My Single Peeps: Lou Y.

I met Lou’s dog before I met Lou.  I was eating in the park with my family when his dog ran over excitedly, stepped into my daughter’s lunch and then took off again when he saw his owner running toward him. Lou apologized, took a look at me and asked, “Do you write the My Single Peeps column in the Jewish Journal?” I was impressed — one, because someone recognized me from my thumbnail picture in the paper, and two, because my picture hasn’t been in the paper since the redesign. Lou told me he was dating someone, but if it didn’t work out, he’d be e-mailing me.  Sometime later, he did.

Lou, 34, grew up on the South Side of Chicago.  His dad’s a jazz saxophone player and a retired college professor who named him Louis after Louis Armstrong (and his grandfather, Lucas … or at least that’s what they told the rabbi).  Lou always wanted to be a composer and songwriter. He moved to Los Angeles for graduate school at UCLA, where he got his master’s degree in music composition.

“After graduating from there, I started pounding the pavement as a songwriter and composer. I’ve always been really driven, and I’ve done quite well. I’ve had my music in over 100 TV shows and movies, including ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ ‘Criminal Minds,’ ‘Elementary,’ ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’… I wrote the theme music to four shows on TV. I also write for artists. I got a couple of girls signed to major record labels. Last year, I had a single released on national radio, and then this year my friend and I started a music publishing company.”

It sounds like Lou’s blowing his own horn, but he’s humble. I actually have to push him to name drop. “Not being embarrassed to talk about stuff I’ve done is something I need to get over.”

I find out he’s written music for the Plain White T’s, and the Jonas Brothers sang a song of his on tour. He’s worked with the Rascal Flatts songwriter on a country song and has been going to Nashville to work on more country music.

Lou, like his father, also teaches songwriting at various colleges and universities.  “What I do for work is what I love to do. I love sports, I love playing golf.  I love the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls. I love movies. I got my dog, and I love him. He’s like my son. I never had a son, so I don’t want to discount having a kid, but they really become a part of you.” He laughs at his own corniness. “I’m not big on going to dance clubs. I’d rather go to a dive bar or just hang out with a group of friends, play board games, watch Netflix … go out on a fun adventure hiking or to the ocean.”

I ask him what he likes in a woman. “Personality is really important. They have to have a good sense of humor. They have to be able to goof around and not take things too seriously. I like to joke around a lot. Being sweet and a good-hearted person is really important. I’m kind of nondiscriminatory as far as hair color and all that. I’m not going to lie — I’m a guy — but I like girls who are good-looking. I like petite girls.”

“What do you want in a relationship?” I ask. “Ultimate goal is to get married and have kids. That being said, I don’t want to rush into anything. I definitely want to let it take a natural path. I don’t want to put too many expectations on each other at first.”

Seth Menachem is an actor and writer living in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. You can see more of his work on his Web site, sethmenachem.com, and meet even more single peeps at mysinglepeeps.com.