Director Ruben Fleischer–whose feature directorial debut Zombieland, an action comedy/buddy picture starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone, opened last week–has joined the commercials roster of Caviar, which maintains offices in Venice, Calif., Brussels and Amsterdam.
Fleischer is no stranger to spots, having broken into the ad arena via Stink, London, several years ago, and bicoastal Smuggler stateside. Via the latter, he directed Burger King’s “Up Late” for Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami. During a relative brief hiatus from commercialmaking, Fleischer directed the DVD documentary Gumball 3000: 6 Days in May, and then co-created the reality series Rob & Big and its sequel Fantasy Factory for MTV, Fleischer then returned to spots, joining production house Sandwick where he helmed for such clients as ESPN and Boost Mobile.
The director has also been active in music videos for the likes of Kanye West, M.I.A. and Dizzee Rascal. Fleischer’s virals, including Funny or Die exclusive web series Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, have drawn millions of hits online. He has also directed several episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC.
Fleischer first cut his filmmaking teeth as a director’s assistant to director Miguel Arteta on Chuck & Buck and The Good Girl. Fleischer was able to get first-hand experience in every aspect of the filmmaking process from pre-production to post working with Arteta. With this trial-by-fire film education, Fleischer went on to amass some $40,000 in credit card debt making shorts and music videos that eventually landed him commercial representation.
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