Creative production partner Tool has added Ava Berkofsky to its directorial roster for commercial representation in the U.S. Berkofsky (they/them), an award-winning cinematographer and LGBTQIA+ voice, has applied their signature visual style to features (The Sky Is Everywhere), television (HBO’s Insecure, Bel-Air), documentaries, and commercials.
Tool becomes the first company to represent Berkofsky as a director for commercials in the U.S. market. Berkofsky has extensive experience as a commercial DP. Having shot campaigns for Nike, Etsy, and Google, Berkofsky has also helped create visual identities for Apple, A24, Amazon, Netflix and Hulu. Berkofsky has additionally lensed a number of film-based art projects with exhibitions at MoMA, Brooklyn Museum, and The Armenian National Gallery.
“We are so excited that Ava is taking the next step in their commercial directorial career with us,” said Nancy Hacohen, managing director at Tool. “Ava is an outstanding filmmaker, and we’re looking forward to helping bring their unique voice and style to brands searching for a strong visual storyteller.”
Berkofsky’s directorial debut was for HBO’s comedy/drama series Insecure, an episode which earned an Outstanding Cinematography Emmy nomination for DP Kira Kelly. Berkofsky is a three-time Emmy nominee (in 2019, 2020 and 2022) for cinematography–all on the strength of their work on episodes of Insecure. Berkofsky also garnered an ASC Award nomination in 2021 for Insecure.
“Growing up in a family of filmmakers, my first language was learned by telling stories with a camera. I’m excited to use a lifetime of experiences to capture unexpected emotions, showcase intimacy, create humor, and discover real beauty to elevate stories and brands,” said Berkofsky, who added, “Tool has an incredible reputation for being home to the industry’s best filmmakers, and I’m thrilled to work with them to make powerful and effective commercials.”
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