By CAROLYN GIARDINA
Mark Yang, who had been with New York-based Post Perfect since 1992, most recently as VP of production services, was named executive producer at Crush Digital Video, one of the first DVD studios to open in New York. Both Post Perfect and Crush operate under parent company New York Media Group.
During his time at Post Perfect, Yang held various positions, including VP of operations and VP/sales manager. Earlier, he worked as an editor as New York-based First Edition and Broadway Video. At Broadway, he edited the Emmy-winning documentary Chagalls Journey.
Yang sees his new position as a natural extension of his experiences in post. A lot of DVD is very related to postproduction, taking video and audio elements and creating another product. … Its an exciting new area.
Marks creative and technical background, coupled with the fact that he has an excellent rapport with clients and is a terrific manager, makes him the perfect choice for Crushs executive producer, said Crush president Jeff Stabenau.
To date, movies have largely driven the DVD industry, but Yang looks forward to introducing new types of clients to the medium. We concede that the major studios will be doing the bulk of the movie work, he said, adding that Crush has, however, generated movie business from some smaller studios. Crushs recent titles include This is Spinal Tap and Silence of the Lambs.
Yang said he intends to focus on generating business from ad agencies for applications such as client presentations and archiving.
He also views DVD as a natural for production companies and design firms demo reels, pointing out that DVD offers digital quality imagery, random access and room for ancillary data. He added that he does not expect DVD to replace -inch videotape, but to supplement it. Rather than fast-forwarding reels, Yang suggested, DVDs could present a more friendly and interactive way of presenting a roster.
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