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In September, 42-year-old Lisa Catalano launched a bold new strategy in her search for love: she rented a dozen digital billboards in California’s Bay Area to advertise a website where men could apply to date her.
But Catalano told The Independent she wasn’t at all prepared for how the world would react.
Catalano, a vintage clothing seller and social media content creator, said she came up with the idea after failing to find a man to settle down with on the dating apps. When the billboards went up, she expected some local attention, but the story went viral nationwide.
“I was going into this thinking maybe I’ll make the local news or something, maybe I’ll get a little blurb in the paper,” she told The Independent. “I wasn’t expecting front page of two large papers. I wasn’t expecting national-level interviews.”
Catalano’s story was covered by several national outlets, including the New York Post, People and ABC News. Once the story blew up, she received more than 3,800 applications in just three weeks. On top of that, she received thousands of messages — many of which were hateful, she said.
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Lisa Catalano rented a dozen digital billboards in California’s Bay Area (Lisa Catalano)
She expected “some negative comments,” but said she had “no idea that it would be next-level hate mail.” Catalano described messages that used insulting names, like “b****” and “w****.”
Some commenters also questioned why she hadn’t found a partner earlier in life, she explained. To them, Catalano says: “Well, I’m sorry, my fiancé died.”
Catalano’s fiancé passed away in late 2023 from a terminal illness. Catalano described their decade-long relationship as “great” and “caring,” but said she’s withholding specific details about him to protect his family’s privacy.
Fox News even aired a segment about Catalano’s billboards on October 6. The commentators labeled her “desperate,” and one even appeared to call her a “crazy b****” (the network censored the expletive). Catalano said it was “shocking to watch that clip on Fox News, especially how hateful it all was, and not giving any sort of context or details or my story.”
The influx of hate messages prompted Catalano to put certain safety and security measures in place — but she’s keeping the details private. “Part of the safety and security plan is not talking about the safety and security plan,” she said.
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Lisa Catalano rented digital billboards in the Bay Area advertising ‘MarryLisa.com’ (Lisa Catalano)
Despite all the hate that poured in, Catalano said she received even more messages supporting her search for love.
“That’s really been a bright spot in all of this, because I’ve had to really just kind of go through this with some thick skin and just try to power through all the negativity,” she said.
Catalano’s website encourages eligible bachelors to apply to date her, and includes a trove of information about her hobbies, interests, and what she’s looking for in a partner. The application asks bachelors for their biographical information, then allows them to answer some open-ended prompts, such as “What are your hobbies and interests?” and “Describe your personality.” Applicants can also upload photos of themselves.
It took Catalano several weeks to go through the initial applications she received, and she’s still accepting submissions for now. She keeps track of the applications and supportive messages by filing them in binders decorated with glitter and her website’s URL.
Catalano also printed out the hate messages, but said she keeps track of those in a separate, “ugly” binder.
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Lisa Catalano is keeping track of applications and supportive messages by printing them out and putting them in binders, she told The Independent (Lisa Catalano)
As she reviews applications, Catalano first checks whether men are around her age and located near her. From there, she looks at her “nonnegotiables” and the applicants’ responses to the open-ended questions. Catalano reviews applicants’ pictures last, because she wants to “approach this primarily from a compatibility standpoint,” she said.
Catalano started going on first dates less than two weeks ago, and they’re going well so far, she said. She has at least one second date scheduled for next week.
The whole ordeal even prompted a local news network, KRON 4, to start production on a docu-series about her website and search for love, Catalano said. Even as camera crews document her journey, Catalano says she works to make sure the dates still “feel normal.”
KRON 4 told The Independent the first episode of the series is set to premiere on November 26.
Despite the influx of hate mail, Catalano said she wouldn’t change a thing about the experience.
“I don’t have any regrets,” she said.
