Jaydi Samuels Kuba knows a thing or two about plotting the perfect Hollywood romance.
Writing episodes for television shows such as Salem and Family Guy, and penning scripts with the likes of Margot Robbie and Jennifer Garner, she specialized in creating captivating storylines for the small screen.
But Samuels Kuba was equally at home moving the chess pieces in real life, connecting her industry friends who were looking for love. There are even rumors she set up half the cast of Saturday Night Live.
So in 2014 she finally made it official – founding an agency, LJMatchmaking, to help the most selective of singletons find their happily ever after.
‘When I think about how I want to be remembered, it’s not for penning fart jokes for Liam Neeson: it’s for helping people find their forever partners, the ones they are comfortable farting in front of,’ she wrote in her new book, Your Last First Date.
And she revealed that Hollywood insiders are no better at putting themselves out there than the rest of us. They just have elite help from people like her.
Talking to the Daily Mail, she deftly dodged the question about her role in the love lives of SNL’s biggest names.
There are rumors that Samuels Kuba set up half the cast of Saturday Night Live. Pictured: Scarlett Johannson and Colin Jost who married in 2020
Samuels Kuba confirmed she has an Oscar-winning director, an Emmy-winning producer and a popular TikTok influencer on her books
‘I can’t speak to that,’ she said. ‘My clients would not be happy.’
She did, however, confirm an Oscar-winning director, Emmy-winning producer and popular TikTok influencer on her books.
Samuels Kuba, 40, revealed that those most open to matchmaking are high-net-worth men over the age of 50. Accustomed to having things done for them, outsourcing their dating is an obvious option.
Hollywood women are also open to the idea of investing in their romantic future.
The most skeptical category is younger men, who perhaps see needing help as a weakness.
But, she told the Daily Mail, the skepticism across the board is declining. As with online dating, what was once seen as almost embarrassing and, in the case of matchmaking, antiquated, is now routine – for some even a status symbol.
‘I walked into CAA (Creative Artists Agency, the LA-based talent agency) the other day and one of my clients was literally parading me around going, “This is my matchmaker! Everyone meet my matchmaker!”
‘It’s really evolved to the point where people are almost proud to show off their matchmaker. It’s this luxury service, or a luxury handbag, you know?’
Samuels Kuba is known for her work on shows like Family Guy
The writer has also worked on projects with Margot Robbie (left) and Jennifer Garner (right)
Her database of around 1,000 invite-only people is 60 percent women, who pay $399 for six months of dates – a fraction of the fees some agencies charge.
‘In LA,’ she wrote, ‘the average rate for matchmaking is $10,000 for eight matches; in NYC it’s $15,000. Some elite ones are even known to charge between $100,000 and $500,000.’
Kuba, however, doesn’t guarantee the number of dates she will offer, preferring to focus on quality of connection rather than quantity.
She’ll even turn someone down if she thinks there aren’t enough potential dates in her database (though she will keep them on her waiting list).
If men pass her initial screening they are added for free, on the proviso that they pay for their date.
This system, she said, allows the women to invest in the company and leaves the men free to invest in the women.
Kuba’s attention to detail even goes as far as selecting the venue for her potential match’s date: parking must be easy, for instance, to avoid frazzling clients before they even meet and the food, lighting and ambience must all be perfect, with just the right amount of privacy (but not too much).
‘I hate dates when couples sit at bars,’ she wrote in the book. ‘Some people believe the casualness of the bar seats will be disarming for their matches, but the close proximity to others can backfire.
‘Instead of focusing on their date’s wit, charisma, or kindness, people can be so preoccupied by who might be watching or eavesdropping that they aren’t present for the conversation.’
However, if the table is too private, there is the tendency for awkward silences to feel more obvious and both daters lose the ability to gossip about those around them.
Is there anyone she is hankering to set up? Does she have on her books the fifth Mr Jennifer Lopez, or the man who will whisk Kylie Minogue off her feet, once and for all? Can she conjure up a dashing date to mend Nicole Kidman‘s broken heart?
Does she have on her books the fifth Mr Jennifer Lopez (left)? Can she conjure up a dashing date to mend Nicole Kidman’s (right) broken heart?
Does Samuels Kuba know the man who will whisk Kylie Minogue off her feet?
‘I get asked all the time, who do you think this person should date, and do you want to work with that person?’ Kuba said.
‘Maybe, but if they’re a self-sabotager and it’s going to be a headache and they’re used to always getting their own way and they’re not receptive to date coaching… I probably don’t want to work with them.
‘Maybe their future husbands are in my database. Maybe they should talk to me. But I would need them to fill out an intake form.’
Dating in Hollywood, she insisted, is not all that different from dating in the ‘real’ world.
‘The challenges that they are facing are identical to the ones that you are and in some ways, it can be even harder for them, because it’s not easy being open and vulnerable about your love life.
‘There are fewer chances for them to put themselves out there.’
That’s why she insists her clients stay on the dating apps while using her services.
‘I’m like, “Look, I’m gonna try to find your person, but in the meantime you’re gonna maybe end up marrying a guy named George, and George is trying so hard to find you. And you’re not findable right now.”
‘So, keep a profile up on Hinge. I’ll do my thing, but check Hinge once a week.
‘I just want everyone to have their taxi light on at all times.’
Other tips that are just as relevant for the rest of us include not talking about your ex on dates – it’s a real turn-off, she said, and can be a barrier to making genuine connections.
She added: ‘Statistically, I always have more success with dates scheduled after 7pm and the data supports that trend.
‘There’s an increased feeling of intimacy and romance at night, when there’s typically fewer distractions and let’s face it – the lighting is better. Women report feeling more confident when blemishes and imperfections are masked by the moonlight, or the forgiving dim of a restaurant’s warm lighting.
‘There’s also a hard out, if it’s needed, or a natural transition to a sleepover.’
She has no intention of expanding her reach beyond Hollywood: LJM remains a sideline for herself and her business partner Lauren Rosenberg, whose day job is a talent manager and producer.
And she has little time for industrial-scale matchmaking agencies who boast of vaguely-defined ‘success rates’ – which can be as modest as a pairing that reaches the second date.
Her greatest success, however, is her own. She found her husband, Dave Kuba, when he signed up for her matchmaking services.
Her greatest success is her own – she met Dave Kuba when he came to her agency looking for a partner
The couple are now married and are parents to three-year-old Rocky
She set him up on five dates before she – and he – realized the answer lay right in front of them.
Plot twist! The couple married seven years ago and are now parents to a three-year-old daughter Rocky.
Samuels Kuba has her happy ending, and believes she can help others find theirs.
‘I soon realized that introducing one happy couple would bring me ten times more joy than penning the 250th episode of Family Guy,’ she said.
Your Last First Date: Secrets from a Hollywood Matchmaker by Jaydi Samuels Kuba is published by Avid Reader Press, January 27. It is available to pre-order.