Avid announced New MBox Family Options

Avid® (NASDAQ: AVID) introduced a series of new Mbox® family options—delivering innovative, professional features and flexible, open workflows so artists can create distinctive and compelling audio, in the studio or on stage.

New Mbox Family Options: Portable Personal Recording Systems Now Available With or Without Pro Tools
Following on the heels of the Pro Tools version 9 launch in November 2010, Avid is now offering Mbox recording solutions bundled with Pro Tools 9. The new bundles—Pro Tools + Mbox Pro, Pro Tools + Mbox and Pro Tools + Mbox Mini—give musicians and engineers the ability to turn their Mac or PC into a portable recording, mixing and production studio using the industry’s most popular DAW for an Avid-advantaged workflow. For the first time ever, customers can also opt to purchase the Mbox Pro, Mbox or Mbox Mini as a standalone recording interface for use with their favorite third-party audio software. This flexibility enables customers to design a workflow that best suits their needs. 

Pricing and availability 
Pricing for Pro Tools + Mbox bundles begins at $699.99 for Pro Tools + Mbox Mini, $899.99 for Pro Tools + Mbox and $1,099.99 for Pro Tools + Mbox Pro. Pricing for standalone Mbox interfaces begins at $299.99 for the Mbox Mini, $499.99 for the Mbox and $799.99 for the Mbox Pro. All options will be available worldwide on March 21, 2011. 

For regions outside of the U.S., please see your local retailer for pricing. For more information on features and availability, visit: www.avid.com.

Watching the Watchers Congress finally sets its sight on privacy and the internet

Personal privacy isn’t what it used to be. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook, who called privacy on the Internet a “gray area.” He should know—Zuckerberg’s site has created a new culture of privacy, one in which people freely give up all sorts of information.
 
But this is one area that might not stay gray for long. With privacy advocates warning that the Internet is turning into a capitalist version of Big Brother and users increasingly concerned about the amount of information they’re giving up about themselves, the issue is drawing elected officials like—well, like politicians to a camera. Though legislation has been kicking around for the last few years, this looks like the year there could be real traction, spurred on by an administration that has prioritized all things Internet. 

Meanwhile, the industry isn’t giving up without a fight, not when the Internet offers marketers an unprecedented opportunity to serve ads, services and content that people care about in a targeted way. So advertisers, industry associations and tech companies alike are suddenly moving quickly to self-regulate, hoping that if they get there first, they can keep the government from doing it for them. 

This year’s round of debates opens this week in the Senate, where Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W. Va., who chairs the Commerce Committee, is set to convene a hearing. Here’s our guide to the players.


http://www.adweek.com/aw/photos/stylus/1223598-Privacy.pdf

iPad 2 Games Look As Good As Xbox 360 Games On A 50-Inch HDTV

Check out this video of the iPad 2 playing Chair Entertainment’s Infinity Blade on a 50-inch LG HDTV running at 1080p, thanks to the new iPad HDMI adapter. That’s a ten-dollar game looking just as lurid and beautiful in high-definition as a $60 Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 game.

Here’s another video of Real Racing 2 HD in action on the same setup:

Touch Gen has more videos of iPad 2 games in action through the official HDMI adapter. Why Apple doesn’t just let the $99 AppleTV play apps through a paired iOS device is beyond me: they’d single handedly destroy Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft in the console games market with one swoop

AT&T Makes Calls & Texts To Japan Free in March

AT&T customers can call and text Japan for free through March 31st, the company said on Monday.

The offer extends to customers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and is in reponse to last week’s earthquake and tsunami.

AT&T also said wireless customers will not be charged for international long distance calls or texts to Japan that were placed after March 11th.

And AT&T landline customers can apply for 60 minutes of credit for calls to Japan from March 11th to March 31st.

Here’s the details from AT&T’s press release:

AT&T Offers Wireless, Wireline Billing Relief for Consumers Calling and Texting Family, Friends in Japan

DALLAS, March 14, 2011 — AT&T today announced it has implemented international calling and texting support efforts for U.S. residential wireless and wireline consumers trying to connect with loved ones in Japan, following last week’s tragic earthquake and tsunami.

