Production company ALTERED.LA, headed by founder and EP Marcos Cline, has signed Manny Bernardez for commercial representation. With over a decade of experience as a creative director in both the brand and agency environments, Bernardez has developed a deep understanding of how to bring a creative concept to life from ideation to execution. Starting his career in Miami Beach working for MTV Latino, Discovery Networks and HTV, among others, the Venezuelan-born director went on to form a highly awarded and influential design and animation studio based in Miami’s Design District. Looking to expand his skill set, Bernardez relocated to NYC, and took an art director position with Teamheavy/Heavy.com, a digital brand integration and branded content company, where his passion for filmmaking was sparked. Soon after, Bernardez went on to secure a creative leadership position with Nike’s global brand design team, where he developed his filmmaking while directing an extensive amount of work for the brand. During these six years with the sportswear brand, Bernardez oversaw a number of memorable projects, including the launch of Nike+ and the Beijing Olympics, and the creation of the Nike Brand Kitchen, an internal content studio which he co-led. With a background in VFX, design, and animation adding a valuable skill set to his directorial toolbox, Bernardez has since worked with a diverse range of agencies and brands, from Nike, Adidas, NFL, and the NBA to Crocs, Toyota, and Logitech. A versatile director who has worked across long and short form, Bernardez has collaborated with companies such as ESPN, MTV, IWC, Dell, and Kroger, as well as advertising agencies like Anomaly, Ogilvy, Mother NY, and Translation LLC during his career. At present, Bernardez is developing several scripts while being fully immersed in music production and writing, with plans to release an EP by autumn 2023. Prior to joining ALTERED.LA, Bernardez was most recently repped in the commercialmaking space by Durable Goods…..
Toronto-based Smile + Wave has added editor Noah Kendal to its lineup for Canadian representation. Kendal has been active in commercials and music videos. On the latter front, he has cut projects for artists such as Drake, Bad Bunny, Tainy, The Weeknd, J Balvin, and Dua Lipa. Notably, Drake’s “What’s Next” video earned Kendal a nomination for Best Editing at the 2021 MTV Music Video Awards. Kendal’s commercial credits span brands like Dick’s Sporting Goods out of New York’s Anomaly directed by Maceo Frost for Knucklehead; Footlocker, directed by Division 7 director Ray Smiling; Asics x Reigning Champ, directed by Kid Studio; and SnapAR, for director Najeeb Tarazi. Additionally, Kendal’s artful touch is evident in a stylish advertisement featuring Selena Gomez for Our Place…..
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