WTP Pictures has added director McKenzie Thompson to its talent roster. Launching her career as a still photographer, she has over a decade of experience shooting stills and spots for skincare, cosmetics, hair care, and fashion brands. The Brooklyn-based director has helmed work for top brands including Target, Neutrogena, E.L.F. Cosmetics, Pandora and Herbal Essences, and recently shot a campaign for Wind Creek Casino.
McKenzie’s unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusivity extends through all of her work, bringing a passion for partnering with clients who prioritize equal representation across gender, sexual orientation, body type, ability, and ethnicity. In an industry where authenticity and diversity matter more than ever, McKenzie’s dedication to these values aligns seamlessly with WTP Pictures’ ethos. McKenzie had been freelancing prior to joining WTP Pictures.
WTP Pictures partner/executive producer Jesse Ford said of McKenzie, “Her approach to capturing people in a fresh and colorful way aligns perfectly with the team we are building and a style of work we are excited to bring to our clients and agency partnerships. Most importantly, she is an amazing human. Her gentle demeanor with talent, whether celebrities or real people, as well as her confidence with client and agency teams, matches our expectation of the production process, which is putting people first.”
McKenzie added, “I was drawn to the way WTP Pictures supports their artists and I’m so excited to make our partnership official. I think we can make great work together and I can’t wait to see what we do next.”
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