In The Press
CBS Radio Life Talk, January 01, 2013
CBS Radio Interview with Donna Briggs and Michael Karlan by CBS Radio
Donna Briggs: Hold the line this is Donna Briggs and you’re with me on Life talk. Thanks for joining us I hope you had a wonderful week. And I am so proud to have on my show Michael Karlan President and Founder of Professionals in the City a socializing network organization that offers professionals a major major networking opportunity in all cities across the US to unwind have fun and meet people that share their interests. How you doin Michael?
Michael: Hi Donna thanks for having us here tonight.
Donna: I’m really excited about this. I stumbled upon your site. Actually a friend of mine went to an event at an embassy. Saudi embassy. . You have those…
Michael: Oh we host Embassy events once a month
Donna: Ok once a month. And I thought that was interesting and I said y
Read more
NPR News Washington, April 30, 2012
To Predict Dating Success, The Secret's In The Pronouns by Alix Spiegel
On a Monday it's Morning Edition from NPR news. I’m Steve Inskeep. Today in Your Health we look at Words. And how by carefully studying the words we use we can discover all kinds of interesting but hidden things about our relationships and who we are and how we feel. NPR’s Elise Spiegel begins her story in Washington DC where a group of men and women recently gathered for speed dating.
Michael: Okay, women sit facing me, men sit facing the window. We’ve got 30 men and 30 women right now.
It’s Friday night and 30 men and thirty women have come to a bland hotel restaurant in downtown Washington, looking for love. For the next 2 hours they will talk to people they do not know, one after another, in 3 minute increments.
Michael: Where the women are seated,
Read more
Roll Call, February 14, 2012
Looking for Love? Speed Dating Aims to Get the Heart Racing by Ivan V. Natividad
District locals looking for love this Valentine’s Day can tilt the odds in their favor by going on 20 dates in one night.
The social networking site Professionals in the City hosts more than 1,000 social gatherings a year, including daily speed-dating events that give Washington singles an opportunity to meet potential partners through a swift series of four-minute meet and greets.
“Unlike many social networking sites, our focus is on people initially meeting face to face,” founder Michael Karlan said. “[But] our most popular events are our speed-dating events.”
As a five-year veteran of the D.C. speed-dating scene, Alan Clark sees it as a heady means to an end.
“I’ve probably met more than 2,000 women at speed-dating events, and in the past, I was engaged with a
Read more
Key Biscayne Magazine, February 01, 2012
Get Out (of Your Comfort Zone)! by Cristy Zuazua
Who says the gym is the only place to get a workout? Check out how you can get fit, expand your social circle, and have a blast this summer.
It’s 2012. And while it’s not January anymore, there is still the constant refrain from mass media: don’t give up on the gym! Keep and it and you’ll get that toned body, lose that extra five pound and look fantastic on the beach this summer!
Well.
Granted, a little discipline never hurt anyone. But there are better (and more exciting) ways to work out than watching yourself on the treadmill in that floor length mirror in the gym when it’s beautiful out. You might even make a new friend, or ten.
Get Adventurous.
The daily grind can get pretty overwhelming, and trying to step outside of it can seem daunting, at times. “Due to th
Read more
USA TODAY, November 08, 2011
Interracial marriage: More accepted, still growing by Sharon Jayson
The dating message Kelsi Hasden got from her parents was more than tolerant.
"It was always clear that pretty much anybody from any racial background would be acceptable," she says. Her mother is white, and her father is black.
"I'm pretty dark-complected. A lot of people think I'm Hispanic," says Hasden, 26, of Jacksonville, who last year married Brian Hasden, 28, who is white.
"I've dated black guys, white guys, Hispanics," she says. "Race, color, how people identify doesn't really cross my mind."
Research has found young adults today have more friends of diverse racial backgrounds than past generations and are more willing to have relationships with those of other races and cultures. "We do not feel a need to be diverse, and we do not seek out relationships for that purpose.