Effective beginning last week, March 11, and continuing through March 31, AT&T wireless postpaid customers will not be charged for:

International long distance usage from the United States and Puerto Rico to Japan

Text messages to Japan, originated from a U.S. wireless number

In addition, and also effective March 11 through March 31, residential wireline customers can seek credits for up to 60 minutes of direct dial calling to Japan:

Upon receiving their wireline bill, customers may call AT&T to receive adjusted calling for up to 60 minutes. In other words, no charges for up to 60 minutes of call time from the United States to Japan between March 11 and March 31.

For any of the above activity, customers will either see no charges reflected on their monthly statement, or they will see a full credit applied to their statement for activity between March 11 and March 31.

“We want to help our customers connect with loved ones in Japan in anyway we can,” said Mark Collins, senior vice president, Voice and Data Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Connecting with family and friends is most important at times like this— we want to make it as easy and worry free as possible for our customers.”

Still available, AT&T wireless customers can text “redcross” to 90999 to give a $10 donation to help the Red Cross with disaster support efforts in the area. No text message fees apply.

And, TV Japan – the 24 hour Japanese news channel – is available for free through March 17 to all U-verse® TV subscribers, allowing viewers to follow the news and recovery efforts. TV Japan can be found on channel 3680.

After Layoffs, Time for Big-Name Hires at AOL Twitter co-founder, 11 others come on board

Last week wasn't a happy one at AOL, as it laid off about a fifth of its 5,000-member staff. This week, though, AOL kicked off the week with a slew of happier announcements, naming Twitter co-founder Biz Stone as a strategic adviser for social impact and building out its new Huffington Post Media Group team with 11 new hires.

AOL said that among other things, Stone would develop a platform to promote local do-gooders and spotlight companies’ philanthropic work.

As for the new appointments, they bring to 17 the number of hires AOL has made in the past week as it focuses on premium content.

The most prominent of the new hires is John Montorio, late of the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times: He was named culture and entertainment editor. In addition, Howard Fineman’s role was expanded to editorial director at Huffpo. The longtime political journalist had been senior political editor there.

Today’s news also brought word that AOL would begin sharing content with HuffPo. AOL also said it would expand Patch.com, its online local news effort, to two Newark, New Jersey, communities in partnership with Newark Mayor Cory Booker; and create a “30-Day Service Challenge” to encourage volunteerism. Booker and Arianna Huffington have previously been rumored to be dating. 

SONY Music - Manager, International Digital Sales and Marketing

Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America.

The Manager, International Digital Sales and Marketing is primarily responsible for production of assets, promotion and sales, and reporting and analysis of Sony's mobile and online products internationally.

The Manager’s key functions will include: 
• Develop strong relationships across multiple areas within the territories and the labels, including content/editorial, product marketing, operations, reporting, and label executive management. 
• Establish account management expertise with a primary focus on global accounts: iTunes, Nokia, Amazon, and Sony. 
• Support regional and local Sony offices in account managing key regional and local partners including Vodafone, Telefonica, and Orange. 
• Serve as the liaison between the international label product managers and the global digital operations team to assure that mobile and online products are being set up correctly and in the most appropriate way for individual territory and account needs. 
• Provide analysis of sales and share recommendations within the territories and with the labels to optimize the sales performance of repertoire through digital channels internationally. 
• Work closely with internal teams to solve operational, reporting, and technical issues. 

Specifically, the candidate will be responsible for:

Digital Retail Planning: 
• Develop mobile & online retail promotion plans for territories and communicate US digital plans to ex-US affiliates. 

Promotional Tracking and Analysis: 
• Solicit/maintain sales data from territories to track effectiveness of promotions and compile sales reports to be distributed to label product managers. 

