Steve Dorman

Steve Dorman, creator of VideoMate, shares behind-the-scenes insights about the quirky 1987 dating tape featuring single men directly appealing to women. Julie Fuhrman, a former Great Expectations matchmaker, reveals the surprising successes and challenges of the video-dating service. Together, they discuss the bizarre heyday of video dating, its sharp decline with the rise of online platforms, and the ongoing struggle of intimacy in video formats today. They also ponder whether Gen Z can revive the concept in a new light.

Steve Dorman, creator of the 1980s VideoMate project, and Joe Pickett, co-creator of the Found Footage Festival, dive into the quirky world of video dating. They reminisce about Videomate: Men, a VHS tape where men auditioned as potential dates. The duo reflects on how they rediscovered and shared this nostalgic content online, sparking a viral sensation. They also discuss the cultural impact of video dating and how modern interpretations struggle with the vulnerabilities that video demands, revealing profound insights on love and self-expression.

Steve Dorman, the creator and president of VideoMate in the 1980s, dives into the quirky world of video dating. He shares the vision behind VideoMate: Men, a VHS tape featuring single gentlemen pitching themselves as ideal dates. The conversation explores the bizarre cultural moment video dating represented and why it ultimately flopped. Dorman sheds light on the challenges of the era, from production costs to awkward matchmaking, while examining how modern dating apps continue to grapple with the same vulnerabilities that video dating exposed.