The newly minted directing team We The Grimshaws–consisting of Craig Brownrigg and Brenna Horrocks–has signed with bicoastal Ruckus Films for commercial representation. The husband-and-wife team has partnered on another level by combining their creative expertise to create graphically striking, sly comedic films.
Independently, Brownrigg has directed several award-winning and hilarious commercials for brands like Progressive, McDonald’s, and Amazon. Horrocks began her career as an award-winning agency creative at Arnold, then later pivoted to freelance copywriting and designing for major brands. Additionally, she’s a published poet and essayist. Together, they masterfully meld Brownrigg’s signature grounded comedic tone and graphic visual style with Horrocks’ laser-focused eye for detail to create their own cinematic and playful brand of weirdness.
Brownrigg said, “When we shot our first spot together, I bought Brenna a card that said, ‘we’re better together’ and before you think I’m amazing, it was from the discount rack at the gas station. But the card was right and we are lucky to have such a seamlessly creative dynamic.”
Horrocks elaborated, “Yeah, it’s a weird thing to know someone this well–to talk about production design while they’re still ripping off their nasal strip. We consider it an odd little gift, especially on set. Even when we’re not working, we’re constantly bouncing ideas off one another, and we look forward to bringing that energy to our work at Ruckus.”
Ruckus co-founder and director JJ Adler remarks: “I asked them what a ‘Grimshaw’ was since that’s neither of their last names and I was treated to a truly adorable story about Brenna’s great grandpa Duckworth, how she and Craig met, and how We The Grimshaws’ creative philosophy involves treating everyone they work with like family. The functional kind! And they really do have that energy. Working with them so far has felt like a warm and fun family party. It’s infectious and I can’t wait for it to permeate through their work here.”
Brownrigg had been previously repped in the U.S. as a solo director by Hobby. Now he will direct only as part of the Grimshaws duo.
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