By Kathy DeSalvo
its also the acronym of American Motion, an Austin, Texas-based commercial production house that has its own brand of firepower in executive producer/owner John Gilliland.
Gilliland launched the company last May with seasoned directors Frank Tammariello and Gordon Willis Jr. (both handled by AMMO only in the Southwest) and the up-and-coming directing team of Kim Flores and Mike Swenson.
AMMO may be not be in L.A. or New York, but make no mistake, the company was founded specifically because Texas is a prime market, one that the companys directors have great interest in. Its a little different in that I just handle Frank and Gordon regionally, notes Gilliland. Its sort of a jewel of a market. Theres a lot of agencies here and a lot of work-good work-coming out of here. By me being here, only in this region, they know Im searching out every possible lead and trying to get them in on as much as possible.
Comedy specialist Tammariello (repped nationally by bicoastal Access Film) has helmed a four-spot package for Homeland grocery stores through AMMO; the spots Practice, Rodeo, Scanman and Salon were created by Littlefield Marketing & Advertising, Tulsa, Okla. And at press time, AMMO had booked Tammariello for a Valvoline Instant Oil Change assignment out of Doe-Anderson, Louisville, Ky. Director/ cameraman Willis (repped elsewhere by bicoastal Atherton), who specializes in beautiful visuals, has directed one AMMO-produced ad-Cy-cling for Alcon Supralens contact lens cleaner via Targetbase Marketing, Irving, Texas.
This region was incredibly slow [for several months after AMMO opened], says Gilliland. The good thing is that the word on the street about us is good, he notes. Im not going to get ourselves in a situation where were doing [bad work]. One bad job could be really bad for me at this point. I want to make sure the quality is good, which is the most important thing. Its more important than making money.
First Shot
AMMO also produced a spot for Midway Arts called Twisted Edge, out of DDB Needham Dallas, which shows a snowboarding video game enthusiast strapped to a ceiling fan; and Southwest Airlines Washing Machine, via GSD&M, Austin. The ad promotes the airlines Friends Fly Free deal using images of an overflowing washing machine; a voiceover asks, Remember the last time you went skiing and left your kids home? Theyre the first spots for the directorial duo of Flores and Swenson, two independent filmmakers AMMO is introducing to advertising. They do quirky, cutting-edge images, says Gilliland, who adds that the pair also wrapped a three-minute short film, Maid! Madonna! Whore! for the Austin Film Society. Theyre big on art direction, and theyre good with performances.
Gilliland began his career with a seven-year stint in L.A. as a freelance producer, primarily on music videos. He also spent a few years as a producer on Americas Most Wanted (the FOX reality-based crime-fighting series that also gave starts to director Tom Finerty, now at The Joneses, Santa Monica, and director Michael Cerny who recently left Concrete Productions, Dallas, to launch Mirella Film Co., Hollywood). The shows crime reenactment scenes took Gilliland cross-country and honed his skill in producing big location shoots.
In 1993, Gilliland moved to Dallas, working for a year and a half as a staff producer at Concrete before returning to freelancing. Hes produced for assorted directors with Texas shops, including Tammariello (who was formerly at Concrete) and Willis (formerly at Big Fish Films, Dallas). Opening his own shop was the natural next step.
Gilliland is a bit unusual in that, even after forming AMMO, he continues to line produce, primarily for Willis. And last year, he produced a Tammariello-directed Texas Lottery spot, Strange Voices, via GSD&M. Gilliland explains he likes to keep control of the jobs, and, for now, the company is small enough to allow him to do so.
A lot of executive producers dont have line-producer skills, says Willis. It makes John a much stronger producer. I do a lot of hands-on location work, which a lot of producers arent used to, because youre reinventing the process every time youre on the road. Its a real talent to pull off those location jobs, because they have so many variables.
Willis trust in Gilliland made joining AMMO a no-brainer for him. The director, who recently moved to Duxbury, Mass., after 16 years in Texas, wanted someone he could count on to deliver the goods without him being there. I have all the faith in the world in John that he could take care of me in the Southwest, on a business as well as a personal level, says Willis. If you talk to any director, I think the biggest concern with our production companies is that we dont want to be just another reel on a shelf. Were always looking for a personal relationship.
AMMO is repped by Dallas-based Jack Reed Reps, which works in tandem with Gilliland to scout out business leads. Gillilands only goal for the company, he says, is the eternal quest to book more jobs. I like being a regional company, says Gilliland. Its a nice little niche. Im happy concentrating on building this.l
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