Brickyard VFX has expanded its range of in-house services with the addition of editor Andre Betz. Brickyard and Betz have been longtime collaborators through Betz’s shop Bug Editorial, and Bug will now be the official banner for Brickyard’s editorial roster and services.
“We have had a fabulous relationship with Andre over the years, and as more and more of our clients were asking for in-house editorial services, it made sense to officially join forces,” said Andrew Bell, managing director, Brickyard VFX. “Adding editorial under the same roof will streamline post for our clients and be a huge benefit, and we’re excited to now offer this option in both our Boston and Santa Monica offices.”
Betz is an award-winning commercial editor whose work has appeared in the Super Bowl and in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. With an exceptional ability to tell a full story in mere seconds, he has lent his talents to brands such as Mercedes, Nationwide, VW, Chobani, Honda, and many more.
Betz added, “Brickyard feels like family. I’m thrilled to join their team and work to build out their editorial offerings on both coasts, so that clients can get results more efficiently and cost-effectively all through one vendor.”
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