We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Eugene T. and Bernadette Barnes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Eugene T. and Bernadette below.
Eugene T. and Bernadette , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Eugene T. and Bernadette Barnes
We both grew up in environments where resilience was a must.
(Eugene) growing up my dad struggled with a drug addiction. I had to learn early, that life wouldn’t always be easy. I had to step up and help my mom. I got my first job at 15 and I’ve been working ever since. I watched my dad over come his addiction after years of struggling, that taught me that it’s not how many times you fall but how many times you get up.
(Bernadette) I grew up in Baltimore, MD. Since early on in my life, I dreamed of being an entertainer. That has been my driving force. I knew I had to get to a place where I could make my dreams happen, get around like minded people. So, I moved to New York after high school and it’s been that dream that has kept me resilient.
We got married young. We were 20 and 21. We struggled A LOT at the beginning of our marriage. We were young, with no money, in New York City. For the first few years of our marriage we had to have roommates. We were homeless (only for a day). We had no where to go, thankfully we had a friend who was willing to let us crash on his couch. At one point we slept on an air mattress at Bernadette’s cousins apartment in Brooklyn. We were only supposed to be there for a week or two and ended up staying for almost a year. We basically got kicked out and both had to work two jobs to afford to move. After being married for three years, we had our first child. Everyone thought we would move back home but we still had a dream and a kid wouldn’t stop us. Three kids later and we are still pushing.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Book The Barnes is an entertainment company founded by husband and wife duo Eugene T. and Bernadette Barnes.
The couple runs the company with the help of their three children Zoe (13), Zora (9), and Zachariah (3).
Bernadette is an accomplished singer, songwriter, actress and motivational speaker. She’s been featured at some of New York’s most prominent venues including Lincoln Center, Groove NYC, Rockwood Music Hall. She has been featured in The McDonald’s Gospel Fest as well as The 2018 U.S. Open.
Eugene is a stand up comedian, Actor, writer, Host and emcee. As a comedian he’s been featured in top comedy clubs including Caroline’s on Broadway and Gotham Comedy Club. He host events for fortune 500 companies including Unilever, PepsiCo, and Pfizer. He recently wrote a web series that had won several awards on the film festival circuit including Best Comedy Script at The New York Oniros Film Awards.
Book The Barnes provides live entertainment for private events, weddings, corporate events, colleges, etc.
Services include hosting, emcee, live music, public speaking, and more.
Book The Barnes can also produce your event from start to finish.
Head to www.bookthebarnes.com for more info.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The most important thing we’ve learned is to be ourselves! Comparison is a killer. Don’t worry about what others are doing and how they are doing it. You have to find your lane, get comfortable in that lane, and push forward. For us the key to that was prayer. We asked God to show us who he made us to be and he is answering that question daily.
Next is know the strengths and weaknesses of yourself as well as your team. Time has thought us that we each are good at certain things and that if the other is better at a thing we should let them do that thing. “Aces in their places” we liked to say. We have also learned that we both suck at some things and it’s OK to ask for help in those areas.
You can’t do it all. Rest is so important, do what you can and then take a nap. Running a business, being a full time student (Bernadette), having a full-time job (Eugene) and raising three kids has taught us this lesson.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
Our ideal client are those looking to add excitement and good vibes to their event! Our unique brand of entertainment is exactly what you need. If it’s an engaging and interactive wedding band, a host or emcee to add levity to a corporate event, a live band for a festival, even entertainment for a bunion removal party…you want to Book The Barnes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bookthebarnes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookthebarnes?igsh=MTd2aTAzMzR6OTJuZg==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarnesThang?mibextid=kFxxJD
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/as-one-entertainment-llc/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@bookthebarnes?si=mGyl8KTEP2Qyjc8k
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
