Anonymous Content has added Sophie Muller to its directorial roster for spots and branded content worldwide (in the U.K. via Anonymous’ partner Somesuch). Over the years, Muller has crafted notable ads for brands such as Reebok, MasterCard, P&G, Lexus, and L’Oreal, and worked with many of music’s leading performers to cement herself as a prominent contemporary commercial and music video director.
Muller is well-known for her live work from concert visuals to creative tour direction, and most notably for collaborating with Target to direct the first-ever live music video commercial, “Make Me Like You,” by Gwen Stefani. The acclaimed four-minute piece for Deutsch was filmed live, in one-take, during the 2016 Grammy Awards, and went on to win several advertising awards including a Cannes Lion, two AICP Show awards, and a Ciclope Award. The ambitious project was produced by Wondros, the production house which handled Stefani for spots and branded fare in the U.S. prior to her joining Anonymous Content. Wondros continues to represent Muller for music videos.
For over a decade, Muller has established a creative partnership with Stefani, directing countless music video (“Spark the Fire,” “Used To Love You,” “Cool”), advertising projects (L’Oreal, MasterCard), and tour visuals for the pop artist. Other longstanding relationships include Annie Lennox, Sade, Garbage, Sophie Ellis-Bexter, and The Kills. Moreover, Muller has helmed creative projects and videos for Beyoncรฉ, Rihanna, Beck, Shakira, Coldplay, Selena Gomez, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, The Cure, Dolly Parton, Alicia Keys, and the Dixie Chicks, among others.
Muller has been honored by the Grammys, MTV Awards, Brit Awards, UKMVA, and Music Week Awards. She has also won the MVPA Director of the Year, MVPA Best Direction of a Female Artist, and the CADS Director of the Year awards.
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 โ 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