Global sonic studio Man Made Music has appointed John Taite as EVP, global business development & partnerships. He is responsible for leading revenue growth globally, communicating Man Made Music’s philosophy, values, and innovations, as well as establishing new partnerships and driving strategic initiatives. He is also helping the company’s marketing efforts worldwide. Taite will report to the company’s president, Lauren McGuire.
Prior to joining Man Made Music, Taite served as VP, branded content and partnerships at BBC America in New York. There, he was responsible for leading an award-winning team dedicated to compelling and innovative brand stories for AT&T, Verizon, Google, Apple, Amazon, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, and BMW, among others. Taite also previously served as VP of Programming (EMEA) for BBC Worldwide in London. Prior to that role, he led programming and acquisitions for Viacom’s MTV & VH1 channels in the UK. He is a member of the British Academy of Film & Television, the American Television Academy, and is a regular DJ at MoMA and the Guggenheim Museum.
“John is an uncommon executive whose success comes from a clear love for creativity, client partnerships, and inspiring teams,” said Man Made Music’s founder Joel Beckerman.
“At a time when brands need to form deeper, more meaningful relationships with their customers and audiences, Man Made Music offers powerful solutions that connect on an emotional level and actually make you feel something,” Taite said. “I can’t imagine a more exciting next step than joining the team in a role that combines my passion for storytelling and innovation with their ability to transform people’s lives through sound and technology.”
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