The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) has promoted Mark Friedlander to director of new media, effective May 21. Friedlander will head the Guild’s newly formed new media department and will report to Pamm Fair, SAG’s deputy national executive director.
“Mark’s expertise in new media and interactive contracts, combined with his knowledge of emerging technologies and his legal background, make him the perfect choice for this new position,” Fair said. “Our elected leaders and staff have made new media a top priority and this new department, along with our research and economics department, will provide essential research, analysis and strategy to guide our long-term decisions and policies.”
Friedlander and the new media department will work closely with the Guild’s new technologies, interactive contract, and organizing committees, as well as negotiating committees for all SAG contracts and the newly formed national joint new media subcommittee. Friedlander will be charged with hiring additional professional staff over the coming months.
“This is the dawn of a new era in entertainment,” Friedlander said. “The developments in new media formats give actors new opportunities, but it’s important to make sure they are compensated fairly for their work, no matter what the format. This department will help accomplish that, and I’m excited to lead this critical area for the Screen Actors Guild.”
Friedlander came to the Guild in ’05 as a business representative in the contracts department, specializing in theatrical, new media and interactive projects. Prior to SAG, he was an entertainment attorney.
Supreme Court Allows Multibillion-Dollar Class Action Lawsuit To Proceed Against Meta
The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors' lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.
The justices heard arguments in November in Meta's bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place.
The high court dismissed the company's appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward.
Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users' personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump 's first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016.
Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company's shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company was disappointed by the court's action. "The plaintiff's claims are baseless and we will continue to defend ourselves as this case is considered by the District Court," Stone said in an emailed statement.
Meta already has paid a $5.1 billion fine and reached a $725 million privacy settlement with users.
Cambridge Analytica had ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon. It had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million Facebook users. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign.
The lawsuit is one of two high court cases involving class-action lawsuits against tech companies. The justices also are wrestling with whether to shut down a class action against Nvidia.... Read More