A pint. A pitch. A PowerPoint presentation. Could finding true love really be so simple?
We’ll find out this weekend, when Pitch-A-Friend stages a Mad Men-ian romantic experiment at Sociable Cider Werks.
Melissa Schipke and Ariana Brogan started Pitch-A-Friend in Philadelphia in 2022, adding a singles-friendly hook to the PowerPoint party trend. Before long, folks from out of state were reaching out about hosting events in their respective cities, and today, there are about 50 chapters of Pitch-A-Friend, from Missoula and Knoxville to Oslo and Hong Kong. Cosmo was there when the series launched in London last year.
As for what those presentations highlight? Well… anything, really! In Burlington, Vermont, a fella named Tom was recently described as a "chronic misplacer of sunglasses and water bottles" who’s "forklift certified" and "allergic to peanuts." A room in Philly reportedly erupted in cheers last year when a presenter asked, “Are you looking for someone with an executive family Costco membership?”
Jackie Carper, Pitch-A-Friend’s Twin Cities chapter lead, first saw Pitch-A-Friend on social media. She reached out when she realized there wasn’t already a Twin Cities chapter, and that was that, more or less—the first local installment will take over Sociable Cider Werks tonight. Carper says that already, excitement (and social media engagement) has been “through the roof.”
“We do have a full event with a waitlist for pitches, and venues are calling every day,” she tells Racket.
Carper theorizes that the reasons for Pitch-A-Friend’s success are straightforward enough: People are sick of the apps and looking to connect in person, and if you can do that while your friends are in the room, hyping you up? So much the better.
“The relationships that we have post-Covid are close ones—you want to get out there and support your friends, and what a cool way to do it,” she says. Plus, unlike bars, clubs, and other hot spots for area singles, Pitch-A-Friend is as fun for wing-people who are already partnered as those who are single themselves.
When it comes to crafting a pitch, you don’t need to have the PowerPoint skills (or the persuasiveness) of a creative marketing agency, but Carper says authenticity is a must. Humor helps.
“Tell us what they’re looking for in a person, because that might spark interest,” she says, “and tell the crowd what people can’t see with their own eyes, and what makes them a good friend, because that’s what makes them a good partner.”
Pitches should be between three to five minutes long and positive (this isn’t a roast!), and effective wing-people will want to put contact information and relevant social media profiles on the last slide.
Right now, the plan is to host about two events in the Twin Cities each month, with future PowerPoint pitching sessions planned at Inbound BrewCo (April 7) and Smash Park Roseville (April 24). She’d like to plan some age- and sexuality-specific editions of Pitch-A-Friend—though all ages, genders, and sexualities are welcome regardless of the event—and venue suggestions are welcome. Breweries are a natural place to bring a group of people together, but she emphasizes that the series should be whatever the community wants it to be.
Ultimately, it’s meant to be relaxed, a bit silly, and a lot more interesting than filling out a Hinge profile.
“And it’s a little dorky, that’s my favorite part,” Carper laughs. “I think we can all just accept that it’s a little bit dorky, and it’s gonna be so fun.”
Pitch-A-Friend Twin Cities
When: 6 p.m. Fri.
Where: Sociable Cider Werks, 1500 Fillmore St. NE, Minneapolis
Details: Find more info here
