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Press RoomPress InquiresFor press inquiries, please contact Audrey Craipain at 415-684-9403 or email PR@Proust.com Press Releases(July 19, 2011) Preserve your memories with Proust.com (August 16, 2011) Preserve, share and print back-to-school memories with Proust.com About ProustProust is a private place for families and close friends to share their meaningful stories, and preserve their memories. Today, for the first time, every living generation is online, from grandson to grandmother. Proust offers a way for the whole family to capture, preserve and share cherished memories. Named for the famous Proust questionnaire, the site makes chronicling your history simple by prompting you with questions for each chapter of your life story. Founded by Tom Cortese and Jason Fotinatos in 2010 and owned by IAC/InterActive Corp. (Nasdaq: IACI), Proust is headquartered in New York City. Start telling your story at today. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook. What people are saying about Proust“ The real secret sauce of Proust is the various ways it enables users to tell their story. ”“ Marcel Proust inspires a social network: personal memory bank Proust.com. ”“ Just like a digital madeleine, you can learn more about your family with Proust.com. ”“ It is possibly the most honest way to share and learn with those you know and trust. ”“ Top 50 web sites of the year. ”“ The beautiful thing about Proust is that it does not impart the sobering gravity that characterizes similar websites such as Ancestry.com—Proust is actually fun to use. ”“ This site is impressive on inspection, easy to use and aesthetically pleasing. Everything works seamlessly and it is an interesting addition to the mix. ”Executive TeamTom Cortese | Co-founder & CEOView full (JPG, 279 KB)
Jason Fotinatos | Co-founder & CTOView full (JPG, 553 KB)
Eric Hwang | Creative DirectorView full (JPG, 336 KB)
Jesse Richards | Director of ProductView full (JPG, 307 KB)
LogosPlease be respectful of our logos. Feel free to use them when promoting or mentioning Proust but do not distort or change the logos in any way, other than size. Thank you. |
Tom Cortese is the co-founder and General Manager of Proust.com.
Recognizing the importance of close bonds and passing stories along from generation to generation,
Tom sought to create a simple tool that could help guide people through the process of recording and
sharing their own memories and aspirations. In 2010, along with co-founder Jason Fotinatos, Tom began
work on building what is now Proust.com. Tom is most pleased with one unintended side effect of his
entrepreneurial endeavor: his mother now posts 90% of her most embarrassing comments and photos to
a close group of family & friends on Proust.com, instead of broadcasting to a much larger set of people
on Facebook!
A magna cum laude graduate of Vassar College, Jason Fotinatos began his career as a software engineer
in New York City at an online advertising agency called Greater Than One. In 2006, he became one of
the initial members of the engineering team at Pronto.com, a comparison shopping engine owned by media
conglomerate InterActiveCorp (IAC). This past year, Jason
was given the opportunity to start Proust.com, one of the first of Barry Diller's new initiatives to build
and foster in-house startups. At Proust.com, users can capture life stories, thoughts, and aspirations,
and use these to spark meaningful conversations with the people they love. As VP of Technology, Jason
is currently responsible for architecting and delivering all aspects of the Proust.com application,
including back-end, front-end, and systems infrastructure. He is also responsible for advancing the
Proust.com product from both the technological and business standpoints.
As the Creative Director of Proust.com, Eric Hwang is responsible for establishing and directing the visual
identity of the brand and website. Eric has been creating websites since the mid 1990's, working on many
aspects of website creation, from initial conception through visual design and information architecture,
and implementation of user experiences. Eric joined IAC in 2007, and after working as Senior Designer and
Art Director for three years at Pronto.com, he was tapped to create Proust.com's brand identity and oversee
the visual design of the website. Eric developed the Proust.com brand with the idea that the design should
allude to the ornate and elegant design motifs found in the literature and design of Marcel Proust's time,
while incorporating those elements harmoniously with a modern, clean, and user-friendly sensibility.
As Proust's Product Manager, Jesse Richards plans Proust's ongoing new features and product direction.
Prior to Proust, Jesse worked as a Product Manager with Meetup.com, a site that helps millions of people
self-organize into local community groups. He is the author of "The Secret Peace: Exposing the Positive Trend
of World Events" published in 2010, and an experienced public speaker on topics such as critical thinking,
democracy, peace, and technology. Jesse is a member of Mensa and also a professional artist. He is the organizer
of the Central Park Sketching Meetup, one of the largest art Meetups in the world. He lives with his wife in Manhattan.
