Alkemy X has added commercial and film director Dean Blumberg to its roster for U.S. commercial representation. Living in Johannesburg, South Africa, but shooting globally, Blumberg has a body of work which showcases his affinity for eliciting strong performances from actors on spots for such top brands as KFC, Virgin and Toyota, as well as campaigns with celebrity talent including Sir Ben Kingsley and William Shatner. Blumberg started his career directing short films which garnered him honors at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005. He then entered the competitive commercial directing world. Before long he won his first Ad of the Year for Creative Circle with his Ford “Together” spot and that his 1st for Women “So Backwards” piece made the Gunn Report’s 100 Most Awarded Commercials List—something he repeated in 2015 with his Student Flights’ “Grandpa.” He’s gone on to win various Cannes Lions, Clios, Midas, London International, and One Show awards. Blumberg has won Creative Circle’s Ad of the Year twice, as well as 2nd and 3rd places in alternating years. Outside of advertising, Blumberg has continued to work on his feature film and television endeavors throughout the entirety of his career. He has penned three feature film scripts, two of which he sold early on, and is regularly invited to lecture and give workshops on narrative direction. He is currently in development on his first feature film for Netflix, Splitsville, which is slated to begin production in 2023….
A Closer Look At Proposed Measures Designed To Curb Google’s Search Monopoly
U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled Google maintained an illegal monopoly for the last decade.
The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice could radically alter Google's business, including possibly spinning off the Chrome web browser and syndicating its search data to competitors. Even if the courts adopt the blueprint, Google isn't likely to make any significant changes until 2026 at the earliest, because of the legal system's slow-moving wheels.
Here's what it all means:
What is the Justice Department's goal?
Federal prosecutors are cracking down on Google in a case originally filed during near the end of then-President Donald Trump's first term. Officials say the main goal of these proposals is to get Google to stop leveraging its dominant search engine to illegally squelch competition and stifle innovation.
"The playing field is not level because of Google's conduct, and Google's quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired," the Justice Department asserted in its recommendations. "The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages."
Not surprisingly, Google sees things much differently. The Justice Department's "wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision," Kent Walker, Google's chief legal officer, asserted in a blog post. "It would break a range of Google products — even beyond search — that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives."
It's still possible that the Justice Department could ease off on its attempts to break up Google, especially if President-elect Donald Trump... Read More