Read more
Washington Post, July 10, 2011
Washington-area speed-dating business garners attention by targeting South Asians by Aruna Viswanatha
Oshmita Anwar was debating whether to attend a speed-dating event for South Asian Muslims earlier this month when her father, who is Bengali, called with a message: “Go!”
“My parents are always like, ‘you have to get married,’ ” said Anwar, a pretty 25-year old with big eyes and an easy laugh. “I want someone religious, yet social. A lot [of guys] are not social enough.”
The event was the brainstorm of a company called Professionals in the City, which has built a profitable business around organizing events for single men and women, including those whose families hail from the subcontinent that includes India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Anwar and about two dozen other Muslims gathered at a lounge on U Street on a warm Thursday night in June to meet each other throu
Read more
Bloomberg, June 03, 2011
'Intellectual Meat Market’ Makes Washington Long Odds for Single Women by Sandrine Rastello and Timothy R. Homan
Christy McConville has some advice for women in Washington who are frustrated with the dating scene in the nation’s capital: Leave town.
The former District of Columbia resident did just that last year when she relocated to Pasadena, California, after spending almost a decade in Washington. She said it’s now much easier to find single men her age, and she relishes male suitors inquiring about her hobbies rather than her resume.
Washingtonians are “really sort of dating their jobs,” said McConville, 34, who works in political communications. “It’s sort of like an intellectual meat market.”
For women like McConville, it’s not just the fixation on work, it’s the odds: Washington has the highest ratio of women to men compared with all 50 states -- 112 females for eve
Read more
Unwind Magazine, May 01, 2011
Put your love life in the fast lane by Mali Krantz
Michael Karlan, founder of Professionals in the City, moved from New York to DC without knowing a soul. It was difficult for him to meet people naturally, so he would go to bars and clubs after work to meet other young people.
“I met women that way, but it was a lot of work,” he said. “It was really inefficient.”
So in 1999 Karlan founded Professionals in the City to host events where DC singles could meet. “The events were successful,” he said. “But people are coming out under the pretense to meet someone. At speed dating you meet 20, 30 people in a night which is just unheard of anywhere else.”
The speed dating events were so successful that Karlan now hosts speed dating in and around DC seven nights a week, and events specifically for twenty somethings at least
Read more
The Hill, April 06, 2011
DC’s unique career opportunities by J.J. Steele
D.C.’s young professionals don’t shy away from competition as they seek to develop their careers in politics, journalism and nonprofit work.
Freshman Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) said that because of the fast-paced work environment of political staffers, the younger crowd is often better able to adapt to the job.
“It’s very competitive, so the types of folks who are able to get employment here are often some of the best and brightest,” said Schweikert.
“We’ve had close to 600 résumés that were delivered to our office. When you have that sort of pool to select from, you end up with a concentration of talent.”
Schweikert said that a lot of the young professionals in Washington are hardworking people who are willing to “subordinate a lifestyle to be players
Read more
Voice of America, March 10, 2011
Sound of America by Tahniat Darbandi
We live in a time that life has more ups and downs. Although the everyday progress of communications technology helps in bringing the people together, making connections has become harder. Speed dating is a look into the time we live in.
Speed dating is a quick way of meeting and coming to know new people for the purpose of finding a life partner. In a group like this, participants sit around a table, and with the person in front of them speak for 3-6 minutes. Then they give their spot to the next person, and this continues till the round circulates to the last person.
Michael Karlan has been CEO of Professionals in the City from 1999 until now, and has been holding speed dating sessions in Washington DC.
Michael Karlan: “We’ve done all different variations of datin
Read more
Fiscal Times, February 12, 2011
Love at First Byte: The Magic of Online Dating by Michelle Hirsch
Mail order brides, arranged nuptials, and matchmaker marriages are among the time-honored mating services people have used from the very beginning of the human experience — think Adam and Eve, a match made in ‘heaven.’ Those early unions joined not just the bride and groom, but two families who would often benefit from an infusion of cold hard drachmas, more land or an extra goat or two. In short, matchmaking was a business.
