Hasta La Creative!

Adage has taken a look into what Youtube are doing and how it squeezes content creators. “As YouTube Tinkers With Ad Formula, Its Stars See Their Videos Lose Money.” There used to be two filters to select when you wanted to advertise on YouTube, today there’s five.

The video site is not messing around with its ad-block button as it scrubs itself clean for marketers after hundreds of brands froze spending there because ads were appearing alongside objectionable, and even terrorist-backed, videos.

It has sent a note to advertisers telling them about new filters they can apply to campaigns that will help them avoid more types of objectionable content. There used to be two filter categories known as “sensitive subject exclusions” for “sensitive social issues” and “tragedy and conflicts,” which advertisers could proactively avoid.

Now, there are five exclusions, including “sexually suggestive,” “sensational and shocking,” and “profanity and rough language,” according to an agency executive who received the update from Google.

“Advertisers can be more conservative by implementing sensitive subject exclusions,” Google said in its note, which was sent out within the past week.
The new filter categories are some of the first tangible steps coming out of YouTube to address content concerns and give advertisers more control over where their ads appear. They also mean creators will face more scrutiny over their subject matter. Just like last year Youtube creators are calling it censorship when their videos are demonetized for failing to adhere to YouTube’s safe content ideas. To be clear, Google is making the web poorer, when the world allows them to be the arbitrary judge of what content is deemed friendly, but they are only in that position because youtube creators put them there while chasing manna from adwords.

The big brand exodus from Google Adwords is a huge blow to the tech giant, who have failed to sort out not placing government ads on ISIS recruitment videos for several years, despite being the smartest guys in the room.

Unsurprisingly Campaign Live reports broadcasters are boosted by YouTube brand boycott, after all the digital ad-spend budget still has to be spent somewhere. There’s not been an uptick in the traditional TV market, but broadcasters like Channel 4, ITV and Sky who have their own online video sites in the UK are seeing significant increase in adspend. A bonus to this is – obviously – is that there’s no middleman named Google taking their cut.

Jonathan Allan, sales director at Channel 4, said: “We have taken more money from advertisers who have ‘paused’ on YouTube.”

He predicted “a return to triple-A broadcast quality, over the current junk-bond status of YouTube and social video”.

Simon Daglish, deputy managing director of commercial at ITV, added: “We have seen more growth than we were projecting in our VoD channels. It’s been a significant uptick.”

John Litster, managing director at Sky Media, said: “We have taken some cash that may have been heading to YouTube. It’s going into exactly the place where YouTube can’t guarantee it [brand safety]. It’s going into premium broadcast VoD through the settop box and through the Sky Go app.”

Tim Pool demonstrates how he can run “any video I want, on any channel that I want” by a few simple clicks in the Youtube adwords dashboard. He selects a coke film to run as an ad on a White Power/Klan meetup clip, with the destination link being a KKK board. He never lets the bought ad go through approval, so it’s unclear whether it actually would be approved, but regardless he has demonstrated a massive flaw in the Google adword system on Youtube. This means that any commercial uploaded by any brand could be used as a pre-roll ad on any other content. By anyone. I’ve never seen “delete your Youtube channel now” spelled out quite so clearly for big brands before.

If brands want control – and they do – they should not upload their videos to Youtube at all. In this day and age when even ten year olds can build websites with video playback, it seems ludicrous to relinquish control of your content to Youtube. For the broadcaster that have yet to create their own video websites and apps, it seems this would be the time to invest in that if you want to share in ITV and Channel4’s ad income success.

Bicoastal production and post company Greenpoint Pictures has signed comedy director Micah Perta for commercial representation.

A veteran of MTV’s promos department, he has worked on star-studded campaigns for series such as Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party and the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) and MTV Movie Awards. The A-list talent he has worked with includes Taylor Swift, Tracy Morgan, Ellen DeGeneres, Usher, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, Dwayne Johnson, Alicia Keys and Kate McKinnon.

View Micah Perta’s reel.

