Branded entertainment production company Gloria Content–which maintains bases of operation in Los Angeles and Mexico City–has signed Brazilian-American director Gandja Monteiro for commercials and branded content in the U.S. She joins a directorial roster which includes company co-founder Diego Luna, Jonas Cuaron, Rodrigo Valdez and Rogelio Sikander. Gloria was launched by Luna along with executive producers Pablo Cruz and Eric Bonniot in 2015.
A world traveler with a wide breadth of cultural understanding, Monteiro fuses diverse global perspectives with compelling narratives that resonate with audiences. Her stylized approach can be seen in spots and branded content spanning such clients as AT&T, Smirnoff, MasterCard and Nike in the U.S. market, and global/international fare for Coca-Cola and Chevrolet.
Most recently, Monteiro was accepted into the highly competitive American Film Institute (AFI) Directing Workshop for Women and is currently working on a female-led sci-fi short that will debut at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles. Her narrative short Almost Every Day garnered international visibility in festivals such as Tribeca and Palm Springs Film Festival, and went on to be shortlisted for the Academy Awards®. She has also directed an hour-long episode for HBO’s documentary series Youth, produced by Prodigo Films. Prior to coming to Gloria, Monteiro was represented by Hungry Man, Zola Films and Prodigo Films internationally. The director had been working independently in the U.S. where she wasn’t officially repped by any company prior to joining Gloria.
Monteiro graduated with a film degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, but had been immersed in the arts from an early age while attending Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Performing Arts. With an NYC upbringing, her creative surroundings and influences–including her family–helped steer her toward a career behind the camera. Monteiro is bicoastal, splitting most of her time between Los Angeles and NYC.
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