Managing Director/Executive Producer
Gentleman Scholar
1) Over the past few years, the assignments we have fielded have been increasingly conceived for usage across multiple platforms. While there may or may not be a TV buy behind a campaign, the assets are certain to serve as premium brand content on one social media platform or another – if not all of them. This trend has only increased in 2019, as we continue to crank on multi-platform projects. They provide our studios in LA and New York with great opportunities to utilize the varied skillsets of our team, and keep things fresh.
4) I’m looking forward to continuing to hear from brands and agencies that are rooting their visual storytelling in ways that are more humane. This isn’t just to say that our interest is to “add more humanity” – we actually want to push more human-focused creativity. This year at Gentleman Scholar, we’ve had the pleasure of working on fabulous design briefs, as well as projects focused on people living with HIV, cancer research, as well as Families Belong Together. When the world is feeling restless, it’s imperative to work on projects with a conscience.
6) Diversity has always been a focus for Gentleman Scholar. Through recruitment efforts and keeping our eyes open to cultivating a diverse landscape of people, we are absolutely committed to finding diverse talent – creative, production, and studio staff–that is a mix of genders, ethnicities, and ages. We are also dedicated to growing our talent and giving everyone in the studios the same opportunities. For example, team members are given the room to grow, and they are encouraged to choose their own focus. By working within this framework, the company aims to encourage people to stay and grow with us.
In regard to positioning women on the creative side, we openly recognize the gap that exists and push this group at Gentleman Scholar. We will always want them to get an equal share of the spotlight and upward mobility. Personally, I fully recognize and relate to the struggles of succeeding in a male-dominated industry, so I do whatever I can every day to make sure women’s voices are heard and that their work is seen
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