Executive Producer/Partner
Lucky 21
1) As production partners, we are increasingly being approached early on to help develop concepts. It’s the realization of what we have been advocating for some time; early involvement means more successful productions start to completion. It’s like a cooking challenge where you are given gourmet ingredients and are asked to come up with a delicious meal. To be a trusted partner requires strong, experienced producers who know all of the complexities involved in producing all kinds of media. That allows creatives, both agency side and directors, to focus on what they most enjoy with the protection of knowing what’s possible. This movement is also part of what I see as the renewal of the relationship – that with all things being equal, you choose to work with people you trust to solve the puzzle. It’s a people-driven industry and we’ve seen a refocus on valuing the relationships forged and the interest in collaborating in a more resourceful, more open way.
2) As the relatively new President of the AICP Southwest chapter, one of my big goals is to foster more connectedness throughout the chapter. We have exceptional talent here, but often operate in silos and identify with where we work rather than operating as part of a creative community. If we can encourage a sense of place and pride in the region, we will raise everyone’s profile as a creative destination.
3) To be completely who we are, and appreciate it. We aren’t going to be all things to all people, and we are okay with it. We compete not by trying to be like other companies, but by being ourselves. Too often, people are lured by the shiny object of what’s trendy or by competing through similarity. Resisting that temptation in favor of going by instinct, being passionate about what you have to offer, isn’t always as simple as it sounds but it is, in the long run, more valuable. This isn’t a resolution as much as a reminder: be yourself.
4) To continue to invest my time in people I care about. Mentoring and developing talent and on a broader scale. To be appreciative of that simple idea, and act on it.
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