Steven Brandon Ward (born November 12, 1980) is an American television presenter, matchmaker, and entrepreneur. He is the host and executive producer of the show Tough Love, an American reality television series, which aired on VH1 from 2009 until 2013.
Steven Ward | |
|---|---|
 Ward in November 2022 | |
| Born | Steven Brandon Ward November 12, 1980 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Spouse | Madison Ward |
Early life and education
editWard was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 12, 1980. For most of his youth, Ward lived throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. In fall of 1993, his family relocated to Northern Virginia. He attended Fairfax High School in Fairfax, Virginia, where he played junior varsity football and wrestling, and varsity lacrosse, and graduated in 1998.[citation needed]
Ward attended Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he majored in international business major and minored in French. He graduated in 2003.[1]
Career
editAfter graduating from Drexel University, Ward worked as a mortgage broker during the refinance boom of the 2000s.[1]
Ward began his training as a matchmaker at a very young age. Shortly after graduating college he joined his mother JoAnn Ward in her private Philadelphia area based matchmaking business, It's About Time! Master Matchmaker. He soon rebranded the company, Master Matchmakers and expanded the business throughout the Mid Atlantic.[2]
In 2007, High Noon Entertainment approached Ward to develop a dating show.[1] In 2008, Drew Barrymore's Flower Films and High Noon Entertainment hired Ward to host VH1 Tough Love.[3] Ward hosted several seasons of the show.
In 2009, Ward co-authored a book with his mother, Crash Course in Love,[4] which was published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon and Schuster.[4]
In April 2012, Ward was nominated as one Philadelphia Business Journal's "40 Under 40", which recognizes local young professionals for outstanding success and contributions to the Philadelphia community. The winners were selected from more than 250 nominations.[5][6] On September 13, 2013, Ward launched a prototype of a free mobile application, Love Lab on Android and iOS in an effort to verify online dating with knowledge based authentication, background checks and video chat. As one of 24 participants in a venture capitalist pitch competition called, Node Jam, Love Lab won the crowd favorite award on a promise to rebuild the application using a MEAN Stack. In March 2014, Ward founded LoveLab.com INC as a Delaware C-corp.
In April 2014, he formally partnered with Jon Kraft, a Founder of Pandora Radio and Girish Venkat, the original Chief Software Architect at Stamps, through their development firm, LiftOff LLC. On February 11, 2015, a new Love Lab was launched for iOS, including facial recognition, background checks, ephemeral messaging, and more. In October 2017, Ward announced that he had launched a new startup, Authenticating.com, which provides developer tools for identity verification and fraud prevention. His first customer was publicly-traded, Canada based, Namaste Technologies. On April 1, 2022, Authenticating.com was rebranded as Authenticate.
Ward has served as a spokesperson for brands, including Pantene[7] Procter & Gamble and Crowne Plaza Hotels[8] (IHG Hotels & Resorts) and has spoken to college audiences at Ohio State University,[9] Slippery Rock University, Chapman University, University of California, Long Beach, University of California, Irvine, and Drexel University[10] and to business leaders[11] and audiences in casinos[12] and other venues. On March 23, 2019, he spoke in a lightning talk at the 2019 Know Conference on "Building Better Trust Scores".[13]
Personal life
editOn November 16, 2013, Ward proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Madison Pard.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b c "LeBow News". Drexel University. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^ Matchmaker Pairs Singles In D.C. Area | NBC4 Washington. Nbcwashington.com. Retrieved on August 28, 2013.
- ^ Barker, Andrew. (December 2, 2008) VH1 commits to ‘Tough Love’. Variety. Retrieved on August 28, 2013.
- ^ a b Crash Course in Love | Book by Steven Ward, JoAnn Ward – Simon & Schuster. Books.simonandschuster.com. Retrieved on August 28, 2013.
- ^ 40 Under 40 for 2012 winners honored by Philadelphia Business Journal: Young, influential, entrepreneurs – Philadelphia Business Journal. Bizjournals.com. Retrieved on August 28, 2013.
- ^ Jennifer.everett (April 20, 2012). "Alumni named in "40 Under 40" review". The Triangle. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ Pantene. Pwrnewmedia.com. Retrieved on August 28, 2013.
- ^ 11 Couples. 11 Weddings. 11 am. 11.11.11 – NEW YORK, Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/. Prnewswire.com. Retrieved on August 28, 2013.
- ^ Steve Ward shows OSU some 'Tough Love' – Campus – The Lantern – Ohio State University. The Lantern. Retrieved on August 28, 2013.
- ^ 'Tough Love' host advises on modern relationships. The Triangle (May 4, 2012). Retrieved on August 28, 2013.
- ^ Matchmaker Ward headlines Blend Conference on March 31 | INSIGHT – Business-to-Business Publication. Insightonbusiness.com (January 3, 2011). Retrieved on August 28, 2013.
- ^ Harrah's Entertainment Atlantic City will open its '[Heart]' Valentine's Day Weekend – ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/. Prnewswire.com. Retrieved on August 28, 2013.
- ^ "Authenticating.com Combines Verification Services To Prevent Identity Fraud". Business Wire. March 21, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ Rizzo, Monica. "People Magazine, 'Steve Ward Engaged to Madison Pard'". Time Inc. Retrieved November 16, 2013.