Digital Production and Planning:
• Oversee mobile and online production requests for territories, including clearances for all forms of digital exploitation ex-US. 
• Propose and execute mobile and online sales campaigns and assist in achieving featured positioning for Sony’s artists, frontline & catalog releases, and holiday & themed content. Work closely with Sony labels to develop priorities, create campaign concepts, and execute sales plans. 
• Maintain mobile and online release schedules for all US repertoire international releases. 
• Liaise with label production departments & operations teams to ensure correct product setup and delivery. 

Qualifications:
• 4-6 years experience at a mobile content/services company, digital music provider, and/or record label.
• Prior experience in account/client management, digital music or media sales, distribution, or marketing.
• Working knowledge of the digital music industry, and a passion for music and artists.
• Must be comfortable managing multiple business relationships across a variety of internal and external teams, each with potentially different objectives or priorities.
• Excellent communication, organization, and time-management skills.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and balance priorities.
• Strong analytic skills.
• Some international travel required.
• Highly proficient in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

"Girl Walks Into A Bar" Is Hollywood’s First Feature Film For Internet

Yo! Internet rules, Internet is the future of Entertainment, and Hollywood understands it. So here it is, "Girl Walks Into A Bar," Hollywood’s first major motion picture made specifically for distribution on the Internet. And then again, it’s first on YouTube, and it’s free.

OK. So, Girl Walks Into A Bar is comedy film written and directed by Sebastián Gutiérrez, featuring a group of apparent strangers in interlocking stories taking place in ten different bars during the course of one night in Los Angeles.

The film’s cast includes (prominently) Carla Gugino, Zachary Quinto, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Josh Hartnett and Emmanuelle Chriqui as a desperate dentist, an undercover private detective, a pickpocket, a gangster, and an exotic dancer.

"PLOT. Girl Walks Into A Bar connects a group of apparent strangers over one night across ten bars throughout Los Angeles. Zachary Quinto stars as a dentist who teams up with a feisty would-be assassin (Carla Gugino) to put the final touches on the plan to kill his wife. Once he makes a play for the assassin’s payment, he unknowingly sets off a chain of events that fuels a crosstown journey through the many lounges, bars, strip clubs and the occasional nudist ping pong clubs scattered across Los Angeles. By turns funny and heartbreaking, this sharp-witted comedy features ten interconnected vignettes that build to a revealing finish."

The film is presented by Lexus, and is now playing in the YouTube Screening Room (here). You can watch the film at once or in installments as 10 different interlocked chapters…

Opera Mobile Store For Apps Launches In 200 Countries

I was one of those (about) 15 million users who went hands-on with the Opera Mobile Store in February, prior to its launch, and now, the app store is available to all.

By that I mean, Opera has officially launched the Opera Mobile Store for mobile apps, in 200 countries, immediately accessible to more than 105 million users of Opera mobile browsers (Opera Mini or Opera Mobile).

The application marketplace (built on Appia technology) offers free and paid apps for almost any mobile platform and device – - i.e., those running Symbian, BlackBerry, Android or a Java-based mobile operating system.

The wide catalogue of apps is automatically customized to the user’s phone (or OS), language and currency.

FYI, the Opera Mobile Store is now among the top 10 mobile app stores in the world in terms of both user base (15 million currently, and 700,000 app downloads per day) and number of available apps.

Interactive Account Supervisor - salary in the $70K-$80K range

11th Hour
Location: Los Angeles, CA
www.11thr.com

An independent creative Ad Agency is looking for a fantastic Interactive Account Supervisor to join its team. In this role you will be overseeing the health of interactive accounts, responsible for strategic and tactical efforts including timelines, budgets and team motivation. You will be working closely with clients to manage expectations and satisfaction.

You should have:
- 5+ years of account management from ad agency environments [required]
- Strong experience with interactive accounts 
- Solid knowledge of interactive advertising
- Experience working on youth oriented accounts

This is an on site, fulltime position in Los Angeles with a salary in the $70K-$80K range. For consideration, please send your resume to recruiter3@11thr.com


To Apply: Send resume to Recruiter3@11thr.com

Associate Creative Director - salary in the $125k range

11th Hour
Location: Los Angeles, CA
www.11thr.com


An internal agency inside a global entertainment and hospitality brand is looking for an Associate Creative Director to join its team. In this role you will be directing the creative vision of the brand, leading and inspiring the team while delivering top notch work. You will be responsible for bringing highly successful print collateral, direct campaigns, radio, broadcast and digital work to consumers, with consistent, clear messaging in a clever voice which speaks to a family oriented audience. You will partner with outside resources, manage freelancers, and most importantly, serve as the quality filter ensuring that only the highest caliber work leaves the agency. 

