Australian TV director Stuart McDonald has joined The Sweet Shop for representation in commercials and branded content worldwide. He brings extensive experience in performance direction and comedic television; his most notable TV series credits include the cult hits Summer Heights High and more recently Angry Boys. McDonald is also well known Down Under for his dramatic work on the Foxtel series Tangle.
McDonald’s desire is to now bring his accomplished skillset in performance direction to the commercial world where he is planning to focus on drama and comedy scripts.
“Whether it’s comedy or drama, as a director I enjoy finding that key that makes it real, the moment to moment,” said McDonald. “I started my career as a screenwriter and as such the heart of my work will always be storytelling.” He was drawn to The Sweet Shop for its forward thinking and global footprint, among other factors.
Paul Prince, CEO/founding partner of The Sweet Shop described McDonald as “a rare talent. He has very obvious strengths with cast and characterisation, in any genre, from comedy to hard-hitting drama, but what really stands out with Stuart is his depth of understanding of the idea within a narrative. His background as screenplay writer serves him very well.”
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