I’ve been hearing a lot about Spark Networks acquisition of Stu & Lew Productions, creator of “Schmooz-a-Paloozaâ€?. For those that don’t know, Spark owns Jdate, the largest Jewish online dating service and Stu & Lew runs big parties in LA for the Jewish community.
I’ve heard from competitors as well as those close to the deal that feel jilted by Spark and question the motivation and tactics which drove the purchase. Basically all the hubub surrounds the LA and New York party scene on Christmas eve and how Spark has allegedly unfairly dealt with other party promoters. Who knew the Jewish Christmas Eve party scene was so full of intrigue and deception?
That a dating site would be unfair to it’s perceived competition should come as no surprise, there are more than a few executives in the industry more than happy to smile and pat you on the back while writing down your secret sauce and building it in-house. I know, I’ve been in some of those meetings. That’s the way certain organizations in the online dating industry have chosen to conduct business.
It sucks for some involved, yes. The little guy quite often gets steamrolled in the end when it comes to working with large partners. Qué Será, Será.
Mark Brooks called this deal “a bold move and a precedentâ€?, which I don’t understand. People have been throwing Jewish-themed parties for at least 20 years on Christmas eve. Speed dating, Lock-n-Key parties, done done and done.
I’ve never heard of Stu & Lew until this week, although I hear their email list is what helped kickstart JDate’s growth.
Remember MatchLive and IRL Networks? Probably not. That’s what happens when you try to scale national singles events up enough to be profitable. Simple and small is what works.
