Shop opens with a directorial lineup which includes Olof Lindh, Meiko Takechi Arquillos, Casper Balslev, Aaron Brown, Tom Haines, David Robert Mitchell, Chris Volckmann, Austin Wilson
Production vet Jason Botkin has launched A Fresh Face in Hell, a film production company with bases of operation in Seattle and Los Angeles.
Botkin is owner and managing director of the new venture which is named for its “never say die” approach to production and will provide full-service production solutions for advertising and brands. Botkin has a track record of 20-plus years experience at commercial production companies, including serving as EP at B-Reel Films, Furlined and Cap Gun Collective. He is also known for establishing Streetgang Films, a seminal music video production company that launched the careers of many A-list directors today.
A Fresh Face in Hell opens with a directorial roster which includes:
- Olof Lindh, visual storyteller known for work on Goodby Silverstein & Partners' Gradifi and Whirlpool. Lindh was previously at B-Reel Films.
- Meiko Takechi Arquillos, a well known commercial photographer turned director. This is her first roster position for commercial production.
- Casper Balslev, veteran commercial director, photojournalist and owner of New Land Films. Balslev had been at RSA for many years.
- Aaron Brown, long-time Arctic Monkeys music video collaborator. Previously at Skunk
- Tom Haines, renowned music video director and documentary film expert for BBC, Tate, and Channel 4. Previously at B-Reel Films.
- David Robert Mitchell, indie favorite director of critically acclaimed films It Follows and Under the Silverlake. This is his first roster position for commercial production.
- Chris Volckmann, industry veteran, known for his directing work with REI, Amazon, and Nike. Volckmann was previously repped at Unheard Of.
- And Austin Wilson, music documentarian who has done profiles for Iron & Wine and Band of Horses. Wilson was previously repped at Society.
For director representation A Fresh Face in Hell is working with Kevin Batten and Crystal Bedford at PopArts on the West Coast, Chiara Chung at CCCo. in the Midwest, and Dani Ostrowski of MoreMilkToast Co. on the East Coast.
In addition to production, Fresh Face also provides in-house postproduction capabilities including editorial, telecine, online, VFX, design, and animation.
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 โ 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