Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode, a couple of nukes. As always, I'm your host, Mr. Whiskey. For those of you just listening, not watching on YouTube, as you can kind of see, I've got some heart shaped balloons floating through the sky behind me as a little tease for what we'll be talking about today.
Since most of y'all don't read the episode description. Anyway, I am here with Mr. Zach Schlein for. Talking about relationships in dating, especially for all my active duty military listeners out there, if you haven't made your, uh, you know, required mandatory military dating mistakes yet. You will, it's required to rank up, uh, at least one divorce, if not a DUI.
But Mr. Zach, you have been successful in helping people find their special, someone through a couple different means. Right now, filter off is your huge thing, but before that, I saw top romp and hinge. So we'll get into that. But before we dive right in, we wanna hear a little bit about you. So, Mr. Zach, please introduce yourself for us.
First of all, thanks so much for having me. Um, yeah, I'm the CEO of filter off. It's a video speed dating app and matchmaking company, and our goal is to provide a fun and efficient way to find love and get off, uh, the dating apps. Yeah. Nowadays it seems to be like online dating is, is the big thing for past few years here, and I, I like the idea so.
Ladies and gentlemen, to be like all of y'all who have never heard of filter off, I actually didn't look it up. I didn't try or anything. So Zach, I'm gonna come at you with the questions like anyone else who's never heard of it. I know it's been very successful, but for those of us who haven't explored that option yet, we're really curious about it.
I know the general concept is to get that authentic dating experience with that face-to-face. Uh, as far as I'm understanding, it's kind of like a speed dating video chat platform, so to speak. It kind of takes away that wall of text messages so we can actually interact with a person. Correct. Yeah. So on the general dating app, it's available on Android or iOS.
Uh, you, if you match with someone, you set up a time to video chat. Uh, we also have a premium feature, very, uh, more exclusive, which is our matchmaking service, which pairs you with an elite matchmaker and dating coach who does all the vetting, curation, dating, coaching, wow. Date coordination, all for you. Uh, so that's, uh, been really my, uh, my primary focus.
That's pretty awesome. So basically this certified dating coach will sit down with you, kind of talk about what you're looking for, your personality, and then they're gonna go through the profiles on the app and find someone to partner you with. Is that correct? Yeah, exactly. So you have your intake call to learn, for your matchmaker to learn about you.
They have around 13 years of matchmaking and dating coaching experience. Uh, and then after they learn about you, they'll look through our database, which is about 230,000, uh, and find good fits for you. And they'll reach out on your, on your behalf, and then they'll actually interview them to see if they're actually a good fit for you.
And if they are, they will coordinate a video chat for you and that match. And the video chat's only 10 minutes long. So you go, once you go on that video date, if you both like each other, you could keep chatting. Um, and then at the end of the date, your matchmaker will actually ask you for feedback and your match for feedback so they could share that feedback with you, and it helps you become a better dater.
So this is a really like all done for you sort of service. Wow. You don't have to go on like bad dates and realize two dates in. Damn. We're not even aligned. And I could have known this if I had someone ask these questions. Right and that, and that's pretty awesome. Before you were working with Filter Off, you actually wrote about some online dating tricks and best practices to do so.
A lot of people feel very embarrassed or awkward being on video. So what are some of those tips and advice for this video dating? And if you're not using the premium feature, is there like a time limit on the video chat, or is that as comfortable as you feel? I. Yeah, so I'm just, if you're not a matchmaking client, the video dates are three minutes long.
Okay. Um, because they're obviously not vetted and we don't want you to go on a video date for too long if it's not a good one. Um, and basically, uh, recommendations. Just have a good environment like. Good strong wifi connection. Your surroundings are somewhat clean. You're looking at the camera. You're not like tons of space above your head.
Uh, I mean, I listen, I think most of us are familiar with like zoom and video features since the pandemic. So at this point I think it's actually kind of like, how do you not know how to do it? But Right. In terms of on the video day itself, just be curious, ask questions. Um. Ask them how they heard about the app, uh, how, how, yeah, where they're from, what they do.
