How some singles are turning to PowerPoint presentations to find a partner in the GTA

A snapshot of what Pitch-A-Friend can look like in Toronto. (Instagram/@pitchafriend.toronto)

What if your dating profile came with a character reference, right on the spot?

Instead of swiping right through carefully curated selfies on an app in hopes of finding a romantic spark, a friend can create a minutes-long slideshow of you and present it in front of a room full of strangers also looking for love.

Enter Pitch-A-Friend, an adults-only and LGBTQ2S+-friendly event typically hosted at bars, where one friend can step on stage, grab a mic and click through slides showcasing why their single pal standing onstage with them is a date-worthy companion.

“I’m single myself and am tired with all of the dating apps, and when I saw this concept, I thought it was a great idea to meet new friends and potentially make a (love) connection in person,” Sylvia Calleri, a life coach who brought Pitch-A-Friend to Toronto, told CTV News Toronto.

This dating format was first started in Philadelphia about four years ago in an effort to bring crowds back to their local bars after the pandemic. Toronto’s events, however, have sporadically popped up since February 2024.

“It’s just a celebration of friendship, it’s like their friends boasting up their single friend in these presentations,” Calleri said. “There’s so many different people who are wanting their special friend, who might be amazing, to meet someone who is equally amazing.”

To promote one’s friend at Pitch-A-Friend in Toronto, the pitcher (and “pitchee,” as Calleri called them) has to first submit an application, including their slideshow, along with $20, after they have been selected to present.

As for what can be included in each pitch deck, Calleri underlines it’s more of a boast than a roast.

“They’re not cutting them down, because obviously it defeats the purpose,” Calleri said, adding slideshows are not allowed to have any foul language or nudity.

What is encouraged is a sense of humour, where some creative freedom can come into play.

“Two guys came up to pitch out their single friend and the first image on the screen was this gorgeous, Fabio kind of looking guy with long hair and an eight pack, and they looked at each other, they said, ‘Oh no, we brought the wrong friend,’” Calleri recounted of one of the first pitches she saw at one of the Pitch-A-Friend events she had hosted.

There was also an instance where two exes pitched the other in front of a crowd, Calleri said, noting the level of maturity that must take in order to do that for their former lover.

“It’s incredible how these people are so creative when they’re pitching,” Calleri said. “They’re talking about their travel stories, what they’re looking for, they’re red flags, they’re green flags, and they’re sharing their pets.”

Up to 12 pitches are accepted per event, as each presentation can take up to five minutes, with each followed by a question period and a couple of breaks in between. Their next event, which takes place on the evening of Feb. 19, had 22 groups on the waiting list.

“It’s definitely gaining in momentum,” Calleri said. “People are wanting to get out and meet people in person, and it’s a great way to learn about someone without having to do that inquisition of asking, ‘What do you do? What do you like?’”

Since the dating format was introduced in Toronto, Calleri says there has been one successful love story that she knows of so far, involving one pitchee who was pitched last February.

“They’re a really cute couple,” Calleri said.