Today we’d like to introduce you to Barkley Romero.
Hi Barkley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am an artist by trade. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Opera Performance and went on to act throughout the United States in everything from Off-Broadway to commercials for major brands and for TV and Film. I’ve had the luxury of studying with some of the best coaches in the business and the honor of filming with names such as Aiden Quinn. While living in Atlanta, Georgia, I worked full time as an actor and a model but when I relocated to Los Angeles, I found myself needing supplemental income and was no longer willing to bartend until 4 am – like I did in New York City. My grandma, who was basically my soul sister, suggested that I give Real Estate a try – and it ended up being exactly what was missing from my life. When COVID-19 hit, my world – akin to everyone else on planet earth – changed in the blink of an eye. I was heartbroken to see so many people unable to acquire everyday goods due to hoarding and safety precautions. In response, I created a platform for my neighbors in order to connect people who were in need of assistance with people who were grateful for the opportunity to help. As the platform grew, I found many of my neighbors coming to me asking for Real Estate advice, so I started to blend my passions together. We began using our Real Estate marketing resources in a way that makes an impact on the local community. By using a portion of our Real Estate commissions from each transaction, we partner with our clients to do events such as clothing drives, buy groceries for those in need and bring goodies to our Local Medical Heroes. At the end of each drive, we partner with a local business for giveaways in order to offer our support to them in a time when they need it most.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As far as acting goes, I have been relatively blessed with my accomplishments and opportunities. I have always had trust that things would work out in due time and my team always felt the same way. What I found frustrating about the entertainment business was the fact that there were so many people (managers, agents, casting directors, etc.) responsible for my success and I never felt like I was the one in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. I saw the opposite with Real Estate – this was MY BABY and I could finally create my own destiny, I just had to put in the work. Being a REALTOR® was a smooth road and I was gaining a ton of traction from holding open houses and door knocking. Alas, when the pandemic shut down California, my life and business completely fell apart overnight. The whole entertainment industry halted and the restrictions on Real Estate froze my growth in its tracks. Not only did we have multiple multi-million dollar deals immediately drop off when the Pandemic hit, but I went through a pretty big shift with my relationship at the time. I was hanging on by a thread mentally and financially.
The second quarter of 2020, I had absolutely no income. I was unsure of how I would pay my rent if I changed my living situation due to my personal life-shifting, let alone how I would stay in California – which was the only place I held a license and could legally work. When I started the Gratitude Platform, my broker at the time had said I was a “liability” and had no interest in being associated with it. Which made me realize it wasn’t the right fit. Thus, I joined a team of Realtors in an attempt to gain support and mentorship. There, I was told that I was “stuck in Glendale” because that was where the platform existed. Again, I knew it wasn’t a good fit. My goal has always been to help as many people as possible, not just one area – no matter how much I love the neighborhood. The fact of the matter was that I had moved to Glendale in order to be with my partner. When I was able to take a step back and see what I REALLY wanted for my life, I found that I craved to be near the beach – a place I’ve always felt at peace. Throughout the second and third quarters of the year, I was helping out more than I was receiving, healing from losing the person I thought I would spend the rest of my life with and running off of blind faith that things would work out for me.
After all, there were people who needed my help, and that was more important than my discomfort. Those months were eye-opening. We were able to provide over a thousand pounds of clothing to local shelters, Halloween costumes to children experiencing homelessness and so much more. Since then, I have become Partner in a new brokerage opening on the West Side, that I can’t speak too much about yet, and I have added some of the top Real Estate Experts and Entrepreneurs in the United States to my team and advisory board in order to make sure our client’s needs are completely met – whether they are looking to buy, sell, invest or lease. I am a big believer in fate. Which makes me very grateful for all the little – and big – bumps from this past year. They were merely pushing me to where I am at today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Well in addition to the new company opening on the West Side, that works with top agents to sell luxury and specialized homes throughout LA – I have a few other endeavors.
First, I have my team of Philanthropic Realtors in various states, where we help people buy, sell and invest in Real Estate to build wealth, live out their dreams of homeownership or sell their homes in order to start a new chapter of their lives. In addition to working with some of the most knowledgable REALTORS® in the business – we use our platforms to make an impact. With every deal we close, a portion of our commission is used to give back to the local community. We do blogs, vlogs and whatever we can to highlight these local nonprofits and businesses to help others using our marketing. We keep an extensive database of the companies we work with so that our followers can take advantage of deals in their immediate area and support locally what they feel passionate about.
Second, we have our marketing team, REAL Gratitude, where we offer Philanthropic marketing services for other Real Estate Agents in order to make Closing with Gratitude as accessible as possible. The more people that are helping our communities and supporting local businesses, the better so we help agents do so without them needing to reinvent the wheel or add anything to their workload.
In addition to the Real Estate piece, I finally have the financial freedom to start diving into production and take more ownership of what is happening with my acting career.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
We are currently in the process of expanding our California operations to Colorado, Arizona, and Georgia. I will, personally, have my license in Arizona and Georgia and we are bringing on other agents in those regions for support as well. The Gratitude movement is going National in order to help people throughout the country by using one of the most essential components of the economy – Real Estate. We are looking forward to helping out our Friends, Families and anyone looking to make a difference with buying, selling or investing in Real Estate.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.therealbarkley.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/real.barks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealbarkley
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKMR8EzlhJsnzjCqa-xU6hw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/c-barkley-romero-philanthropic-realtor-pacific-palisades-2
- Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMe1bgc4R/
Image Credits:
Main Photo is by Kenneth Dolin
