GARTNER has added director Benjamin Lee Gordon to its roster, marking the first time he has been repesented in the U.S. for commercials. Gordon is an up-and-coming talent who has already made his mark in Europe, perhaps most notably with work for the Barcelona River Plate Fan Club and automotive client Seat.
Barcelona River Plate Fan Club’s “We Are Far Away, We Need To Shout Louder” campaign for Draftfcb, Barcelona, earned two Gold Caples Awards, a FIAP Award and was shortlisted at Cannes. The success of this project led to his landing Seat’s epic “Express Yourself” launch for the Ibiza ST model out of Barcelona agency Athletico International–a 50-spot multi-platform campaign spanning nine countries in Europe.
The Seat and River Plate fare was produced by The Cannonball and Sonda Productions, respectively–two production houses which continue to handle Gordon in Spain. He is also repped by Doctor Troy in Europe.
Gordon’s additional directing credits include commercials targeting audiences in Spain for Nike (“Dominoes”), Nokia (“Husband & Wife” and “Couples”), Brugal Rum (“Route 44”), Ford (“Priorities”) and for music app Shazam (“On the Beach” and “In the Park”). His short films include The Floorless, Naturaleza Muerta (Still Life), Lake Chinatown, Erhu, and La Bola Peluda (The Hairy Ball which won an Audience Award at the Malaga Fantastic Film Festival).
Gordon’s upbringing and education laid the foundation for his career as an international spot helmer. He was born in London to North American parents and raised in the countryside near the small town of Mijas, in Andalusia. Upon receiving a BA at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, Gordon returned to southern Spain, where he worked his way up in the camera department in the region’s service industry. His directing style visibly stems from his multi-cultural background, with projects based on cultural, emotional and visual juxtapositions.
Gordon rounds out a GARTNER roster comprised of directors David Cornell, James Gartner, Marcel Langenegger, Mike Bigelow, Raymond Bark, Ted Melfi, and Shona Auerbach.
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