Mike Berg, who joined Optimus as an assistant editor in June 2007, has this month been formally promoted to full fledged editor at the integrated production and post house, which maintains shops in Chicago and Santa Monica.
Berg is no stranger to the role of editor, having cut a number of projects prior to his official promotion, most recently spots for American Family Insurance, CDW and UPS, all out of Ogilvy & Mather, Chicago.
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Berg came to Optimus in 2007 from JWT, where he was an in-house editor. He also does improvisational comedy at the iO Theater, and still does his daily comic for the University of Wisconsin’s Badger Herald.
Berg related, “Optimus is a great fit for me, and editing is the perfect mixture of so many of my interests. I have always loved computers and electronics–earning my degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science–but I also am passionate about storytelling in TV and film. Additionally, I see many parallels between my improv and editorial work. Both require the ability to adapt quickly if something isn’t working in terms of telling the story.”
“Since joining Optimus, Mike has proven that he has the talent, personality and perseverance required to be an editor,” said Optimus editor/partner Randy Palmer whom Berg has assisted in the past. “Moreover, he has the unique combination of creative and technical talent that makes him a great editor. It’s clear to us–and our clients–that Mike is doing what he loves.”
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More