DATING DIGIPRENEUR HARRISON FORMAN, CLASS OF 2014 BY DREW MOSER
Harrison Forman is taking the dating scene in New York City by storm. Forman, who graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management, moved to New York City to pursue a career with tech company League Apps, which provides registration systems, apps, and websites for youth sports clubs in America. Additionally, he produces one of the fastest-growing dating shows in New York City – UpDating. The concept is one-ofa-kind: Two people go on a blind date in front of audience members. Its website states that Updating is “an interactive show with audience participation, brutally honest moments, and relatable feedback on modern romance in real-time with real people.”
Over the course of 80 minutes, daters are blindfolded and ask questions of each other in addition to receiving questions and topic suggestions from audience members through Twitter DMs. The blindfolds come off halfway through, and audience members can crash the date if interested. Audience members vote for a variety of options at the conclusion of the date, including whether participants hug it out or kiss. Updating is the brainchild of Forman and his comedic colleague and friend Brandon Berman. Forman has always been into reality TV. He live-streamed his dates on Facebook while living in San Francisco. “I was telling a relatable story. People liked it, but I started having dates cancel on me,” he said. He connected with Berman, who wanted to translate Forman’s experiences to the stage.
“It’s more than a comedy show where you have a glass of wine and leave. It’s an experience,” he said. “I think sports actually taught me about that because…when you go to a sporting event, you’re not there to just watch the x’s and o’s. You’re there for the experience.” Brandon Berman and Harrison Forman (right). Courtesy of Ross Tyler Media.
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| MOVEMENT | FALL 2020
Forman remembered the power of live sporting events from his SM classes, so he tried to emulate that.
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