The Directors Network (TDN), a talent agency for freelance directors and DPs, has signed director/DP Lionel Coleman and DP Daron Keet. Coleman first gained advertising recognition during his tenure as an in-house director at Nike. He specializes in docu storytelling, sports and interviewing. Keet is an award winning cinematographer who moves seamlessly between commercials and features. Additionally, director/DP Kevin Emmons, who specializes in fashion, lifestyle, dialogue and kids, has also returned to TDN….DPs Frankie DeMarco (All is Lost), Mischa Lluch (with assorted commercial credits) and Mark Bliss (also with a spotmaking filmography) have signed with Dattner Dispoto and Associates as have costume designers Meghan Kasperlik (Little Accidents, 99 Homes, assistant costume designer on American Hustle) and Patrick Milani (the feature Forever and commercials) Dattner Dispoto has also booked DP Frank Perl for 2nd unit work on episodes of the Fox Network series Sleepy Hollow….Production designer Scott Murphy has recently completed principal photography on the dystopian future drama pilot The Lottery, written by Timothy Sexton (Children of Men) and directed by Danny Cannon. Murphy is now available for commercials, television and feature films through The Skouras Agency, Santa Monica….Digital media technology company Snell has appointed Burt Young as sales manager for the U.S. Northeast region. Prior to joining Snell, Young was an account executive with Harris Broadcast for New York City and the Northeast. During his six-year tenure at Harris, he also served as South Central regional manager. Before joining Harris, Young was the North American director of sales for Ross Video and also served as product marketing manager for the Broadcast Camera Division of Philips Broadcast….
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