By Robert Goldrich
SANTA MONICA --After a trial run encompassing several projects at Plum Productions, director Gavin Bowden has formally come aboard the Santa Monica-based company. At press time, he was in pre-pro on a Wal-Mart job, a follow-up to the “Smile More” spot which aired heavily during the Winter Olympics telecast on NBC.
That initial Wal-Mart ad as well as two Toyota packages and a CBS assignment were all helmed by Bowden via Plum. The content for CBS was a seven-segment “miniseries” of interstitial commercials sponsored by Pontiac. Titled “The Courier,” the pieces aired on CBS, on the Web, and on cell phones via Verizon Wireless’ V Cast service.
Bowden’s past production house affiliations included BlueYed Pictures, which has offices in London, Tokyo and London, as well as Los Angeles-headquartered A Band Apart and prior to that Original Film. The director has been active in multiple disciplines, spanning spots (Nike, GMC, Ford, Fanta, VH-1), music videos (Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ben Folds, Match Box 20, Eve 6), and documentaries for a number of music performers. One such documentary was Funky Monks featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Made in 1991, the hour-long Funky Monks led to Bowden getting the chance to direct music clips and he then later diversified into commercials.
Bowden joins a Plum directorial roster that includes Eric Saarinen, Jan De Bont, Dana Christaansen, Bob Rice and Jake Schreier.
PEARSON In addition to Bowden, Plum–which is under the aegis of president Chuck Sloan–has brought executive producer Beth Pearson on board. She will work in tandem with exec producer Shelby Sexton in overseeing production, bidding, working with clients, helping in the development of directors’ careers, and participating in strategic planning for Plum.
Pearson comes on staff after freelancing as a line producer. She is no stranger to Plum, having worked regularly with the company over the years.
TikTok and the U.S. Face Off In Court Over Law That Could Lead To A Ban Of The Popular Platform
TikTok faced off with the U.S. government in federal court on Monday, arguing a law that could ban the platform in a few short months was unconstitutional while the Justice Department said the measure is critical to eliminate a national security risk posed by the popular social media company.
Attorneys for the two sides - and content creators - appeared before a panel of three judges at a federal appeals court in Washington, where TikTok and its China-based parent company, ByteDance, are challenging the law that is forcing them to break ties by mid-January or lose one of their biggest markets in the world.
Andrew Pincus, a veteran attorney representing the two companies, argued in court that the law unfairly targets the company and runs afoul of the First Amendment because TikTok Inc. - the U.S. arm of TikTok - is an American entity. Another attorney representing creators who are also challenging the law also argued it violates the rights of U.S. speakers and is akin to prohibiting Americans from publishing on foreign-owned media outlets, such as Politico, Al Jazeera or Spotify.
"The law before this court is unprecedented and its effect would be staggering," Pincus said, adding the act would impose speech limitations based on future risks.
The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China.
The U.S. has said it's concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. The U.S. also says the proprietary algorithm that fuels... Read More