Fast forward to the U. S. in 2011 where matchmaking has evolved into an Internet love fest and where the modern search for a mate often begins and ends on the web. With 43 percent of the 18-and-over population single, browsing dating sites, checking out thousands of pictures and profiles, and evaluating who has the criteria and winning smile to make the cut
Read more
TBD, February 10, 2011
Dating in D.C.: At least these awkward dates end quickly by Daniel Victor
Reporters shouldn't mix their personal and professional lives. Journalists "should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know,” according to our most popular code of ethics.
But few journalists know about the all-important corollary: "Unless you're writing a first-person story about speed-dating and the French girl was really hot. Then go talk to her, you pansy."
And that’s how I talked-to-slash-interviewed Camille Rouget for longer than our allotted four minutes. We had a pleasant conversation for those 240 seconds we sat across from each other at a numbered table in the back room of Chi-Cha Lounge on U Street NW. The red walls, red couches, soft light, soft jazz, and small candles on each table set the mood impeccably.
They were all supposed
Read more
AutoWriters.com, February 08, 2011
Speed Dating at the Washington Auto Show by Glenn Campbell
Kudos to the Washington Auto Show for adding a little “Sex And The City” flavor to this year’s event. The show partnered with the capitol’s 200,000-member social networking group, Professionals In The City, to offer the nation’s first speed dating go-round at an auto show. Popular Washington Post columnist, “love guru” Carolyn Hax kicked it off with a Q &A session, then the males went from car to car in the General Motors exhibit while the ladies stayed put (No doubt in the driver’s seat). One female participant said the excitement of the show and the new cars made it, “a perfect icebreaker; there was no trouble making conversation.” Post-event participants gave the event three stars out of a possible four stars and Professionals in the City prexy Michael Karlan said co
Read more
Washington Times, January 05, 2011
New Year's for youth in this or any year by Mark Hensch
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2011 – My first midnight of the year provided my most exotic New Year's Eve yet. Diving into the “Washington D.C. New Year's Eve Passport to the World Gala: An International Red Carpet Affair” at Dupont Circle's Hilton Hotel was like touring the globe in one glorious party. It also gave me insight into where my generation is going as we enter a new decade just starting the growth of its full potential.
When it comes to New Year's Eve, parties are my business, and business is good. I've hung out with world-champion rodeo rider and “Jackass”/”Deadwood,” stuntman Gary Leffew, eaten heavy metal hamburgers at Chicago's meat patty palace Kuma's Corner and gotten caught in a 2008 Michigan blizzard so bad it added two more days to my three day weekend. No
Read more
On Tap, February 01, 2010
Speeeeed Dating-Try It, You Might Like It A He Said, She Said Tale by Derrick Brazier and Kathy Wilmot
Pros in the City (www.prosinthecity.com) has a great record of matches: over 90 percent of people who attend their speed dating events “match” with at least one person. What’s more intriguing is that over 75 percent of people who attended report going on a “real” date with someone they met at their event. (If that’s not motivation, I don’t know what is!) Pros in the City hosts more than 200 speed dating events a year in DC alone, drawing a solid turnout to each one. If you want your options narrowed down a bit, Pros in the City also offers events based on age, religion, interests and race.
Here’s what our singles had to say about their night out.
Kathy, 38
Dating in DC; it’s never easy. I’ve been living here for five years and have found that this town is a
Read more
ABC News, March 20, 2009
Recession Has Some Daters Checking Credit Scores by ABC News
WASHINGTON - The recession has some singles being more careful about who they date. A recent survey shows more than 80 percent of singles are being more selective because they don't want to get involved with someone who needs their own bailout.
Money may be all the talk these days but at a speed-dating event in D.C., singles say they're not bringing it up -- yet.
"Money thing, that's serious stuff. I'll worry about that later," said one participant.
But concerns about job security and financial stability are close to the surface.
"I know a lot of my friends, their financial situations are difficult right now," added another participant.
In addition to their own tight finances, many worry about a potential date's money troubles.
