Dina Barton

Dina Irene Puleo (Barton) was born in Derby, CT. Dina's family moved quite frequently. However, she calls the small town Arlington, WA, the place where she grew up. At the age of 18, Dina decided to move back to CT, where she settled for a while in Cromwell. As a young person on her own, Dina went to a couple of community colleges at night while she worked a full-time job during the day. Dina began her growth and love for the stage under the direction of several directors and music leaders. Dina started to work on both sides of the stage as a writer, director, and actor. She began doing monologues, small roles, wrote plays, and eventually became a drama director and producer for a few megachurches. Dina had two young boys at home and decided to prioritize her family by being a stay-at-home mom. Though the stage always called out to her, she became a Toastmaster winning several contests for outstanding speaking performances. She became a public speaker for a women's shelter, speaking on domestic violence, and even went before the State of Texas to pass family recovery coaching certification for those with loved ones who are battling substance use. Dina's oldest son, John, is also creative and is now married. As life continues to change, she became a professional chef and is working on her second cookbook. Dina is also an executive producer, who partnered with Mark Todd Bruner to form Mardina Media. As a writer, actor, director, and producer, Dina credits her drive to succeed and creativity from her challenging life experiences and the devastating loss of her youngest son, Michael, at the age of 22. As her son, Michael would often say to her, "Mom, you do you," and that is how she lives life.