went to crestock and looked at that image - wow AWESOME SHOT!!!:)
as to spending money - microstock market is still growing, I bet this is a sound investment for the future. Maybe he won't be able to recover that in a month, but in a year - sure why not. Several top sellers from that photoshoot on several popular agencies would do it.
I never worked with traditional stock agencies like Getty and such and once in a while I am wondering if it's worth my time trying them out. When I see shots like this on microstock  it makes me think - probably not...