FORBES – Dec 4 – Christie Nightingale, head of Premier Match, is among the top tier modern day matchmakers. Premier Match has offices in New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., but has partnerships with other matchmakers in California and London’s Berkeley International. Clients pay $10K – $15K and wider searches can cost as much as $50K for a yearlong contract. In 2012 the company generated $1M in revenue.
by Karsten Strauss
See full article at Forbes
TIME – Aug 2 – In this economy, it seems unthinkable that people would pay up to six figures just to find a mate. And yet expensive matchmakers are reporting that business is up these days. Janis Spindel, who charges clients between $50,000 and $500,000 a year to find the "woman of their dreams," says membership jumped 41% in 2009 from the year before and is up 46% so far this year. Premier Match, a New York City–based agency where annual membership costs a min of $5,500, logged $1.5M in sales last year, a 30% increase from the previous year. Matchmaking agencies advertise different strengths to attract high-end clients. Barbie Adler, CEO of Selective Search, worked in executive recruitment before she started her agency in Chicago 10 years ago. "My experience has been crucial to looking beyond a résumé to make a good match," she says. Indeed, clients are willing to part with a minimum of $15,000 for Adler to work with them. Other firms take a scientific approach. The British firm Seventy Thirty, which charges its clients a min of $15,000, has a team made up exclusively of psychologists.
The full article was originally published at Time, but is no longer available.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS – Nov 7 – Cougar relationships may be hot in Hollywood from ABC’s “Cougar Town” but few women are married to men who are significantly younger. Only 1% of all marriages in 2008 were between a woman who was 10-14 years older than her husband; 2.6% 6 to 9 years older, according to Census figures. Christie Nightingale of the matchmaking service Premier Match said she has seen an increase in the past six months of women requesting younger men but she has not seen a change in age preference from her male clients.
The full article was originally published at Associated Press, but is no longer available.
PHILLY — Aug 5 – Premier Match, a service with offices in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, has signed up nearly double the number of new clients this year compared with the same time period in 2008. The cost of a full-year membership at Premier Match starts at $5,500 and guarantees 10 to 12 introductions. According to Forrester Research, online dating is the 3rd largest producer of revenue among all paid-content Web sites, generating $957M in 2008, a figure the firm predicts will grow 10% by 2013. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, couples are more likely to stay together in times of need than in plenty. The number of divorces and annulments dropped by 16,000 from 2006 to 2007, a decline of 2%.
The full article was originally published at Philly.com, but is no longer available.
ABC NEWS — July 9 — In tough economic times, what do women expect from a potential mate? With the help of two dating services, Match.com and Premier Match, "Good Morning America" assembled a panel of eight single women to get their thoughts on dating in a recession. One woman said that man's job is "definitely a factor." "I feel that a job is an important factor," said another participant, Marissa Clarke. Clarke added that she expects the man to pay on a first date if he asked her out, and other women agreed. According to a recent survey by Match.com, of 2,700 members, 71% said they would still date someone who just lost their job. FULL ARTICLE @ ABC NEWS
THE INQUIRER — Nov 5 — Great Date Now is a matchmaking company with 10 offices along the East Coast. Premier Match is another matchmaking company with an office in Philadelphia which has seen its clientele almost double, from about 1,000 clients in 2003 to nearly 2,000 in 2008. Premier Match offers yearlong contracts that start at $4,500 but go as high as $50k. For Great Date Now, the range is between $600 and $10,000. Premier Match matches people based on intuition, details about a client's lifestyle, and a client's energy levels. Most matchmaking companies – Great Date Now and Premier Match included – avoid showing clients photographs. "About 50 to 60% of the marriages we have arranged wouldn't have happened if people had seen pictures first," said Great Date Now's owner Gary Ferone.
The full article was originally published at The Inquirer, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: If you're interested in this side of the dating industry check out the Matchmaking Industry Pre-conference on Jan 21st in Miami, just before iDate. (Full Disclosure: The Internet Dating Conference is a client of Courtland Brooks)
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INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY — Apr 24 — Christie Nightingale is owner of Premier Match, a traditional matchmaking firm in NYC launched in 2000 ($6500 membership for 12+ matches, 400 clients). Despite stiff competition from the Net, she says her revenue is surging 30% annually. Premier Match found that competition from the Internet hasn't undercut its business. Ironically, it may be helping to grow it by making dating services with a human touch more alluring in a very digital world. Most clients are in their 30s and 40s. 60% women, 40% men.
Mark Brooks: I just flew up to Boston to check out the The Right One / Together Dating's services. They invited me to mystery shop them. More soon 😉
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY — Apr 24 — Christie Nightingale is owner of Premier Match, a traditional matchmaking firm in NYC launched in 2000 ($6500 membership for 12+ matches, 400 clients). Despite stiff competition from the Net, she says her revenue is surging 30% annually. Premier Match found that competition from the Internet hasn't undercut its business. Ironically, it may be helping to grow it by making dating services with a human touch more alluring in a very digital world. Most clients are in their 30s and 40s. 60% women, 40% men.
Mark Brooks: I just flew up to Boston to check out the The Right One / Together Dating's services. They invited me to mystery shop them. More soon 😉