Production company B-Reel has added director Kief Davidson to its commercialmaking roster. He comes over from Believe Media and earlier this year earned a Best Short Subject Documentary Oscar nomination for Open Heart, which centers on eight Rwandan children who embark on a life-or-death journey to Sudan in order to have high-risk heart surgery performed at The Salam Centre, Africa’s only hospital offering free cardiac procedures for families in need. Open Heart is now airing on HBO.
Known for his storytelling and ability to elicit performances from real people, Davidson has been active in commercials, directing campaigns for GE, Absolut, American Express and Cadillac.
Currently, Davidson is directing Beyond the Brick, the first official feature-length film on the global phenomenon of LEGO, slated for theatrical release in 2014. Davidson’s prior films include the feature documentaries Kassim the Dream (a winner at the AFI Film Festival) and The Devil’s Miner (a winner at the Tribeca Film Festival and nominated–with fellow director/writer Richard Ladkani–for the DGA Award in 2006)
“Kief’s approach and sensibilities in filmmaking are in line with the evolution of advertising,” said Susan Anderson, managing director and executive producer, B-Reel.
With offices in Los Angeles, New York City, London, Barcelona, Berlin and Stockholm, B-Reel maintains three divisions: Commercials and Branded Content; Digital; and Feature Films.
B-Reel’s directorial roster for commercials includes: Drake Doremus, Anders Hallberg, Filip Tellander, Miles Jay, Steven Tsuchida, Josh Miller, Kief Davidson, Patrik Bergh, Tom Malmros, Emil Moller, Johan Perjus, Jens Sj๏ฟฝgren, Anders Forsman, Mikael Marcimain and Jon+Torey.
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