Perta’s experience encompasses all aspects of a creative campaign – from television and print to online and digital. He has directed comedic spots for brands such as Pepsi, Toyota, Hershey’s, Wendy’s and Stride Gum. His first project for Greenpoint was a successful Hershey’s campaign for Facebook’s in-house creative shop and he has also worked with agencies such as McCann Erickson, Havas, MullenLowe and Deep Focus.

His side projects include Daytime Noon, a narrative short film starring Olivia Wilde, music videos and video art. His work has been covered by the New York Times and garnered millions of hits on YouTube.

“We were immediately drawn to Micah’s independent spirit and infectious energy,” says Michael Kuhn, founding partner at Greenpoint Pictures. “He’s like a funny kid trapped inside the body of a super talented and experienced filmmaker, and that playfulness and passion shines through in his work.”

Super powerful ad that makes use of subtitles in a really smart way to show that for some autistic kids, information overload causes them to shut down. It’s important to give them a few moments so they can process it all, and respond. The film was released yesterday to coincide with World Autism Awareness Day which is April 2nd. Of particular note, Holly, the 12 year old girl who stars in this ad, is actually autistic and made this as a way to share her story. She explains “sometimes I get really upset that people do not understand autism. But I hope this campaign will help improve understanding and make other people who are autistic feel more
accepted.” I hope so too, Holly.
The thing about autism is the majority of the public surveyed said they would gladly modify their behavior if they knew how. Which is the rub of course. Especially because there is a wide spectrum of people with autism. But hopefully this will help in at least allowing people to respond to a specific kind.
Holly’s mother Jo explained it like this: “We worked closely with the school to put in place lots of really small strategies, like letting her leave lessons 5 minutes early because she gets so overwhelmed by noisy and busy spaces, and it’s made such a difference.”
Jo sounds like an amazing mom. And Holly sounds like an amazing young lady. Super simple ad but what a great way to illustrate the overwhelming feeling of having too much information to process.

Vagabond Production Services further expands their global reach with the launch of its Portugal office. The branch will be headed up by Sonia De Jesus Costa, a Portuguese-born commercial and features producer who has worked in Lisbon and Barcelona over the last 20 years. Combining her decades of experience with the knowledge of her native country, Sonia will take full advantage of what she calls, “the new hotspot for production services.”

Sonia was the driver for the Portugal venture, and will work closely between the new location and the Spain office, where the Vagabond team is currently in production for Toyota. Also in Spain, Vagabond recently completed work on an international Jeep campaign directed by Juergen Bollmeyer out of Mod/Op Films. The ads, which absolutely soar with the beauty of Barcelona and Madrid, are just a hint of what’s to come with the company’s expansion into the gorgeous country of Portugal.

The unique scenery isn’t the only reason Portugal is an unmissable destination for film shoots, says Sonia. “Portugal is economical, making it a very competitive production option. It is undoubtedly one of the best countries to get the most value for your money in all of Europe.”

According to Sonia, the push to work in Portugal is due to the combination of production facilities, government support, and the extended network of specialized technicians and vendors. Additionally, Portugal’s streamlined permitting process is artistically inviting and favors quick turnaround times. Only in Lisbon can filming permits be obtained within three working days, and a permit from the parents is the only requirement to shoot with children, without having to wait weeks dealing with administrations.

As the lead line producer for any project to come through the Portugal office, Sonia attests that, “Nothing is impossible in this beautiful country,” and her years of working across the production landscape certainly grant her the expertise to make such a claim. Sonia began her career as a photo assistant, then moved towards live-action production, where she spent time in nearly every position in the department, working as a PA, location manager, 2nd AD, production coordinator, production manager and producer. Apart from Portugal and Spain, Sonia has worked in Italy, France, Germany, the UK, Morocco and New York. That she also speaks five languages only elevates Vagabond’s already significant international cache.

Formed in 2002 by Lorenzo Benedick and Gabriel Carratu, Vagabond has established itself as a go-to creative partner of producers, directors, agencies and global brands. The Portugal office further broadens the Vagabond network, with already established branches in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic Mexico, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, and the United States.