Boxer Films has signed The Real McCoys, a writing and directing team which consists of Sean Mullens and Nelson Cabrera. Mullens and Cabrera had been freelancing as a helming duo for several years. The Real McCoys are active in both English and Spanish-language ad fare and will be handled by Boxer in both the U.S. and Hispanic markets for spots, interactive, branded entertainment and television.
Already under the Boxer banner, The Real McCoys wrapped a Volkswagen job as well as a Southern Nevada Water Authority campaign.
Mullens and Cabrera had long track records as individual directors prior to coming together as The Real McCoys. Mullens had been solo directing at such shops as Uber Content and RSA while Cabrera had been on the rosters of Savant and HKM.
Individually and together, the pair has turned out work that has netted Gold, Silver and Bronze Cannes Lions, four Gold Clios, and eight ANDY Awards, among other honors.
Mullens started in the industry as an art director/copywriter en route to becoming creative director at FCB, San Francisco, on such brands as Levi’s, MTV and Nike. Since exiting FCB to continue building his directing career, he has created documentaries and commercials for clients including ESPN, Verizon, Atari and McDonald’s.
Along the way, he partnered with longtime friend Cabrera, a noted multicultural director in his own right, to form The Real McCoys. Cabrera rose from the ranks of A.D. and 2nd unit director to create his own diverse body of work that spans live action comedy, automotive, CGI-driven and interactive content. Since embarking on his directorial career, Cabrera has won recognition for international spots commissioned by clients such as Mini Cooper, Geico, Ford, and VW.
The Real McCoys duo has a body of work that spans spots, branded entertainment, feature-length films and music videos, including spots for VW and the U.K.-based travel website the trainonline.com. The directing teams short documentary BirthRight has generated festival buzz, winning the Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short at this year’s Austin Film Festival.
Currently, The Real McCoys are putting the finishing touches on a one-hour branded documentary, entitled The World’s Fastest, about one man’s superhuman quest to break the world land speed record behind the wheel of a turbo-charged Cadillac.
Boxer is headed by founder/executive producer John Clark and exec producers Beth George and John Barrerio.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More