Director John J. Budion, who made his initial mark in the industry as a Flame artist, has joined production/post house Humble.
Budion has been hands-on involved in assorted jobs which he has seen through from pre-pro through post, a prime example being the E*Trade “Talking Baby” campaign spots he directed for Grey New York.
Handling the live action and post via his prior roost Click 3X, Budion completed seven E*Trade spots that aired before, during and after the Super Bowl, earning him a shortlist honor at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival as well as helping him to gain inclusion into the 2010 SHOOT New Directors Showcase. His E*Trade commercial “Lottery” was screened during the New Directors Showcase event this past May at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theatre in New York.
Budion started his industry career at the age of 17. While working towards his degree at NYU, he interned at a N.Y. post house and moved up the ladder to junior and then full fledged Flame artist. His post shop affiliations over the years included Charlex, Rhinofx (now Gravity), and Click 3X where he served as both a director and Flame artist.
Upon being selected for SHOOT‘s New Directors Showcase earlier this year, Budion said that his endeavors in post and VFX on-set supervision “proved to be invaluable experience as I was consulting with directors and learning a lot from them.” He then diversified into the production side and when coupled with his post acumen, opportunities opened up for him to direct.
Budion’s credits also include directing a feature-length play one summer for the New York Fringe Festival. The play received positive reviews and won the festival’s Audience Choice Award.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More