VP, Director of Production
Two by Four
How did your agency adjust/adapt to the marketplace in 2021 (new strategies, resources, technology, health/safety expertise) and what is the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2021 and how will you apply it to 2022?
From a production standpoint, 2020 was about halting productions and learning to how to manage shoots with clients and creatives remotely. In 2021 at our agency, specifically in production, I had to focus on getting our clients and creatives not only back in the office but back on productions—safely. It took time to get everyone adjusted and comfortable with the safety protocols, including the numerous testing procedures not to mention how their budgets were going to be impacted by these changes. 2022 will come with its own challenges and education as we head into a year with more people vaccinated yet a growing number of infections, it will be extremely challenging to maintain normalcy for crews and talent.
What are your goals or New Year’s resolution, creatively speaking or from a business standpoint, for your agency or department in 2022?
Our goal every year is to always create great work. From a production standpoint, I look forward to establishing new relationships with all types of partners as well as building upon our current roster to bring the creative to life. During these challenging times with new production protocols and supply chain issues, it is even more important that we continue to work with the best.
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