Run Game People

Famous pickup artists: who they are and what they taught

Updated 5 min read

Much of the pickup advice in circulation traces back to a few dozen people, working from the late 1980s to today. Each one taught a recognizable idea: language patterns, a staged model, bootcamps, "cocky and funny," daygame, or plain honesty. Here's who they are, what they put into the world, and where to read more.

Before the "pickup artist"

How-to books on meeting women predate the internet. Albert Ellis and Roger Conway published The Art of Erotic Seduction in 1967, and Eric Weber's How to Pick Up Girls! followed in 1970. The modern community, with its own vocabulary, teachers, and paid workshops, starts in the late 1980s.

The founders and the system builders

Ross Jeffries. Began teaching "Speed Seduction" workshops in 1988, a method built on neuro-linguistic programming: language patterns, anchoring, and leading someone's imagination. His book How to Get the Women You Desire into Bed came out in the early 1990s. Paul Thomas Anderson has said Tom Cruise's character in Magnolia (1999) was inspired by him, and Neil Strauss called him the "godfather" of the community. Full story: Ross Jeffries and Speed Seduction.

Mystery (Erik von Markovik). A Toronto-born former illusionist who broke an interaction into attraction, comfort, and seduction phases. His book The Mystery Method (2007, with Chris Odom) introduced terms like "DHV" (demonstration of higher value), and he hosted VH1's The Pickup Artist in 2007 and 2008. Details: Mystery and the Mystery Method.

Neil Strauss. A Rolling Stone contributing editor who joined the community as "Style" and wrote The Game (ReganBooks, September 2005), a New York Times bestseller. He followed it with Rules of the Game (2007) and The Truth (2015). See Neil Strauss and The Game.

David DeAngelo (Eben Pagan). His 2001 e-book Double Your Dating popularized "cocky and funny" and his argument that attraction isn't a choice. He grew it into a seminar and course business. See David DeAngelo and Double Your Dating.

The bootcamp era

Real Social Dynamics. Founded in Los Angeles in the early 2000s by Owen Cook ("Tyler Durden") and Nick Kho ("Papa"). RSD sold multi-day bootcamps: classroom theory followed by live approaches in bars, clubs, and coffee shops with coaches giving feedback. Read Real Social Dynamics and the rise of the pickup bootcamp, then the individual profiles of Owen Cook and Nick Kho.

Todd Valentine. A former RSD instructor who now runs Todd V Dating. His "System" has five steps: open, premise, evaluate, narrative, close. He teaches graded 10-second interactions for beginners. See Todd Valentine and Real Life Dating.

Nick Savoy and Love Systems. Savoy has coached since 2004 and is president of Love Systems, which was formerly Mystery Method Corp. His Magic Bullets handbook lays out a step-by-step system, and Love Systems taught daytime approaches in coffee shops and supermarkets. The Globe and Mail reported 10,000-plus clients. See Love Systems and Nick Savoy.

Julien Blanc. A Swiss-born RSD instructor. In November 2014 Australia cancelled his visa, the UK refused him one, and Singapore barred him. See Julien Blanc and the 2014 visa bans.

The writers and bloggers

Roosh V (Daryush Valizadeh). Born in 1979. His Bang (2007) was the first of more than a dozen self-published guides, many of them country-specific, mixing local nightlife tips with pickup technique. He converted to Christianity in 2019 and closed his forum in October 2023. See Roosh V.

Corey Wayne. How to Be a 3% Man (2006) teaches keeping approaches short, "asking for the order," using the phone for setting dates, and a "kiss test" of lingering eye contact. See Corey Wayne.

Mark Manson. Models: Attract Women Through Honesty (2011) dropped scripts for non-neediness and saying what you want. See Mark Manson's Models and the honest approach.

Zan Perrion. Canadian author of The Alabaster Girl, based in Bucharest, who runs seminars under the Ars Amorata name. Strauss called him a leader of the "cocky funny" style. See Zan Perrion.

Robert Greene. Not a pickup artist, but his The Art of Seduction (2001) is on many reading lists. It profiles seducer types such as the Siren, the Rake, the Ideal Lover, and the Dandy. See Robert Greene's The Art of Seduction.

The daygame and YouTube generation

Tom Torero (Tom Ralis). A British daygame coach whose Conversation King program teaches opening with statements instead of questions and letting her do most of the talking. See Tom Torero and the rise of daygame.

Richard La Ruina. London-based founder of PUATraining (2007) and author of The Natural (2012), which covers body language, openers, eye contact, and the first touch. See Richard La Ruina.

Coaches for or by women. Matthew Hussey, born in 1987 in Essex, started with men and moved to coaching women in 2008; Get the Guy (2013) was a New York Times bestseller. Kezia Noble (coaching since 2006) and Hayley Quinn also coach. Read Matthew Hussey, Kezia Noble, and Hayley Quinn.

Patterns across the list

What to do next

  1. Pick one teacher whose style fits you. Watch two of their free videos before buying anything.
  2. Try one idea this week. For example, Todd Valentine's beginner goal: walk up and say "Hey, excuse me" to three people, 10 seconds each.
  3. Test Corey Wayne's short-approach rule. On your next three conversations, say what you came to say, get her number or set a time, and end it within five minutes.
  4. Log each attempt in Run Game as Success or Rejected. Note which idea you tried.
  5. After 15 approaches, compare. Keep what made conversations easier. Drop what felt like acting.
  6. A no, or her walking away, means stop. Smile and leave.

Sources