Founder: Mark Berry
Childhood
Mark Berry, founder of Love Kung Fu, was born on February 5th, 1975. He was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma and quickly moved for the next fifteen years to Wichita, Kansas; San Jose and Morgan Hill, California; St Etienne, France; and finally Plano, Texas, where he graduated high school in 1993.
He immediately pursued a degree in Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, Texas, while living at Waterview Apartments, serving the local campus. He began at intern at DSC Communications (later Alcatel USA) in 1996. He graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science in 1997 from UT-Dallas.
Career
He began a full-time job at DSC / Alcatel where he interned during college. In 1998, he transferred within the company to a Project Manager position. He expanded his communication, leadership and organizational skills as a project manager dealing with customer presentations, demos, and software updates throughout his career at Alcatel for three years.
In 2001, he determined to learn more about business and finance, and left his career on good terms to start a career in small business. After several short attempts to break into screenwriting and acting, he settled into a career of Real Estate Investing and Rehabbing. He grew his Investing business from 2001 - 2004, which simultanously growing several other small business ventures, including a mortgage license, performance art, and love coaching.
Throughout 2004 - 2006, he brought focus to the two profitable businesses that he had built: his performance art and the Love Kung Fu business, while continuing to wind back down the real estate investing business. Today, he continues that focus by learning about marketing and sales for Love Kung Fu's How to Find True Love in 28 Days online class. His first book, Splatter Dating, illustrated the difference between a bookworm and a worker bee, and how to use both sets of skills to accomplish your goals. His 2nd project, The Action Dating System teaches you how to go from 0 dates to Dating Expert in just 28 days!
Dance
Mark has always loved dancing. Even as a toddler, he would dance whenever the music was on. His own self-confidence, ability to date and the founding priciples for his Hottie Coaching are based in years of hitting the dance floor as a single man from 1996 - 2001.
He has performed several years as a Party Flagger. He first attended the Texas Flagger Weekend in 2004, where he fell in love with this beautiful art form.
Home
Mark never had any long-term relationships before college. He spent the majority of his youth excrutiatingly single. His first relationship was in 1995 at UTD, and was the only relationship he had with a girl. Although he enjoyed the relationship, he was dealing with emotions that he didn't understand, and he broke it off after three months.
Shortly thereafter, he focused on understanding his gay feelings that he had experienced since high school. After his first talk with another gay person, he came to terms with the current permanence of those feelings, and began coming out to friends on campus. From 1995-1996 he slowly came out to all his friends, family and co-workers.
He lived with roommates in college, and for one year after college. His first place living alone was in mid-1998, at the age of 23. He also met a kitten named Madison in 1998 who still lives with him today.
He focused on work and socializing at bar and dance scenes. He also began regularly dating. In 1998 - 1999, he had two more three-month relationships. One relationship ended because it sizzled out, the other because of a disagreement.
On October 4th, he met his life partner-to-be, Dave Hartman. (Interesting Side note: Mark first met three of his four relationship on the same day of the year: October 4th, 1995, 1998, and 2000 respectively. The guy who he didn't first meet that same day was born on October 4th.)
He married Dave Hartman on November 9th, 2002. They received their legal marriage licence in Toronto, Canada in July 2004. They celebrate November 9th as their wedding day and currently live in Dallas, Texas, with their two cats, Madison and Fitzhugh.
Book a Free Strategy Session to discuss your goals with Mark now!