I recently had a chance to sit down with Marcel C. Founder of VIDEO DATE, a mobile video dating application that has been getting a good bit of buzz as well as some pretty impressive download numbers. First off, let me share something that took me by surprise and may come as a shock to you as well. Mr. Cafferata actually works full-time promoting VIDEO DATE and full-time as a real life firefighter. I don’t want to spoil the story so I will let you read the entire interview…
1. How did you get involved in the Online Dating Industry?
The Dating industry is one of the fastest growing online areas aside from gaming and music but that’s not why I chose to get involved.
Hi there and my name is Marcel Cafferata. I’m a San Francisco Bay area Firefighter (of 15yrs) and realized being single and utilizing the online dating sites were:
1. boring
2. Not accurate
3. 2 dimensional
4. Created tons of voids
SO….
MY IDEA WAS BORN!
I knew the competition would be crazy but hey I’m a Firefighter and I wouldn’t be in my job if I wasn’t crazy already so I said WTF.
PLUS – Nobody had what I was building. So in 2013 my mobile app VIDEO DATE was launched and we were growing rapidly for just using social media / organically. We have over 100k downloads as of today and still moving.
Our newest version will be out by iDate in Vegas but basically what VIDEO DATE is:
1. “We’re the Skype of the dating Mobile dating world”.
2. We bring people closer via live interaction with peer-to-peer video over your mobile device so now breaking the ice is that much easier.
3. We have more – video messaging, Picture messaging, text (of course), gameification,
4. Geo location
5. Fresh animation logo
6. We’re FUB: FIRST, UNIQUE, BEST.
2. What impact do you think Mobile Apps /Social Discovery Apps will have on the online dating industry?
MOBILE APPS: are going to completely take it over.
Let me ask you how many people are still on computers other than at work or for school?
In a 24 hr time most people have their phones in their hands 19 hours a day.
3. Do you feel online dating sites change the way people interact as far as dating goes? Or do you feel it’s merely a tool and society changes on it’s own.
I feel the old dating sites were just an embarrassing catalyst to met someone or a tool but now MOBILE DATING APP have become a social norm acceptable by society. In fact many find them fun.
Now how mobile dating has changed society is made it easier, quicker, and less awkward to interact. I believe it was with assistance but definitely the dating apps are changing society “mobile apps (cell phones) are now to blame for making new nuro pathways in out brains”.
4. Tell us more about your sites latest plans…
We want to be the MATCH.COM of the dating app world.
Bring people closer with peer-to-peer VIDEO.
In the near future (January 12th) at iDate 2014 we’re coming out with a completely new version with many extras and we’re excited.
We have peer-to-peer chat, messaging of every type and we’re available in mobile app store.
Landing page: www.mobilevideodate.com
Chat, talk, meet and use VIDEO DATE.
5. Have you ever used an online dating site? If so which one?
I’ve used so many and they all have strong points. Most have helped me come up with my ideas in the first place but hay I plug some cool sites: plentyofish, zoosk
6. Do you feel private label dating platforms operated by small niche operators will play a role in the future of online dating.
Absolutely. It’s a way to buy a fully functional working program but I can tell you buying something and making it popular are definitely 2 different things.
7. If you could change one thing about the dating industry tomorrow what would it be?
Good question:
1. Making VIDEO DATE as popular a MATCH.COM
8. What is the single biggest challenge of operating a dating site?
Making it go viral or mainstream popularity from bootstrapping.
Marcel Cafferata
CEO / Founder of
VIDEO DATE
Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/
iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/
Landing page / website:
www.mobilevideodate.com
Thanks again to Mr. Cafferata for taking the time to visit with us. We actually had done this interview the first part of January of this year and then held off on publishing it until today so we can could meet him at iDate in person talk about his dating application and see the latest improvements. I have to say, I was very impressed at how simple and easy it was to use. We will be adding this app to our dating app reviews shortly. Check out the links above to download the application.
