Park Pictures has signed director AG Rojas for commercial representation. Joining Park from Caviar Content, Rojas has turned out distinctive cinematic imagery for music videos featuring such artists as Jack White, Spiritualized, Purity Ring, Gil Scott-Heron and Emili Sande. Rojas’ music video work has earned him numerous accolades including an award for Best New Director at the 2012 UKMVA’s, Best Indie Rock Video for Spiritualized’s “Hey Jane,” and a nomination for Best Rock Video at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards for his Jack White video. Rojas’ branded work includes spots for Adidas, Sadia and O2….Stopp/family, an integrated production company with bases of operation in Stockholm and L.A., has opened an office in New York to meet the needs of its expanding U.S. clientele. Creative technologist Ola Björling–a founding member of Stopp Interactive–heads up the production arm at Stopp New York. Stopp’s recent notable U.S. work includes an integrated Honda campaign, an app for Land Rover, and an interactive website for “Hello Again,” the Beck and Chris Milk collaboration….Dallas-based editorial boutique 3008, has added turnkey production services to its offerings. Move was made in response to an increasing number of client requests expressing interest in streamlined production services. Hired for the new endeavor is a team consisting of director Shawn Fedorchuk and head of production Brian Hwang. Fedorchuk comes to 3008 from Digital Kitchen, Seattle. He has also worked for Digital Kitchen in Chicago and New York, at Lost Boys Studio in Vancouver B.C., and Prologue Films in Venice, Calif. Fedorchuk has directed, edited and creative-directed work for clients including HBO, PGA, BMW, Discovery Channel, TNT, Audi, Levi’s and the Academy Awards. Fedorchuk has hit the ground running at 3008 with a three-spot holiday package for Western Union via Moroch/Dallas and a shoot for Ford via JWT Team Detroit…72andSunny Amsterdam has hired Simon Summerscales as director of communication strategy and Caroline Britt as group brand director. Summerscales will be a champion for cross channel content planning, social spread strategy, tech and data insight and media innovation. Britt will run the agency’s Samsung and Benetton accounts, and be joint lead of the brand management department. Summerscales has run communication strategy at several London firms, including Carat, Naked and Wieden+Kennedy. Britt served as global account director at TBWAChiatDay Los Angeles….
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