Golden LA has added filmmaker Ashley Armitage to its talent roster.
Originally from Seattle, Armitage attended UCSB for Cinema Studies before pursuing her BFA in Photomedia from UW, often skipping classes to fly to New York City for shoots as a photographer. This early success opened doors to commercial filmmaking, fast-tracking her rise as a director. Armitage’s first commercial film was the product launch for Billie, “Project Body Hair.” The campaign won a People’s Voice Webby for Advertising, Media & PR Brand Strategy, racking up over one million views in its first 24 hours and aired in Times Square. “Project Body Hair” made history in 2018 as the first film to show female body hair being removed.
As a visual storyteller, Armitage’s filmmaking seamlessly fuses lighthearted humor with a powerful drive for social change, using her art to challenge and dismantle outdated concepts of identity and gender. By bringing levity and a modern sensibility to her films, Armitage’s directorial eye has caught the attention of companies seeking to create authentic, meaningful brand films. Her signature style of colorful tableaus has been seen in films and stills for brands like H&M, Levi’s, Nordstrom, Adidas, Nike, Bumble, Showtime, First Aid Beauty, Viceland, and Billie. She continues to work behind the camera as a photographer, with her images featured in i-D, Dazed, Teen Vogue, Vogue UK, and Vogue Portugal, and in front of the camera, appearing in campaigns for Gucci’s Guilty fragrance, Nylon x Polaroid, Nordstrom, and Chanel x i-D.
“I love the people at Golden LA,” remarked Armitage. “I’m fortunate enough to have worked with [Golden LA EP] Dahlia Stone before. [Managing director] Matt Marquis is so kind, and I’m incredibly inspired by everyone on the roster. I’m excited to be somewhere that shares the same artistic values with me as a director. I can’t wait to get started!”
Stone added, “Ashley’s work has a compelling authenticity that vicariously welcomes viewers into her scenes, oftentimes ordinary moments made extraordinary through her unique and masterful eye. She recognizes and captures the human condition—its beauty, depth, curiosity, and playfulness—and, in turn, is able to influence, foster brand buzz, and promote positive change. Ashley is also a dream to work with; kind, collaborative, and emotionally intuitive, she is a compatible and ideal signing for Golden LA.”
Prior to Golden LA, Armitage had been with production house PRETTYBIRD.
Changing OpenAI’s Nonprofit Structure Would Raise Questions and Heightened Scrutiny
The artificial intelligence maker OpenAI may face a costly and inconvenient reckoning with its nonprofit origins even as its valuation recently exploded to $157 billion.
Nonprofit tax experts have been closely watching OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, since last November when its board ousted and rehired CEO Sam Altman. Now, some believe the company may have reached — or exceeded — the limits of its corporate structure, under which it is organized as a nonprofit whose mission is to develop artificial intelligence to benefit "all of humanity" but with for-profit subsidiaries under its control.
Jill Horwitz, a professor in law and medicine at UCLA School of Law who has studied OpenAI, said that when two sides of a joint venture between a nonprofit and a for-profit come into conflict, the charitable purpose must always win out.
"It's the job of the board first, and then the regulators and the court, to ensure that the promise that was made to the public to pursue the charitable interest is kept," she said.
Altman recently confirmed that OpenAI is considering a corporate restructure but did not offer any specifics. A source told The Associated Press, however, that the company is looking at the possibility of turning OpenAI into a public benefit corporation. No final decision has been made by the board and the timing of the shift hasn't been determined, the source said.
In the event the nonprofit loses control of its subsidiaries, some experts think OpenAI may have to pay for the interests and assets that had belonged to the nonprofit. So far, most observers agree OpenAI has carefully orchestrated its relationships between its nonprofit and its various other corporate entities to try to avoid that.
However, they also see... Read More