Just simple questions and see if you vibe. And really that's the goal in the time date. Right? It's less about getting to know them 'cause they're not gonna know them in that short amount of time. Just it's more so do you guys vibe? Yeah. Well, I actually like the time limit and I'll, I'll say for this reason, in case you get two people who don't know how to say goodbye or, or respectfully be like, this isn't working out.
Then you're just on the phone or you get someone who's droning on and on. So I have to ask, have you used app yourself or you're in a relationship or, yeah, I've, uh. I've used the matchmaking service. I've met some wonderful people. Uh, it did not end up working out, but, uh, it was a great experience. I mean, to date, we've created now hundreds of marriages, so that's awesome.
My focus more on helping others and, um, yeah. So that's kind of, uh, where we're at with the service. Okay. In my experience, and I saw in your bio it said that. You were in charge or wrote for the Hinge sub Reddit, and I was curious what that was because I, I've really liked, hinge has been personally my favorite dating app and I saw So you were in charge of writing the subreddit for that, or can you explain a little more on that?
Yeah. Um, when Hinge was a pretty small dating app, I created their subreddit. So I never worked for Hinge. Okay. Not affiliated with Hinge, uh, but I created their sub and I grew it, uh. To like 40,000 people. Uh, so like, wow. If you look up Hinges subreddit, it was the one that I created. Wow. You were just, wait, you were just doing a free promotion.
You were like, I need some more matches. I need, I need some more like options on this app. Were you, is that, why were you using it or? No, it was just, I was really fascinated with this space. I was running a dating bullet at the time called Top Romp, which you mentioned, which refuse dating apps and hacks, and I just wanted to contribute to the space and.
Help singles and I create a hinges sub rite, uh, for people to review profiles and things of that nature. Just one thing that I've noticed with dating apps, it's like they're hinge is great. Um, however, uh, you still have the same problem, which is like as a man, right? You're spending lots of time swiping, uh, or browsing.
And as a woman you're getting lots of matches and you have no idea if they're good fits or not. And Right. So there's a fundamental issue with dating apps and that's why we got into video and now layered with Match. Yeah. The reason I was more for Hinge than Tinder per se, was that it seemed like it was more genuine and personality based.
'cause a lot of people would have several prompts they answered where Tinder is mostly, and I haven't been on it in a few years, so I'm not sure, but I know. It was just kind of like write your own bile and then you would, at least from what I experienced, was you would have women just copy and pasting and saying pickup lines or not having a bile or this and that.
And so it was really a lot of just picture swiping where with Hinge, you kind of got into that deeper layer. And same with Bumble originally. My problem with Bumble was the time limit was about one day. I know they've changed it to about three days, I believe. But it was like you could match with someone.
Then they just never responded. Not 'cause they weren't interested, just 'cause our lives get busy, right? I mean, a lot can happen in a single day, but I had like the idea of the women making the first move, uh, so long as the women wanna actually make the first move, you know? So I, I've seen a lot of, and there's a lot of dating apps coming out now, but none so far where you have that video experience where you can actually talk and, you know, like you said, have that vibe check where you're like, all right, how are we reacting again?
Both people might be super, super awkward. And, and that's the beauty of, it's like we're both embarrassed, you know? It is always gonna be like that. Even if you've been on a dating app, texting someone. I know it's always like the first FaceTime or in person date is still awkward. 'cause it's like you've been texting, right?
But you have that wall between you. So this really removes that. But Mr. Zack, where does this passion for helping others for being the real life human cupid come from? Because you keep talking about, you like helping others in singles. Where did this stem from? I think I've always liked human connection.
Uh, before running the dating app, I used to run a mental health community, uh, called 18%. It was like the largest, uh, mental health community on Slack. Uh, we had close to like 20,000 members. We partnered with a crisis pipeline. So yeah, I think I've always liked, uh, human connection sometimes, right? Like you feel disconnected and.
