Little Minx, a Santa Monica-headquartered production house headed by founder/executive producer Rhea Scott, has brought the directorial team Sea Chant–consisting of the L.A.-based Carissa and Andrew Gallo–aboard its roster. Previously the directors were unrepresented in the U.S., working independently for varied clients. Sea Chant is repped in Europe by Pointblank Productions.
Scott described Sea Chant’s content as “inspirational” and “invaluable.” Sea Chant’s work spans such brands as Levi’s, Lincoln Motor Company, Nike, Intel and Toyota.
Combining Carissa’s background in still photography and Andrew’s technical work in TV production, Sea Chant, which prides itself on handling both the live action and still photography for projects, has a deep-rooted connection in not just aesthetics, but human relations. Said Carissa, “The focus is on beauty and what makes things resonate. Color is so important to me, I’m kind of obsessed with color palettes and human interactions. We like to take note of rich little dialogues, conversations we’re hearing. We’re curious about humanity, relationships and love.”
Sea Chant noted that as they continue to create more commercial material, more production support and resources were needed to take the work to the next level. They gravitated to Little Minx based on the company’s body of work and track record.
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