You should have:
- 7-10 years experience in design from an ad agency environment
- Strong typography, composition and color knowledge as it pertains to marketing and advertising, and what makes an effective, conceptual campaign.
- Great collaborative abilities; you can encourage AND lead a team.
- Strong experience with photo shoots and directing photo driven concepts and campaigns.
- Great creative judgment: what is the difference between good advertising and impactful advertising?
- The ability to bring a global brand to a targeted audience in an elegant, clever way.
- A positive outlook which inspires other team members to seek out creative advice.
- Experience with hospitality or travel clients, or experience with family oriented advertising.

This is an on site fulltime position in the LA area with a salary in the $125k range. For consideration please send resumes and portfolios to Recruiter3@11thr.com



To Apply: Send resume and portfolio link to recruiter3@11thr.com

Web Producer - Rodale Inc

Rodale is currently seeking Web Producer candidates to become an active member of our interactive teams. The main responsibility of these roles will be to develop technical solutions to editorial and advertising challenges, and then work with our IT and Product Development teams to have them completed. Projects are executed by coordinating resources and schedules, but also by digging in and doing development and programming in the Content Management System. 

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in both editorial and technology, and a proven ability to deliver creative content online because of his/her proven ability to creatively harness technology in support of editorial content goals. Brainstorming online content, and finding creative ways to deploy emerging media to meet business objectives are just as important as high-level technical and project management skills in this position. 

Those chosen for the role must be able to build relationships with other business units and communicate effectively. Candidates must have experience with large scale web sites and be completely comfortable with working in an advertising-driven environment. 

Responsibilities include: 
-Work with online editors and advertising department to plan new content and features for Rodale websites 
-Contribute to strategic planning with editors and management to identify and deploy tactics that will help site meet its traffic goals 
-Manage junior members of web production staff 
-Stay on top of emerging trends and techniques in social media and SEO 
-Produce and manage daily, weekly, and monthly Newsletters 
-Maintain site content and promotions via content management tools (Vignette, Drupal, Blogs, Video, Podcasting) 
-Work Closely with IT, Editorial and Infrastructure staff to make sure the site is running correctly 
-Work closely with Advertising to design and develop effective ad strategies that are in line with editorial standards 
-Build and modify templates using HTML and CSS and some javascript 

Ideal candidate will possess: 
-Minimum 5 years experience with large-scale web sites 
-Experience managing external vendors and partners 
-Intermediate HTML/ CSS skills 
-Familiarity with the web advertising, IAB standards and DART 
-Familiarity with Blog publishing tools, RSS and XML. 
-Ability to think critically about web design and web development tools 
-Understands Natural Search Optimization strategies 
-Know how to use MS Project and other MS Office Apps 
-Experience using Content Management tools. (Drupal, WordPress, Vignette, Interwoven, etc.) 
-Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
-Solid understanding of web production and development and the technologies involved 
-Basic Adobe Photoshop proficiency (manipulate/resize/crop images) 

Bonus Skills: 
-IT/Development background (Java, JSP, Javascript.) 
-Macromedia Flash and Actionscript. 
-Familiarity with Blogging software (WordPress, TypePad) 
-Digital Audio and Video Production (Podcasting, Streaming, Encoding Processes.) 
-Interactive agency and advertising experience 
-Visual Design experience 
-Interest in Health and Fitness 
-Publishing Industry experience 

To Apply: 
Rodale has made a positive difference in the lives of millions of people. 

Perhaps we'll make a difference in yours. Discover this career opportunity at www.rodaleinc.com 

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V.