Uh, the best way of creating connection is with others. So, and especially with good fits. Um, so that's kind of, I guess, my mission or life's purpose, uh, at the moment or to date since I've been on this planet. So, and, and to date being a play on words intentionally to date, uh, or not to date? That is the question.
Do you have any advice for the people listening about after you've made that initial video call and they're moving into the, Hey, we think we want to meet up stage. How should we go about that, that first date? Just like for anyone here who's never been on a date, or for the people who are getting back into it and they're like, man, it's, it is been a while since I've been on a date and now it's, everything's different.
You know? Yeah. I mean, I would keep texting to a minimum, texting more so to logistics versus getting to know someone. Okay. Um, go on the video date as quickly as possible. Um, obviously be smart about it. Like women, they have to oftentimes, right? They have to get ready for a date, even a video date. So maybe it's just a day out at least.
Um, and then after the video date, if it goes, well, what, let's say you're on filter off and you go on one of our time dates, like just suggest hopping back on a longer video date and, and seeing. How that goes. And then after the video date, um, exchange numbers and, uh, plan a date within a few days, um, to keep the momentum alive.
And again, just use texting more so for logistics. Then, uh, getting to know them and keep it to a minimum once the date's scheduled, then after that date, um, see how that goes. And then, uh, schedule another date if you're into them.
Hey, that's awesome. Like I, I told you when I requested you to come on the show, the, the military is infamous for the dating and because. The localized area is always either other military members or people who know it's military. You know, I've had people come on my show and they were like, we would go to the bar and the women would just come up to us and be like, what rank are you?
That's how you know you're in a bad area. But, uh, Mr. Sack, so is this like other dating apps where you can set preference for age or for distance? Like how far can we reach out to someone? So filter off the dating app itself. Yep. You could set all your preferences, you could add prompts, age, gender, uh, radius, and then when you work with your matchmaker, same sort of thing.
We've had clients that say, 50% of the people I would like you to reach out to are in my area. Then 50% you could do anywhere. Um, so, uh, when you work with a matchmaker, it's even more. The capability to kind of get more nitpicky, um Right, is broader. And then they also have the ability to reach out to anyone in the database.
That's really the beauty. Um, 'cause when you're using a dating app, you're not sure if they've been online recently. The beauty when you work with a matchmaker is they text 'em so it gets right to their phone. Um, so you kind of skip the line, the dating queue. Um, so yeah, that's, it's quite broad in terms of capability.
Okay. And it's the same kind of thing where you're going through profiles and you're liking, and both of you need to match in order to set up the video call. Yeah. So on the, on the dating app itself, if you like someone, you can comment as well and then they like you back. Uh, you set up a time to video chat and you basically have five days until it expires.
Yeah, see, I like that, that thank you for not the 24 hours. You know, I appreciate the five days. That gives us time to, you know, like you said, get ready and, and arrange things. Make it where it's not gonna be other people walking through the background listening in, or you got a noisy environment. So that's awesome.
And I'm, I like it filter off. I'm assuming that name comes from like. We're FaceTiming so there's no filter with some of these photos. You know, people are doing Photoshop or have filters on. Am I correct in saying that? Yeah, a hundred percent. And then a large issue on most dating apps now also is scammers.
You don't know who's actually behind. Um, that's the beauty of video, but that's also the beauty of having a matchmaker. Is there actually an interview? This person so they can tell easily if it's a scammer or not. 'cause the scammer will never go on video. Um. And scamming is a major issue in the online dating industry, and uh, it really is.
Yeah. So we kind of, uh, suss that all out. Yeah, I gotta say that's actually the, the, the best part about it. 'cause I've been on plenty of dating apps where it's like you said, those scammers where it's like they're just, and, and you can kind of tell, but with. All the new growing technology is getting harder and harder now, especially with the AI technology.
It's like you're talking to a real person and it's not, yeah. The next thing you know, they're trying to accuse you of this or ask for money for that or whatever. So this is great and uh, I like that you get that video experience to kind of eliminate that. 'cause like you said, a scammer's not gonna go on video, you know, so that's, that's perfect.
