Pixomondo has hired Steve Pugh as an executive producer to help oversee projects from the Burbank office, one of the company’s 11 studios around the world. A 20-year veteran of the visual effects industry, Pugh will be involved in streamlining the production pipeline of the Burbank office to better accommodate their growing mixed roster of television and film work.
Pugh comes to Pixomondo from Eden FX where he spent 10 years as a visual effects producer. As a go-to producer for many show VFX supervisors, he oversaw work on a number of high profile television series including Lost, Fringe, Pushing Daisies, Community, Person of Interest and Pan Am. He also worked on several feature films including Hellboy and Shoot ‘Em Up.
“I worked closely with him at Eden FX and know firsthand how his deep technical background, production pipeline mastery and client friendly attitude benefits projects,” said Mark Miller, executive producer and general manager, Pixomondo Burbank. “Not only is he incredibly dependable under fire, but he also knows how to deliver work quickly and smoothly. He will also be an excellent mentor for our junior staff members.”
“Having worked with a number of Pixomondo’s artists in the past, I know they’ve assembled an exceptional crew,” said Pugh. “The caliber of projects that they’ve worked on is quite impressive, and I am excited to bring my experiences in workflow design and project management to the table to help them tackle even more ambitious projects.”
After a brief stint in special effects makeup, Pugh began his VFX career at Foundation Imaging as a systems engineer and artist. Working on the series Babylon 5 and designing their render pipeline, Pugh expanded his role over time, eventually becoming general manager as the staff grew from four artists to over 150.
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