"I met a few female lawyers who told me th
Read more
Washington Post, March 08, 2009
Immigrants' Children Look Closer for Love: More Young Adults Are Seeking Partners of Same Ethnicity by Annie Gowen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 8, 2009; Page A01
Katie Xiao emigrated from China when she was 4 and always thought of herself as Americanized -- until she started dating.
Subtle cultural clashes with Caucasian or Latino boyfriends led to unhappy breakups. It made her realize she's more Chinese than she thought. Now she wants to meet a man of Asian descent.
She has recently gone to a chocolate tasting in the District and a cocktail mixer at Arlington County's Zen Bistro, both catering to Asian Americans and immigrants. She spent Valentine's Day weekend making contacts at a Harvard Business School conference called "Asia in a Whole New World."
Sociologists and demographers are just beginning to study how the children of immigrants who have flowed into the countr
Read more
WUSA9.com, March 12, 2008
Cooking For One by Anita Brikman
Michael Karlan is head of Pros in the City and says "A lot of times people are single for all sorts of reasons, and it can be very overwhelming at first." Michael says that learning to cook for one can be very empowering for singles.
Chef Vera Foresman says that single people overthink dinner and go straight for the quick unhealthy fix instead. She says, "They eat frozen foods, canned foods, and go out to the same fast food places." Chef Vera Foresman went on to say that many singles will settle for peanut butter with whatever is in the cupboard, or eat the same unhealthy dish over and over again.
The cooking class today was about simple sauces, glazing, and creating your own salad dressing. Michael Karlan says the that the goal of the cooking class was teaching singles a new s
Read more
American Observer, February 27, 2008
Speed-dating not just about finding love by Sabrina Parker
Some singles in the district are tired of swapping photos online. Instead they head to Chi Cha lounge for four minute speed dating hosted by Professionals of the City. Michael Karlan, who founded Pros of the City, says people can learn more about each other in four minutes than in a night at a bar, "When you go to a bar, maybe you will meet two or three people all night. Here, you know, you are meeting twenty people. It is just so much more efficient than the bars or than something like Match."
But many say they come out for other reasons than dating. One woman, who has speed dated before, says it sharpens her people skills. "I didn't meet anybody the last time, but I still feel like if nothing else it is practice."
One man sees it as an extension on DC's networking scene, "I a
Read more
OnTap Magazine, February 01, 2008
Singles, Basketball & Babes by Linda Dickerhoof
It's early January at the Verizon Center as the Washington Wizards battle the Los Angeles Clippers. The excitement builds as Gilbert Arenas shoots...and scores! And scores again! And again! The Wizards beat the Clippers 116-105, thanks in part to NBA superstar (and birthday boy) Arenas.
On this night, some lucky fans leave the arena headed for Arenas' star-studded birthday party to rub elbows with A-listers such as P-Diddy and Beyonce. But for other, some might even say luckier (or at least, not as famous) fans, the party didn't leave the arena, but rather continued in the Dewars Clubhouse where 500 singles were participating in "Singles Night," sponsored by party-planners extraordinaire Professionals in the City.
What exactly is "Singles Night", you might ask? Well tonight, it is
Read more
Washington Post, January 23, 2008
Self Serve: At the Singles' Cooking Class, a Few Rules Can Liberate Or Intimidate by Jackie Spinner
They came to lay down their can openers, to embrace the mighty shallot (which some had never seen), to learn that in Vera Foresman's kitchen, rules generally do not apply.
For these Washington singles enrolled in Foresman's class about cooking for one, this was their chance to learn how to make, say, chicken breast in mustard-cream sauce rather than, say, the Megan Gooch Special. That would be a toasted English muffin with peanut butter.
Gooch, 24, came to Mount Olivet United Methodist Church in Arlington for the class with her friend Anish Dewan, 25. Both work in the defense industry and live in the District. Once they'd learned to concoct a vinaigrette from scratch -- in their case combining chardonnay vinegar, canola oil, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of thyme -- it was time to te
Read more
Revista Cosas, January 22, 2008
Tendencies, from Washington: I am single and looking for a partner by Antonieta C'diz
In the capital of the United States, loneliness is tied to success. Professionals who are dedicated one hundred percent to their careers need a little help meeting other people. Luckily for them, there is a company that brings them together and helps them connect.