Actually, my favorite part about this is the matchmaking because. Like you said, that's so personalized and you get that perfect. Someone almost, and like you said, being able to have them interview them first and then getting that feedback, I think is great too, because even if it doesn't work out with that person, maybe it was like, well, now you know what you need to work on.
If it was something more generalized like, Hey, you know, like the whatever you brought up or the way you talk this or that. Or it could be more specific to like, Hey, this person just doesn't feel this way or that, but it's great that you get that feedback. Now, if you're a premium member and you have a, that matchmaking service, is it an additional charge if the matchmaker has to get me more than one match, or is it like, Hey, you paid for the premium account so they're with you until you get that special someone?
Yeah, so the beauty of our matchmaking service versus others, we don't charge per date. So you get a package. Uh, let's say three months or six month package, and it's unlimited dates. However, we won't send you anyone if they're not good quality, right? So on some matchmaking services, on some you charge per date and they give quota, and sometimes they need to hit that quota, so they'll just give you, anyone hit the quota, right?
So I think when you do that, incentives are not aligned. So that's why we have unlimited, we also don't do blind dates. Many matchmaking services do blind dates. It's a waste of your time to go to a bar or a restaurant, meet someone on a blind date, and you may know 30 seconds in you don't want to be there.
That's a massive waste of, so that's why we don't do blind dates, and it's only a 10 minute video date, so there's nothing to lose. Um, so I developed this matchmaking service to really be aligned with incentives of just a regular data. Um, and then we give you. Elite matchmaker with over uh, 11 years, 12 years of matchmaking experience.
So someone who knows what they're doing. Right. And now I wanna say for our older audience out there is this something very tech friendly, user friendly, where maybe people after a divorce or, uh, someone passed away and they're looking to get back out there. This is something where they can easily get online or on their phone and.
It's simple to use, correct? Yeah. I mean it's very, very simple. Uh, they could apply for a call if they go to our website, get filter off.com, or they could even apply in the app and there's a Matchmaker Elite tab on the top of our website and they just apply for a call. Um, and yeah, many of our clientele are, are people who have lost a loved one or, uh, divorced.
It's often for busy professionals, it's for people that are like sick and tired of being on dating apps, right? They just want someone to do it for them and they wanna stop going on these bad first dates 'cause they don't, they're not gonna be able to interview them before the date. That's kind of the whole point of the date is to like kind of figure out if you're aligned.
So that's why they hire matchmaker to do all the work for them. Awesome. That is awesome. Now, where do you see. The future of the app going at, do you see it expanding anywhere or is it like, do you think it's at its perfect state? Any kind of collaborations or events or anything in the future that you see?
Yeah, I mean, we have clients all around the country. We have some clients outside the United States. I mean, it's just continuously building our brands and becoming a well-known matchmaking service, um, throughout the country. Um. Providing great quality. So hiring, very experienced matchmakers, um, and giving a lot of support to our clients.
So like for example, we do, uh, every month you're entitled to two, one-on-one coaching calls every month. You can message your matchmaker when you can message your matchmaker whenever you want, and they'll respond within working hours. So we don't, communication's very important. Every other week we do group coaching calls, like, so we give you a lot of support to also make you a better dater.
So I think it's just continuously growing our clientele. Obviously as we grow our clientele, we have to hire more matchmakers. So yeah, just becoming a very formidable matchmaking service. Wow, that's awesome. I love how involved y'all are with our journey where it's like. This isn't just a, a money grab.
This is, we're here to help you find that someone, right? Because y'all are coming to us to, to find someone and we're gonna help you. And, and so my last question then would be, let's say I'm someone, I'm like, especially with people in the military where I know I'm gonna move, let's say to Japan in the next few months.
