Director/cameraman Neil Abramson has come aboard Chelsea, the production house headed by partners/executive producers Allison Amon and Lisa Mehling. The move reunites Abramson and Amon who worked together earlier in their careers at the since defunct Palomar Pictures.
Known as a storyteller with well honed visual sensibilities, Abramson over the years has helmed spots for such clients as Nike, McDonald’s, Cadillac, Acura, Merrill Lynch, the Ad Council, Jack Daniels, and Lexus. Along the way his work has garnered assorted awards including recognition from Cannes (a Gold and a Silver Lion), the Clio Awards, and an AICP Show honor.
Abramson also has long-form feature and documentary chops. His latest feature film, American Son, premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed nationally by Miramax/Disney. Starring Nick Cannon, the film follows a young Marine during his last 96 hours on leave before having to depart for duty in Iraq.
The film exemplifies the hallmarks of Abramson’s work–sensitivity, powerful emotions, a compelling story, and intimate photography. Abramson’s feature debut, Without Air, also premiered at Sundance. The 1995 release portrayed a singer while taking audiences into the underground drug/music culture of Memphis. On the feature documentary front, Abramson directed Soldier Child, a ’98 film that chronicled the lives of children serving as soldiers in Uganda. The moving film was used by Amnesty International to raise awareness of the problem of children being called into battle.
Abramson, who lives in Los Angeles, was last represented for spots by Savant Film. Prior to that, he spent four years with Park Pictures.
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