R&B Superstar Anthony Hamilton Joins Popular New Weekly Storytelling Hour, #BlerdDating for Valentine's Day Edition

    NEW YORK, NY, February 10, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- R&B Superstar Anthony Hamilton is the latest celebrity guest to join popular new weekly storytelling hour, #BlerdDating, a Monday night concoction of dating recaps that has audiences on Twitter buzzing. This weekly meet up of blerds and non-blerds across the social media platform has now garnered nearly 35 million impressions. Hamilton's appearance on the Valentine's Day episode (Monday, February 13) will mark the sixth installment of the series where hosts confess wild, and often failed, romantic experiences ranging from "I Dated A Conspiracy Theorist" to "Cyberstalking Your Ex." Chaos and loads of dating advice--the good, the bad and the ugly--ensues.

#BlerdDating Co-Producer/Moderator Nicole Franklin was quoted in a recent Essence article about the show saying, "Blerds are finally cool. Not all antiheroes can wear the stockings and still rock the sexy." Both Refinery29 and BET.com mention characteristics of the #BlerdDating Twitter experience as "chats that feel more like interactive podcasts where people can ask questions and talk to guests."

#BlerdDating Creator/Producer/Moderator Leesa Dean says, "My dating life was a mess. I love Twitter stories, the intimate nature of [literary series] The Moth and thought, why don't I create a chat about dating from a blerd POV that combines live-tweeting very personal Twitter stories around a weekly topic? Each episode feels like the coolest party you've ever been to where friends are kicking it, laughing and commiserating about their dating experiences. Since the confessions all include memes, the experience of reading them real-time is almost cinematic."

The combination works--nearly every episode has trended. Crowds are loving it and so are the celebrity guests. Aside from Grammy winner Hamilton appearing on the Feb. 13th episode, Rain Pryor appeared on the debut episode and Karyn Parsons, comic book legend Kyle Baker, comedian Rodney Perry, Dawnn Lewis and Legends of Chamberlain Heights creator Michael Starrbury are just some of the guests who have either been on the show or are slated to appear. One guest said, "My dating life ALWAYS resembles an episode of Law & Order so I am here for this!"

Or as chat participant @kenzotweetwhat put it: "This was the best Twitter experience of my life! Thank you #BlerdDating!"

ABOUT #BLERDDATING
Launched on Jan. 2, 2017, #BlerdDating is a weekly Twitter stories/chat mash-up party about dating from a blerd (black nerd) POV. Each episode includes celebrity guests, live-tweeted Twitter stories, dating advice (some really good, some really, really bad) and great conversation. To join, just type #BlerdDating into the search bar on Twitter. More information may be found at www.BlerdDating.com.

CREATOR/PRODUCER/MODERATOR LEESA DEAN
Leesa Dean (@chilltowntv) is writer/director/animator whose work has widely been written about in Vibe, Spin, Essence, Source Magazines and over 127 national outlets. Her cartoon boxing game, The Puff Daddy Sucka Punch Fiesta (now living here: http://chilltowntv.com/hype/kd/), generated close to a million views and was named one of the Top 5 Hip-Hop Destinations on the web by Vibe Magazine. As a writer, she's sold tv pilots to BET and HBO producers Two Oceans Entertainment and her animated series Chilltown (chilltowntv.com), which was based on her hit underground comic book, was named of the 5 Best Series on the web by ABCNews and is part of the Frederator Network. She's the creator, producer and moderator of #BlerdDating which is based, in part, on the sad, sad story of her dating life.

CO-PRODUCER/MODERATOR NICOLE FRANKLIN
Nicole Franklin (@nicoleedits) is the producer/director of TITLE VII, The Double Dutch Divas!, Journeys in Black: the Jamie Foxx Biography, Gershwin & Bess: A Dialogue with Anne Brown, and the Little Brother film series. She's a filmmaker, writer and television director with more than 25 years in the industry. Most of those years were spent at her side hustle as a network news video editor. Not a lifestyle that leads to stability in the romance department. At #BlerdDating, where she's co-producer and co-moderator, she's come to realize that she's a black nerd with some really wild dating stories. All the sordid details can be found at http://www.NicoleFranklin.com.

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