Senior Music Supervisor
Droga5 New York
What lessons have you learned from 2021 that you will apply to 2022 and/or what processes and practices necessitated by the pandemic will continue even when the pandemic is (hopefully) over? (Remote work, use of Zoom enabling more people to be involved in the creative approval process, etc.)
The biggest learnings and best practices I’ve employed for success have been empathy and energy. We know that Zoom fatigue is very real, which results in tedious, slow, unproductive, unfocused, monotone meetings filled with awkward silence and weird, small talk. Being empathetic to that and providing levity with enthusiasm can change the tone and outcome of a meeting. Getting everyone excited about the project rather than just sitting there on mute encourages everyone else to join in. It may sound trivial or obvious, but it seems like many people have given up on having fun in meetings. In most of my meetings, we are talking about music which is a source of joy and passion for most creatives. I want any meeting I’m a part of to be something to look forward to. I often play music at the start of meetings to break the silence while we wait for everyone to join. I often end meetings by sharing links to recent music I’ve discovered, too. This passion of mine helps sell great music and projects for internal and external-facing meetings. I can’t wait to bring this infectious energy back into real life meetings.
What recent work are you most proud of and why? Or what recent work (advertising or entertainment)–your own or that of others–has struck a responsive chord with you?
I am most proud of the Meta work we created during the summer. It was a suite of 4 spots simultaneously in production with unique creativity and tight ship date. Two of the spots utilized four tracks for a total of 10 music tracks across four spots, which had to be creatively sourced and secured within a few months. I worked with an internal team and external partners to help pull it off. We did countless rounds of music pulls and outreach for each of the music cues. One spot had featured Ghanain music which was a massive challenge creatively and executionally. This was the most difficult spot, but the most fruitful for music discovery. I’m proud of the range of musical genres we used, the speed we were able to execute, and the ability to maintain creative excellence across the work.
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