Element Productions and Picture Park, two of the region’s leading production companies, today announced a merger agreement, creating what they bill as being the largest production company in New England. The combined entity will operate as Element, blending a team of directors, editors and producers spanning a broad array of production and post services.
Eran Lobel, who founded Element Productions in 1998, will serve as CEO of the combined company and will remain an executive producer. Mark Hankey, who has led Picture Park for almost two decades, will focus on creative development, national expansion and serve as executive producer. Scott Burtnett will continue as senior producer. Rounding out the leadership team is long-time Element Productions executive producer Kristen Kearns, who will remain in that role and focus on growing the company’s post services.
“This merger brings together two entities with complementary skills, creating an opportunity to rapidly drive growth and meet the demands of clients in a continuously evolving production marketplace,” said Lobel. “Picture Park brings a remarkably strong roster of directors and a production team that will immediately strengthen the production arm of Element. Our combined collective of directors, producers and editors will all be able to even better serve agencies and their ever-evolving creative needs, on every platform.”
The Picture Park directors alluded to by Lobel include Jonathan Bekemeier, Bill Cuccinello, DeMane Davis, John Huet, Tibor Nemeth and Charles Wittenmeier. They join Element directorial colleagues Marc Colucci, Craig Orsini and John Papola. Adding to the talent ensemble are editors Kat Baker and Chris Santo of Element and new media artisan Jose Melendez, another Element staffer.
“The new Element will immediately leverage the growth potential of both companies. The ability for directors to work beyond the standard TV commercial format will open up creative possibilities not only for our clients, but also for the directors. The full service infrastructure will help carry the creative vision from concept through completion,” said Hankey.
The company will be based at Element’s new state-of-the-art quarters in Boston. Element’s recent expansion of its post facility provides clients an environment and technologies that streamline workflow and support the creation of quality work from concept through delivery.
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