It is almost eight o'clock in the evening in a central restaurant in Washington DC. Twelve perfect strangers sit in pairs across from each other. Despite their nervousness and while perhaps drinking a cocktail, they laugh, they look at each other and they wait. Although they still do not know if they have something in common, their expectations are high. A man standing in the middle of the room tells them that they can begin talking to each other. Men and women initiate their dialogue with a traditional "Hello, what's you
Read more
WUSA 9 News, January 01, 2008
Professionals in the City New Year's Eve Gala Live Broadcast by WUSA 9 News
To see a live WUSA 9 News broadcast of our December 31, 2007 New Year's Eve Gala, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-0VLXoDCv4.
There is a five second delay before the video starts.
Read more
Fashion, August 08, 2007
Pervenia P. Brown by Bulgarian Soire
Wouldn't it be nice if savvy people could meet in chic, casual venues and experience the taste and tradition of other cultures?
Professionals in the City, a Washington, DC-based organization with over 100,000 members, hosts a myriad of social events, from sunset kayaking to Carnaval 2008 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
On July 27, Pros in the City hosted "An Exciting Evening at the Embassy of Bulgaria" in the Nation's Capital at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria. Guests were welcomed by a delightful embassy staff and ushered into a sizable room decorated with Bulgarian artifacts, where a buffet-style dinner of ethnic cuisine was tastefully presented.
The meal included salad shopska, salad snejanka (Bulgarian tzatzaki), spring salad, stuffed mushrooms, Burgas-style mussels from t
Read more
DC Guide, March 16, 2007
How To Meet People in Washington, DC by Melanie Paige
I have this friend, Stacy, who would always tell me about these events that she would go to at embassies around Washington. She kept telling me that the organization that set up these events would be something fun for me to look into. I had been involved with my alumni club and with a political organization, but I found that the events that these groups hosted were few and far between. I was looking for something new and fun, so I agreed to go with Stacy to check out an event.
The name of the group that Stacy was talking about is Professionals in the City. I checked out its calendar of events on its website (www.prosinthecity.com), and told Stacy that I would go with her to a dance party that Professionals in the City was hosting the following week. At the last minute, Stacy canceled on
Read more
Washington Post, December 31, 2006
Partying With Taxing Precision by Karin Brulliard
For IRS Lawyer-Turned-Gala Planner, Success Is All About the Numbers
By Karin Brulliard
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 31, 2006; Page C01
Michael Karlan is throwing not one, but two glitzy New Year's bashes tonight. For 1,700 people.
At the French Embassy, guests in glittering gowns and dapper tuxes will sip bottomless glasses of champagne, take mini-lessons in French and dance the New Year in while mimes stroll.
Downtown at the Washington Plaza hotel, hundreds of young professionals will venture into "A Social Experience" -- a Madonna impersonator, massage seminars, speed-dating, a caricaturist.
The galas, Karlan said, cost him "one hundred thou each."
Karlan, 38, is an expert party guy, founder of the social network Professionals in the City. He takes
Read more
The Examiner, June 15, 2005
Visit Cuba in D.C. by Gabrielle Shaughness
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Page 31
Special to The Examiner
Ever since the United States severed diplomatic ties with Cuba in 1961, there has been no official Cuban embassy on American soil.
In an effort to foster relations between the two nations, however, the Carter administration signed a bilateral accord in the late 1970s to establish interest sections in Havana and Washington.
Offering a rare occasion to glimpse the culture, cuisine and music of this often-misunderstood island, Professionals in the City will host a black tie gala in the grand mansion in Washington where the Cuban Interests Section resides on Saturday.
The open bar will feature Cuban libres, "the classic Cuban rum and coke, and the mojito - a delicious cocktail made from rum, mint, sugar and lime," says
Read more
