Visual effects house Zoic Studios has added Blythe Klippsten as executive producer. Klippsten has nearly 15 years of experience in the VFX industry, previously working with studios including Psyop, MassMarket, Stardust Studios and Ntropic. After beginning her career as a VFX producer at Zoic from 2006-’08, she returns as EP for series. Klippsten join EP Gina Fiore in continuing to develop lasting client relationships at a time where series platforms continue to evolve. She has an extensive background in both commercial and television visual effects, having lent her talents to a number of award-winning advertising campaigns and television series, ultimately earning an Emmy Award nomination for her work on the CBS post-apocalyptic action-drama “Jericho,” out of Zoic.
Los Angeles native Klippsten was immersed in television from an early age, with her parents and sister all taking creative roles in the industry. She learned postproduction hands-on, coordinating VFX for “CSI Miami” and “CSI New York” before landing as a VFX producer at Zoic in 2006. She sharpened her skill set while working on a number of popular TV series, including HBO’s “True Blood,” and CBS’ “Jericho.” She spent the next eight years leading teams at VFX shops, overseeing the production on major campaigns for such brands as Pepsi, BMW, EA, Nintendo, Sony, Sprint, EA, Starbucks and Honda, as well as a Super Bowl spot for Cars.com.
Zoic maintains offices in Culver City, Vancouver, B.C., and NYC.
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