Charles Fink

Charlie Fink writes the weekly Forbes column "This Week in XR" and co-hosts its eponymous companion podcast. He is the author of the upcoming "Dissecting the Metaverse" (Fall 2022), "Remote Collaboration and the Future of Work" (2020), and the critically acclaimed AR-enabled books "Charlie Fink's Metaverse" (2017), and "Convergence, How The World Will Be Painted With Data" (2019). He teaches XR at Chapman University Film School in Orange, CA. Fink's forty year career at the convergence of popular culture and technology began at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1987 where he famously came up with the idea for "The Lion King" and became the studio's youngest creative Vice-President. Fink's work in technology began in 1992 when he joined Tim Disney's pioneering location-based VR company, Virtual World Entertainment, as its COO. In 1995, AOL recruited him to be Senior Vice President & Chief Creative Officer of AOL Studios (1995-1999). Fink was subsequently President of American Greetings Interactive and Blue Mountain (2000-2005). His other experience includes exits from several startups and running the New York Musical Festival. Fink's consulting clients include both tech giants and start ups trying to find their place in the rapidly evolving metaverse ecosystem.