Spears & Arrows, an L.A.-based production company founded by EP Jason Wolk, has brought directors Robert Logevall and Josh Miller aboard its roster for commercials and branded content in the U.S.
Logevall was most recently with Supply & Demand. Among his notable credits are: the Fiat spot “Immigrant,” a whimsical montage of various Fiats driving into the waters around Italy and arriving on American shores to highlight the brand’s reemergence in the U.S. market; and Chrysler’s “Life Evolves,” which effectively uses a split-screen to highlight two distinct stages in a man’s life and the cars that bridges them.
“Robert is famous for his unique twist on the auto spot,” Wolk noted, “but he is much more than your typical ‘car guy.’ His spots are very composed and graphic thanks to his production design background. His eye for detail and sly wit have made him a favorite not only in Detroit, but agencies worldwide.”
In addition to his commercial work, Logevall recently wrapped shooting his second feature film, American Pets, as well as a short film, Kim and I.
Originally from Sweden, Logevall began his creative career in Canada working as both an art director and production designer in film and television. In addition to Supply & Demand, Logevall’s prior company affiliations included Anonymous Content.
Josh Miller
Miller began his career as an agency copywriter working at such creative shops as Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners and Hampel Stefanides. He worked as a creative director at Cliff Freeman & Partners and Team One Advertising, before launching his own directorial career that includes stints at RSA Films, B-Reel Films and most recently Humongous Production.
Miller’s best work highlights his singular abilities to mine comedy through performance, as in his Klondike spot “Good Listener” and Target ad “Neighbors,” which expertly captures a cringe-worthy awkward exchange of holiday presents between two young couples.
“Josh’s agency creative background is a huge plus, he understands the pressures agency producers and creatives are under with their client relationships, and what the team is up against in general,” Wolk says. “He’s able to offer creative solutions that work for everybody, and always without ego.”
Beyond commercials, Miller currently has two series’ in development at Comedy Central; one based on his award-winning short film, Hand Job: Portrait of a Professional Male Hand Model.
Miller and Logevall join a Spears & Arrows directorial lineup which also includes Ago Panini, Arni Thor-Jonsson, John Grammatico and Don Broida.
Spears & Arrows is represented on the East Coast by Mary Eiff and Michelle Stuart of Hello Tomorrow, on the West Coast and in Texas by Brad Grubaugh and Sophie Moore of Goodrebel, and in the Midwest by Nikki Weiss-Goldstein of Nikki Weiss & Co.
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