The tech company Genies will work with the foundation through its Avatar Agency by drawing upon its roster of clients, including Hollywood stars, athletes and musicians, to help promote donations and encourage followers to post their own custom Genies using branded CDC Foundation actions including the #COLIV_20 hashtag.
A company that produces digital versions of Hollywood celebrities, athletes, musicians and influencers has partnered with the CDC Foundation to help raise money for its "All of Us" crowdfunding campaign to support emergency response amid the devastating coronavirus pandemic.
Genies, billed as an avatar technology company, will work with the foundation through its Avatar Agency by drawing upon its roster of clients to help promote donations and encourage followers to post their own custom Genies using branded CDC Foundation actions including the #COLIV_20 hashtag. Non-famous individuals will also have the opportunity to download their own custom Genie via the App Store or through the company's website to help spread awareness on social channels of their own.
The efforts will support "All of Us," an initiative that launched March 12 and has thus far raised more than $43 million to support COVID-19 response, relief and recovery actions, including testing; deployment of emergency staffing for the front lines; delivery of food, medical and home essentials to quarantined individuals; education and awareness campaigns; and the creation of infrastructure for global response efforts as the crisis continues to unfold.
The CDC Foundation is the official nonprofit arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and per Wednesday's announcement, the partnership with Genies grew out of the surge of digital connections across the globe as individuals have been quarantined or isolated under widespread stay-at-home orders to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“We wanted to create strong and authentic digital connections for this campaign,” said Dr. Judy Monroe, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “With today’s launch, we’re excited to tap into Genies’ powerful digital connections and dynamic avatars. We hope that during times like these, it is even more apparent that we are in this together, no matter location and proximity."
Akash Nigam, founding CEO of Genies, said that his company offers the chance for others to lean on their avatars as another way to connect while the prospect of in-person meetings is temporarily off the table: “The coronavirus started ravaging our world last year and scientists christened it the COVID-19 to mark the year of its arrival. With #COLIV_20 we mark the year we all learned to digitally live and support each other.”
