City Films, a Hollywood shop under the aegis of co-founders Sheila Tighe and Josie Leonard, has added director James Wahlberg to its lineup. Wahlberg, the director of Nickelodeon's TV series The Fresh Beat Band, joins David Denneen, Derek McKane, Phil Meatchem, Kelly Hommon and Sandy Smolan on City's directorial roster. Wahlberg has recently helmed projects in South Africa, South America, Vancouver, Toronto and Mexico City, as well as numerous productions in the Los Angeles area. He has just wrapped his first projects with City Films, shooting two, 30-second live action spots for Playskool in Vancouver, and also shooting two spots for Heritage Milk….San Francisco ad agency DOJO has upped Chris Masse to the new position of creative director, reporting to partners/executive creative directors Mauro Alencar and Geoff Edwards. Masse has the distinction of being the first employee at the two-year-old shop. Masse has created award-winning campaigns for DOJO clients LG, Activision's Call of Duty franchise, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Logitech, Ultimate Ears and AT&T….
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