Director Tony Petrossian has joined th2ng (pronounced “thing two”), the live action production division of th1ng Group (“thing 1”), for commercial representation in the U.S. and the U.K. This first signing in America for th2ng signals a continued U.S. expansion for th1ng Group, an international commercial and visual media production company with offices in New York, London, Dubai, and Stockholm.
Petrossian was formerly repped by Rhythm+Hues Commercial Studios where his work included the charmingly comedic “Seagulls” spot for Cape Cod Potato Chips from Baltimore agency GKV. Voted the year’s best from the 2012 collection of SHOOT‘s “The Best Work You May Never See” entries, “Seagulls” combines live action with a flock of CG-animated seagulls who turn into a rock band which performs the Flock of Seagulls hit, “I Ran (So Far Away).” A man enjoys the impromptu concert on the beach while munching on Cape Cod Chips, giving credence to the slogan positioning Cape Code as the “Home of Ridiculously Good Chips.”
Petrossian’s experience spans live action and VFX as well as commercials and music videos. He has directed for such clients as Nike, McDonald’s and Sony Ericsson and music artists ranging from Rise Against to Ludacris. Back in 2007, Petrossian gained inclusion into SHOOT‘s New Directors Showcase largely on the strength of his branded content piece, Beijing Ballers, for Nike out of Wieden+Kennedy, Shanghai.
Under the aegis of th1ng Group’s U.S. exec producer and managing director Bill Hewes, th2ng has been serving stateside clients through its NY studio and a lineup of international directors. “Adding a U.S.-based director to our roster with Tony’s talent and creative depth,” said Hewes, “puts th2ng into an even better position to deliver amazing creative to current and future clients here in America and across the globe.”
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