Today we’d like to introduce you to Catarina Tucker.
Hi Catarina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started Barnastics in 2018 while working a 6–2 job and bartending on the side at weddings and restaurants, including The Cheesecake Factory. I realized how much I could make bartending and decided to start my own bar service.
Over time, I began working more with brands instead of weddings, and they started asking me to take on more than just the bar. That naturally led me into experiential marketing, and Barnastics evolved into the agency it is today.
I’ve built the business while raising two children and, more recently, as a single mom. The journey has definitely not been linear, but every stage has forced me to grow, adapt, and get clearer about the kind of work and company I want to build.
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?
No, it has not been a smooth road, and truthfully, I’m still in the thick of it. Building a business is hard enough; building one while raising two children and becoming a single mom has added an entirely different level of pressure. There have been incredible highs, but also periods of uncertainty, inconsistent business, financial pressure, and having to constantly figure things out without a blueprint.
One of the hardest lessons has been realizing that growth isn’t always linear. You can have your best year and still find yourself fighting to create stability the next. I’m still navigating that now. I don’t have a perfect “I made it through” ending yet — I’m actively living this part of the story. But I’ve learned that I’m incredibly resourceful, and when something stops working, I figure out how to pivot, rebuild, and keep going.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Barnastics is an experiential marketing agency that helps brands turn ideas into real-world experiences—from pop-ups and product launches to brand activations and immersive environments. We specialize in the strategy, creative direction and production management it takes to bring those experiences to life.
What sets us apart is that we don’t try to be everything under one roof. We build the right team around each project using trusted producers, fabricators, vendors and local partners, which allows us to stay nimble and scale based on what a project actually needs.
I’m especially proud of how far Barnastics has evolved—from a bar service I started in 2018 into an agency that has supported work associated with brands including P&G, Panda Express x Hot Ones, Glossier, MTV and others. More than anything, I want people to know that we care about creating experiences that feel intentional, not just producing events for the sake of producing them.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I was born in East Stroudsburg, so Pennsylvania will always feel familiar to me. What I love most is the balance—you have nature, space and beautiful scenery, but you’re still close enough to larger cities and a lot of opportunity. There’s also something about the Poconos that feels grounded and nostalgic for me.
What I like least is that depending on where you are, it can sometimes feel a little too spread out and limited in terms of certain industries, culture and business opportunities. As someone who works in experiential marketing, I’m naturally drawn to places with a lot of movement and creativity, so I sometimes wish there was more of that energy locally.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.barnastics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barnastics
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catarina-tucker
