A new chapter
Pair Up started in 2018 as a form on my personal website where people could book 30 minutes of my time to talk about design and get advice during my lunch break.
It grew into a platform during lockdown in 2020, born out of a simple belief: that the kind of informal advice and mentorship that changes careers shouldn't be reserved for people with the right connections, the right location, or the right background.
Nearly 1,500 creatives signed up over the years and every connection made was free.
Pair Up is now moving towards a new chapter with new owners. All accounts, data and associated information will be deleted by May 4th. You have until then to sign in, finalise messages and exchange details with any relevant parties that you wish.
I'm very grateful to everyone that has signed up, used, shared or engaged with the platform over the years — it was something that had been in the back of my mind for years and was a constant source of “I wish this existed” for me.
It was built to make the kind of mentorship and advice that is often reserved for a few open to many — through short, informal connections in a non-hierarchical environment. It was always intended to be open, location-less, and free to use, regardless of background, experience, or status.
Over the years, the community proved that the idea was worth having.
Creatives from across the world — different disciplines, different stages, different time zones — showed up for each other, generously and without expectation. Pairers told us they got as much from giving their time as pairees did from receiving it. People made friends. People changed direction. People felt less alone in what can be quite an isolating industry.
That was never something I engineered. That was just what happens when you remove the barriers and trust people to be decent to each other.
That's why Pair Up's codebase and architecture is being transferred to Creative Lives In Progress, who will become the new owners and take the platform forward in a new, slightly different but fitting way.
The world will always need methods for creatives to connect, share and mentor each other in ways that are open, location-less and free to use.
If you have any questions, you can reach us at support@pair-up.org.
Thank you to anyone who booked a session, said something kind or showed up for strangers on the internet when you didn't have to.
— Myles
Why is it closing?
Pair Up was always a side project. By 2020 I was managing 300 people on a spreadsheet, manually introducing people via email. When running Companion — the studio I founded — we invested time and resources to build the platform you see today, so people could self-serve without relying on me doing everything manually.
Since Companion closed in mid-2023 I've been keeping it running out of my own pocket and time. That's no longer something I can sustain — and rather than let it quietly disappear, I wanted to find it a home that deserved it.
Why Creative Lives In Progress?
CLIP and It's Nice That by extension have long been involved in the championing of creatives and supporting the path into the industry from education. I first met Will and Alex in around 2013 when they did a focus group about INT Magazine and have stayed in touch periodically ever since.
One of my very first projects when leaving university was the website for their magazine, Printed Pages — I was fresh out of university, could code a bit and design and worked with them to spin off a separate site for the magazine.
I took part in some of their portfolio reviews when Lecture In Progress (now CLIP) first launched and many years later I worked with their sister agency Anyways on a project or two, including some of the site design for CLIP as it was being renamed from Lecture In Progress.
With Companion, we were a company partner of CLIP.
It's safe to say that my appreciation for what they do and stand for — to transform the way emerging talent access, understand and connect with the industry — could not be higher.
They have also committed to ensuring that Pair Up — in whatever form it takes — will always remain free to access and use for those seeking mentorship, staying true to the original intention of the platform.
What happens to my data?
It will all be deleted after May 4th. Nothing will be retained by myself, nor will anything be transferred to CLIP. This includes profiles, messages, emails, and any other personal data — it will all be deleted.
The new platform will be clear of all data and users will have to sign up again.
What exactly is being transferred?
The codebase and all associated elements (such as the web domain) alongside any design or IP will be transferred to the new owners.
Join the waitlist
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Your data will be used exclusively to support the handover to Creative Lives in Progress. It will not be shared with third parties, used for marketing purposes, or retained beyond what is necessary for this process, in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.
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