Can my mash maker access that? Even I could be like, Hey, I moved in Japan in Kuka and I'd really like to find a, a local Japanese woman in the KUKA area. Or something like, like a situation like that. Is that something they're capable of doing as well? Yeah, definitely. So yeah, just communicate with your matchmaker to say, Hey, listen, I'm in the military.
I move a lot. So I, I, I would only want to be with someone who is okay with that. So the matchmaker would communicate that during the interviews. And if someone on the interview seems like a great fit, but they say, listen, I'm not willing to move a lot. She won't send your matchmaker, won't send that person your way.
That's really the beauty. So you don't have to go on that first date where you met them on a hinge and then realize this person will never move. Like, I just wasted three hours of my life on the date texting and I paid for dinner. So, but your matchmaker could figure that out right away. So yeah, it's just, it's a lot of, it's just communication with your matchmaker, setting expectations, and they will say that and share that.
With, uh, the, your potential matches. That's great. That's a huge time saver. I've definitely seen it happen before where it's like, oh, you're in the military like this changing. Or people won't be upfront about how they feel politically or religion wise or, yep. Even just about moving future plans, careers, college.
So I like that you get this kind of. You get all those kind of interview, like those filter questions out, and you don't even have to do that part. You got your matchmaker doing it, and so you can focus on whatever else you need to in life. So to sum it up, filter off is time efficient, a more genuine connection and, and super user friendly and, and made for us.
So I, I really wish this existed a couple years ago when I was in my online dating phase where I was. You know, swiping left and right and, and trying this and that and this and that. I, I like how customizable this is, which is why actually, I, I remember, I, I had always used Tinder and Bumble and Hinge, and then there was Coffee Meets Bagel and My Boo and all these different apps.
There's, there's hundreds of them. And the reason I, I was like, you know what, let's try eHarmony because it's so customized where you fill out. I mean, it took me an hour and a half to do the introduction survey and then they were like. $300. I was like, well, I don't know if I want to do that. And, and so I pushed it off and I was like, well, I gotta, I, I wish there was something where you can have that connection, like you're saying, where it's really customizable because you can always put age preference, distance preference, and then it's like, oh, we ran out of options in your area, so now we're, we've expanded your settings and you don't know what that means.
And then you're just getting any. Person they can show you 'cause they want you to use the app. So I really like this matchmaking part of it even more than the, the video part of it. I mean, I, I love the idea of the video, right? To prevent the scamming, to get that genuine connection. But this matchmaking service, I think that would help a lot of people out.
Especially, I, I really encourage all the young adults listening, you know, 'cause otherwise you'll learn this the hard way. Like, I didn't realize how many things I need to be upfront about. I've gotten invested into relationships, and then I find out later down the road, like I never asked this question that I should have, like these deal breaker questions because you can love someone, but if your paths in life aren't aligned at all and you both have to compromise, or one person has to give up everything, it, it's a lot nicer to know that ahead of time.
So I encourage y'all to get the. Matchmaking service. You know, pay that little bit of change to save you headaches, heartache, and a lot of money. Dates are expensive. Food is expensive. Like for, for two people to get dinner nowadays is like 50, $60 at least. So, but Zach, Zach, thank you so much for helping develop this app, and I love that you're passionate and committed to helping people and you're not.
Just money hungry, just making another software to throw out there for people to spend money on, but to actually get that genuine connection and, and find someone. So before we close off here, is there anything you'd like to share? Any advice or stories or anything related to this? Yeah, I would just recommend whether or not use filter off.
I'd recommend going on video dates. Don't waste your time texting back and forth. If you are very serious about finding someone and you're just kind of sick of modern dating, uh, I would recommend, highly recommend, uh, bringing on hiring a matchmaker. Uh, so take a look at filter offs, matchmaking service, and you can find that on our website.
Awesome. Yeah. And ladies and gentlemen, I'll have that in the description below, so y'all can just go right there, check it out and, and see what it's about. Well, Zach, thank you so much for coming on the show. I really appreciate you taking the time to. Talk to us about this and hopefully we've helped a bunch of people out there discover something new and someone new.
Thanks so much for having me.
