var assetRec = assetRecs[0];
+      filestorage.getStorage(assetRec.repository, function (error, storage) {
+        if (error) {
+          return next(error);
+        }
+
+        storage.createReadStream(assetRec.thumbnailPath, { bufferSize: STREAM_BUFFER_SIZE }, function (stream) {
+          stream.pipe(res);
+          stream.on('end', function () {
+            return res.end();
+          });
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  },
+
   /**
    * responder for delete requests
    *
diff --git a/lib/dml/schema/system/asset.schema b/lib/dml/schema/system/asset.schema
index f5fac894af..dc44f52b91 100644
--- a/lib/dml/schema/system/asset.schema
+++ b/lib/dml/schema/system/asset.schema
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@
       "type": "string",
       "required": "true"
     },
+    "thumbnailPath": {
+      "type": "string",
+      "required": "true"
+    },
     "repository": {
       "type": "string",
       "required": "true"
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 7e118a6d97..a49019cd03 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
     "connect-mongodb": "1.1.x",
     "consolidate": "0.10.0",
     "express": "3.4.0",
+    "fluent-ffmpeg": "1.7.1",
     "formidable": "~1.0.14",
     "handlebars-form-helpers": "0.1.3",
     "hbs": "2.4.0",