Oscar-Winning Technologist Michael Poimboeuf Named COO Of AI Startup Fawn Friends

oday (3.25), Fawn Friends, a vertically integrated AI companion company building the world's first real-life sidekick announces the appointment of technologist MichaelPoimboeuf, contributor to the 2004 Sound Technology OSCAR®¹ for the design, development, and implementation of Pro Tools, as Chief Operating Officer. Based in San Francisco, Poimboeuf will oversee hardware development, production, supply chain and growth logistics for the company's emotionally intelligent AI companion, Fawn, and advise on its robotics and animated film projects.

Founded by Technologist Peter Fitzpatrick (Thinkific, Agreement Express), former Hollywood screenwriter Robyn Campbell (Lego Friends, Pivot)andArt Director Cindey Chiang (The Garfield Movie, Angry Birds), Fawn Friends is the first entertainment-native AI companionship company, where advanced AI, world-class storytelling and physical design converge to create enduring emotional relationships between humans and AI.

Poimboeuf, an audio/video technology expert, has led 28 hardware launches spanning entertainment and consumer technology, including foundational sound and digital cinema technology contributions to Industrial Light and Magic's technology used in Lucasfilm's Star Wars Episode I and Universal Pictures' The Mummy, Wētā Workshop's technology used in the New Line Cinema trilogy The Lord of the Rings, and many more. He started his career as a co-founder of Personics, acquired by Time-Warner, and held leadership roles at GVG/Tektronix, SGI, Digidesign/AVID, Corsair Gaming, EarLens and most recently at PARC/SRI International.

"Michael's rare experience in both Hollywood and hardware makes him the perfect person to lead the development of the first ever real-life sidekick," said Fitzgerald.

"As a few of my friends know, I love telling stories," said Poimboeuf. "One of the verses of a song I wrote when I was working on my final reports in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin - Madison ends with, '… someday I think I'll be in cartoons.' That line captures how I feel now working with Fawn, since their method of connection is shaped by stories brought to life through animated and animatronic characters. This role represents a wonderful opportunity to apply my background building tools for artists and storytellers to a narrative-driven device that can bring joy and comfort to people's busy lives."

The news follows Fawn Friends' recently announced collaboration with 5x GRAMMY Award-nominated artist Skylar Grey, a fellow Wisconsin native who serves as the lead voice actor for Fawn. Users first experience personalized, emotionally-responsive characters through the Fawn Friends app, with physical versions available for purchase later to extend their digital experience into the real world. Grey holds an equity stake in the company and receives a portion of project sales, reflecting Fawn Friends' commitment to a new model of creative participation and ownership.

DOWNLOAD THE FAWN FRIENDS APP HERE

For more information on Fawn Friends, visit https://www.fawnfriends.com.

¹ OSCAR® is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.