Online Dating Innovators: Bob Murray

Ever dreamt of becoming a romcom star like Meg Ryan, Kate Hudson, and Matthew McConaughey?

Bob Murray - a 34 year old commercial real estate investor from Milwaukee - didn't set out to become a leading man on the silver screen, but his search for The One might make him a film star anyway. After three long-term relationships that spanned 12 years, and a year of singlehood, Murray decided to embark upon an adventure that he hopes will lead to lasting love and a movie deal. Last month, he began a 17-day road trip that will take him through 8 cities - St. Louis, Kansas City, Dallas, Santa Fe, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and a TBD city in Oklahoma - during which he will go on prearranged dates with women he met online, all the while documenting his every move with the help of a small film crew.

And did I mention he'll be traveling by cab?

In addition to a production assistant, sound expert, and camera operators, Murray will be joined on his journey by Paula Heus, a cabdriver who will also dish out romantic advice as an unofficial life coach. "She's a real firecracker and not afraid to state her opinion about things," Murray told the Bellingham Herald. When his quest is over, Murray hopes to tour the film festival circuit with a documentary about his unusual search for love.

Heus' cab has hardly left the driveway, but already Murray's project has hit a few roadblocks. A planned stop in Amarillo, TX had to be abandoned after Murray was unable to get a response to his search for a date in the city, and a rule that dates could only be arranged two weeks in advance was made when scheduled meetups with two women fell through after they found boyfriends before Murray arrived in their cities.

Murray was also able to raise less than $5,000 of the $20,000 he hoped to earn to fund the trip, so he was forced to foot much of the bill himself and exchange equity in the film for further donations from his largest investors. In spite of these setbacks, however, Murray has been on his first date in Milwaukee, with an actress named Cynthia Kmak, and has plans for adventures along the lines of mountain climbing and skydiving in other cities.

You can follow his progress on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/percent40dateamerica, and Facebook, at www.facebook.com/dateamerica.