By CAROLYN GIARDINA
Alison Brown, a co-founder of Blue Sky Productions (now bicoastal Blue Sky| VIFX), has joined Kleiser-Wal-czak Construction Company as executive producer of its New York-based commercial production unit. KWCC also has operations in Hollywood and North Adams, Mass.
Brown held the title of head of commercial production/VP, sales and marketing, when Blue Sky merged with VIFX in 1997 (SHOOT, 9/5/97, p. 1). At the time, Brown opted to remain involved with the company in a consulting role, which lasted until about a year ago. She then took some time off, re-entering the business about a month ago at KWCC, initially as a consultant. She began her staff role last week.
The New York office currently has a staff of five. Brown said plans are to take baby steps to grow the team to about 25 or 30. She is currently looking for larger space in New York in order to accommodate those growth plans.
We plan to expand this particular studio in Manhattan to house many more artists. Right now we work through the different studios, and everything comes together because we are communicating, Brown explained. She added that the goal is to grow New York in order to allow the other KWCC offices more time to focus on the companys feature film and location-based entertainment business. She said the company would continue to tap the talent and resources at those bases when needed.
Kleiser-Walczak gave me an opportunity to do what I like to do, which is build up a company, Brown enthused. Its a small office. I have an opportunity to build a commercial division.
Blue Work
During her 10-year run at Blue Sky, Brown executive produced over 150 commercials. Notable work included Brauns Last Word via Lowe & Partners/SMS, New York, which showed a CGI electric shaver; and Chock Full O Nuts Beans campaign via Lord, Dentsu & Partners (now The Lord Group, New York), which featured a talking CGI coffee bean.
Blue Skys character animation prowess was also deployed on theatrical movie work. Brown served as executive producer for the computer animation portion of Joes Apartment, Blue Skys first feature assignment, which entailed the creation of singing and dancing CGI cockroaches.
Shes made important contributions to the digital arts and advertising communities and will be instrumental in executing our strategic goals for growth and innovation, said Jeff Kleiser, president of KWCC.
At press time, KWCCs New York office was working on a Dodge spot for BBDO Detroit, Southfield, Mich., and a commercial via Grey Advertising, New York, for an undisclosed client.
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