Serial Pictures has signed filmmaker Merawi Gerima for commercials, branded entertainment and music videos. This marks his first production company representation across these advertising and entertainment disciplines..
Already via Serial, Gerima has wrapped his first commercial, “Certified Lover Boy,” for Drake’s NOCTA X Nike line, launching the label’s custom AF1 in honor of Drake’s favorite childhood book “Love You Forever,” by Robert Munsch.
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Gerima has seen his origin inform his work and his community-centered orientation. Gerima’s work focuses on going outside the boundaries of creative conventions to discover and cultivate an authentic storytelling accent.
Serial Pictures founding partner Violaine Etienne said of Gerima, “His work is evocative visually striking and sheds a light on important social issues. He is an important fresh artistic voice whom we are excited to introduce to the branded space.”
Gerima said, “Serial’s boutique, handcrafted, story-driven approach felt kindred from the outset. I’m proud to be working alongside some of the best producers and directors in the game.”
Residue, his hauntingly personal feature debut, was a communal endeavor shot in the neighborhood where Gerima grew up. Written and directed by Gerima, Residue follows aspiring filmmaker Jay (Obinna Nwachukwu) returning to his childhood neighborhood in Washington, D.C. that has been changed beyond his recognition. The film is an intense, thought-provoking, evocative and emotional story of social dislocation and broken lives set against the backdrop of gentrification in the District of Columbia.
Following its world premiere at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival, Residue was honored with the festival’s Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and the Acting Award for star Nwachukwu. Residue also was awarded Special Mention at the 77th Venice International Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori and won the John Cassavettes Award at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The film was later acquired by Ava DuVernay’s Array and is currently streaming on Netflix.
Gerima has since directed television episodes for The CW series Naomi and OWN Networks’ Cherish The Day, created and produced by DuVernay. He is currently in post on his first music video.
Gerima grew up immersed in film. Prior to attending USC’s School of Cinematic Arts (encouraged by mentor filmmaker Bradford Young), he spent his childhood on film sets and in editing rooms with his filmmaker parents Shirikiana Aina and Haile Gerima. These legendary filmmakers of the LA Rebellion film movement have won multiple international awards for their best-known films Sankofa, Ashes and Embers, and Teza. They and Merawi Gerima all support each other’s films and provide support for other independent filmmakers through their non-profit film company, Positive Productions Inc.
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads — essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More