Today we’d like to introduce you to David Barta.
David, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I played baseball my whole life in pursuit of what seemed to be a promising professional career. As a senior in high school, I was talking to six MLB teams with the 2016 First-Year MLB draft in sight when the end of my career began. In November of 2015, I was throwing a bullpen for the entire Chicago Cubs Scouting Bureau when I felt a hard pop in my elbow. This injury led me to miss the 2016 MLB draft and snowballed throughout my short-lived collegiate baseball career at Loyola Marymount University. On April 3, 2018, I came in to pitch against UCLA for my third game off of Tommy John Surgery.
During my warm-up pitches, I realized that I had no feeling from my left elbow to my hand, and could not feel or control the ball in my hand. I was pulled out of the game and after two weeks in testing at Kerlan Jobe Orthopedics, I was diagnosed with permanent lunar nerve damage, ending my baseball career indefinitely. Being an athlete all my life, I had no idea who I was outside of a uniform, and away from the game, I had devoted my blood, sweat, and tears to. The following summer of 2018 was characterized by isolation and depression as I struggled to find some aspect of life that I enjoyed anywhere close to as I did baseball.
In need of keeping myself occupied, I repaired furniture with my dad in the garage to start making some money while I was applying for jobs around the area. I was thankful enough to have landed a full-time minimum wage position at a local gym in Burbank, where I worked until the fall when I transferred to a Santa Monica location as a personal trainer. During the late summer, I was contacted by a swimsuit company on social media about taking some pictures in their men’s swimwear so they could use it online and get me some exposure as a “Male Model.” This was not a career I had ever considered but was open to explore new opportunities and took the offer.
The pictures from this shoot gained me more attention than I had initially presumed or expected and led to earning my first modeling contract with my current agency in September of 2018. Despite what I expected, modeling to me became more than pictures in magazines or on social media platforms. Before my baseball career ended, I was unsure of who I was outside of a uniform, because no one asked me who I was. I was simply a number or prospect on a list. Modeling asked me, “Who are you?” to which I initially responded, “I don’t know” which shows evident in my early print work.
After several months of my newly established career, I can answer that question. I am a man who has been shaken up and thrown around by life, but I am unbroken. Despite the hardships behind the scenes of a broken baseball career, I have been able to emotionally and financially support my family as well as build a solid foundation to be a dependable and loving father and husband for my future family. I have learned that it is not your number or uniform that defines you, but rather how you are able to experience and learn from life and, in both, it’s victories and defeats.
Through blessing and a great honor, I have been selected by Iconic Model Search to represent the United States in the 2020 Mister International pageant to be held this upcoming November, where I will share my life and the great pride in my country in front of a global audience.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The past several years prior to 2019 have been characterized by great loss and hardships in both my athletic and personal lives. Despite my struggles to save and restore my baseball career, Personal matters continued to persist behind the scenes. My family suffered several periods of financial crises, as several family members were thrown in and out of various job positions. In addition to these crises, I had a dear and close friend of mine suffer a sexual assault, rendering them damaged emotionally and scarred.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I am both a certified personal trainer and a professional model. I am certified under The American Council on Exercise and PTA Global. My training areas of expertise include corrective exercise, athletic training, and powerlifting. My most successful client recently ran the LA Marathon and finished in the top 4% of all runners.
This accomplishment has been my proudest moment as a trainer. In terms of modeling, I have experience in both print and runway modeling. My proudest moment as a model was being announced as 2019 Mister International USA, to compete for Mister International in November.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
The role of luck and good fortune has played a great role in my career. I initially met my current mentor Newton Mayenge while working security for a small movie premiere in Beverly Hills in the summer of 2018.
I had a random offer to work security because of my height and large build, but was fortunate enough to have met this great and outstanding man in my life who has taught me about myself, and how to approach the entertainment industry as a genuine and honest man.
Pricing:
- Personal training: $100/ hour
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @therealdbart_
Image Credit:
Jose Mendoza, Alissa Roseborough, Lauren Maurel, Kaylee Carrington
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