Director Adriano Falconi, known for his visual sensibilities and casting acumen, has signed with Chelsea for representation. Since moving to the U.S. in 2000, the Italian native has helmed spots for such clients as MasterCard, Jagermeister, Fiat Group and Puma…..FilmTecknarna, the storytelling and design studio with headquarters in Stockholm and offices in New York, recently added Barcelona-based director collective Bungalow to its roster. Bungalow's skillset spans live action, still photography, motion design, illustration and animation….Editorial house Beast, with shops throughout the country, has brought former ad agency producer Mary Ellen Farrar to oversee commercial editing and post work at its Austin, TX location. Farrar has spent the past two decades as a producer. Most recently she was on staff at the Seattle office of Publicis, where she worked on spots for Washington Lottery, Dish Network, Citi and the popular T-Mobile “myFaves” and “myTouch” campaigns….Optimus, the post and production house with offices in Chicago and Santa Monica, has promoted one-time assistant editors Julie Kravitz and Brad Tohtz to full-fledged editors….
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