Production house kaboom has added director James Lovick to its roster, marking his first U.S. representation.
A product of a family steeped in cinema, Lovick absorbed a film education on set working in a variety of crafts–editing, DP, stills photography–that continue to inform his approach as a director. It was a discovery process that led to directing acclaimed documentary series for the BBC and Channel 4, including one that followed Eddie Izzard during his journey to do 43 back-to-back marathons for Sport Relief. These invaluable opportunities in unscripted storytelling were inspiring but prolonged, so Lovick turned to short-form to find his home in branded content and advertising with humanity at the fore.
The diversity of experience–windows into many worlds–and the constant problem solving opportunities are just a few of the aspects of advertising that Lovick appreciates. Over the past few years, he has directed for a wide range of brands, including films for Charles Schwab, Visit Jersey, Kenwood, Baileys, Dorset Cereals, Vodafone VOXI, and WWF India.
“James is a rare talent who is able to create beautiful and compelling docu-style stories as naturally as his ability to help a product shine via tabletop,” said kaboom EP/founder Lauren Schwartz. “He came up through the ranks of production to find his calling as a director. He can span genres, can edit, and sees the world through a photographer’s eye. All of this makes him a force of creativity.”
In a truly contemporary twist, Lovick became connected to kaboom via Instagram–where mutually admired perspectives sparked a conversation that led to his joining the company’s roster. Resourcefulness and an open approach to client collaborations were unifiers between Lovick and kaboom, solidifying a relationship started, appropriately, with curated imagery.
“Lauren and I share a great many perspectives about the industry and forging meaningful relationships that help elevate the process and projects,” reflected Lovick. “While I’ve spent the last few years focusing my attention on work in the UK, I am now ready to expand into the US with kaboom – a woman-owned company that’s boutique in size–accessible, involved–and with incredible reach.”
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