Though some details were sketchy at press time, SHOOT confirmed that A Band Apart's spot operation has closed.
Though some details were sketchy at press time, SHOOT confirmed that A Band Apart’s spot operation has closed. Managing director Jeff Armstrong said company principal Lawrence Bender informed him of the decision to shutter the shop last week. Armstrong in turn made staffers and directors aware of the closure. A SHOOT phone call to Bender had not been returned at press time. Armstrong said he was disappointed over the decision to shut down A Band Apart in that he felt there were viable alternatives. There’s been some speculation that some of the talent at A Band Apart might stay together and form another venture; Armstrong related that he was still considering his options. He said his immediate priorities were trying to help staffers deal with the turn of events while also making creditors aware of the situation. Armstrong added that he is among those creditors. Among the directors on the A Band Apart roster were Marcel Langenegger, Coodie & Chike, Brendan Donovan, Per Dreyer, Derek Horn, Jennifer Little, Michael Palmieri, Corbett Scott, Martin Weisz and James White……EUE/Screen Gems has shuttered its New York-based Highway 61 production company satellite. Highway 61 was most recently headed up by exec producer Marc Rosenberg and at the time of its closing represented directors Rupert Wainwright, Eddy Chu, Tom Cartier and Doug Coleman. “The decision to close Highway 61 is part of an ongoing strategic plan here at Screen Gems that will include the opening of additional satellites in the future,” said EUE principal Chris Cooney in a released statement. “We’re also going to focus on further developing our growing business in the areas of branded entertainment, television and feature film production and distribution.”….Saville Productions, Beverly Hills, has signed director Joachim Hellinger, a.k.a. Helli, for exclusive U.S. representation. He is best known for his work in European action spots and documentaries….Director Jeff Labbe has joined Fools and Horses, Los Angeles….U.K.’s Passion Pictures has added directors Carl Zitelmann and Nathasha Rand….Troika Design Group, Hollywood, has brought Dale Everett on board as creative director….
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