Director Steve Ayson has signed with MJZ for representation and management in the U.S., U.K. France and Amsterdam. He continues to be handled by The Sweet Shop in the Southern Hemisphere. The Sweet Shop had represented Ayson worldwide since 2009, and prior to that he had been handled in the U.S. by Smuggler and in the U.K. by Academy Films.
Known for his smart, offbeat comedy, intuitive eye for casting and penchant for storytelling, Ayson’s recent credits include a comedic spot for the Melbourne International Film Festival, with a cameo by Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush, and Speight’s Summit commercial “Man Like Natural” which show male’s primal instincts.
Over the years, Ayson has helmed commercials for such clients as Heineken, Volkswagen, MTV, Toohey’s and Folgers. For the latter he directed the classic viral piece Shiny Happy People for Saatchi & Saatchi, New York. Ayson’s work has garnered recognition at Adfest, the Caanz Axis, Spikes, Clio and One Show competitions.
He brings a balance of both art and commerce to MJZ. Ayson made his first industry mark as an agency creative, serving as an art director and hybrid writer/art director at several New Zealand ad agencies, including the former Mojo and Bates shops.
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