In August 2024, Dave Kline, a 28-year-old data manager, rented a billboard in his neighborhood near 34th and Wharton streets and put details about his search for a date on it.
Hes a good cook, has normal hobbies, and owns a cat, which is pictured on the billboard.
"It was a 12-foot by 12-foot square, just had me, and it said, 'Dave is single. Want to go on a date with Dave? Message him here," says Kline. He thought a few people would message the Instagram account @Date_Dave_Philly. Instead, it went viral.
"I was getting messages like, 'Hey, youve reached France, Germany, Brazil, Africa, Canadaeverywhere!"
Hes already received thousands of direct messagessome sending words of encouragement and praising him for putting himself out there, and others asking him out on a date.
He spent over $1,000 to put up the billboard for one month, which turned into two due to the billboards lackluster location.
While Dave is still single, he says he hasnt given up hope and is still working on finding love.
His main takeaway from this experience? Just be yourself. "I just kind of decided to stay true to myself, and thats what people really latched on to," he says. "It was a good confidence boost."
Mostly, he just liked the idea of being on a billboard and thought it would be funny. He does say the date requests rolling in have turned out to be a big bonus.