By Deanna Lampasona

TAMPA — Tampa is gaining national attention for much more than just sports. With the help of Allure Realty’s Chief Marketing Officer, Gabriel Antonio, Tampa will soon be streamed straight into living room’s around the country. From in air to on air, real estate rockstar and former paratrooper, Sharelle Rosado is set to star in the upcoming Netflix series, Selling Tampa, set to debut by the end of the year.

The show, backed by the same producers of Netflix’s hit series, Selling Sunset, will follow Sharelle and her diverse group of all female agents. Not only will the show highlight the Tampa Bay Area’s multi-million dollar properties, but the diversity of her fierce group of agents and the adversity they face. With nothing else like it ever coming to Tampa, the show is surely one of a kind.

“It’s very exciting. I didn’t plan for it, you know my life to be in front of eyes internationally. So it’s a blessing and not many get this opportunity,” says Sharelle.

As expected, a show this special requires a team just as exceptional, and as critics have acclaimed, Gabriel Antonio did not disappoint. Since joining the Allure team back in 2019, his contribution has been pivotal in the success and propulsion of bringing what started as an idea, not only to life but to the silver screen.

“Being the CMO of Allure Realty and handling all of the marketing for the company throughout the Netflix debut has been an amazing experience. I think it’s every marketing person’s dream to be put on a platform as big and global as Netflix,” shared Antonio.

Gabriel’s years of marketing and entertainment industry experience made him the perfect conduit for building Allure Realty into an empire. His strategic marketing plans coupled with Sharelle’s vision and determination ensured Selling Tampa’s rightful place on television and on the tongues of producers across the country.

“She [Sharelle] said, If I’m going to do it, and we had this discussion together, we said, we’re going to do it together,” says Antonio.

But Antonio’s marketing and entrepreneurial success did not start with Selling Tampa, it actually started with failure. Before he led the show into the spotlight, he was just a teen with big dreams growing up in a small, rural area on the outskirts of Tampa. With a passion for entrepreneurship brewed at a young age, he sold candy to classmates, charged for entrance to house parties, and DJ’d highschool dances. 

“When I graduated high school, I had so many absences that I couldn’t even walk during graduation…I watched everybody walk on stage and they didn’t call my name but as I watched everybody I said to myself, all good Gabriel because one day, I was like, just one day… and I took that emotion and fire and it never burnt out…I kept going to this day,” he shared.

Eventually his high school hip-hop and hallway hustles led him straight to Los Angeles, where he was able to further develop his love for making music and take his talents into the sound booth. In 2009 he was signed by Universal Records and recorded two albums, including one called “All Night Long,” which earned him a gold record. Gabriel achieved much more than most within his musical career. He went on world tours, sold out shows, and performed with some of the most notable names in music. It was during this time that he developed some of his best marketing and business strategies that would later pave the way for the rest of his career.

Upon leaving the music industry, Antonio took his entrepreneurial spirit to J.P Morgan Chase, but when the Fortune 500 company let him go, Antonio knew he had the opportunity to build a space where his passionate spirit and ideas could come to life.

“I feel like if they didn’t let me go, if that didn’t happen at that exact moment, I wouldn’t have been in the position to open my own company, less than about two weeks later,” Antonio shared.

Antonio says he believes everything happens for a reason and his departure was a catapult to help him begin the business that would ultimately set the course for the rest of his career. 

“I failed numerous times, and I always brought myself back up. Not everyone is built for this; it takes determination, strength and a hustle mindset. You have to be ready to give it your all or nothing at all. There was never a plan B; it was and will always be plan A. Even with the wind against me, I would find a way to get it done,” he says.

Integrating his combined experiences, Antonio officially debuted his marketing career by launching two companies, Neo Agency and Stream That Music, to help artists promote their music and better connect with fans. Launching two successful music marketing companies was no easy task. Keeping up with rapidly evolving social media and streaming trends was essential in understanding how to properly market to capture target audiences, but it was during this time that Antonio got plenty of practice. Now, with over a decade of marketing mastery, Gabriel is branding what’s expected to be a globally recognized television series and is representing some of the most notable women in the industry.

While he’s had a tightnit friendship with boss and bestie, Sharelle Rosado, for several years, Gabriel officially became the chief marketing officer for Allure Realty in 2020. 

“When we teamed up and she told me her vision for Allure Realty, I said to myself, ‘well, I’m good at what I do. You’re good at what you do. There should be no reason why we can’t team up on this.’ Then we started teaming up, I started creating and branding…then once she got approached by Done & Done productions, our logo was rebranded and then from there, I mean, the rest is history,” he shared. 

In just two years since Allure’s opened, the company has transformed to not only a massively impressive brokerage, but a symbol of representation for minority women on a national stage. Being of Puerto Rican heritage himself, Gabriel is glad to help be a part of showcasing that where you come from does not determine where you’re going. 

“I see Allure Realty becoming a top real estate firm in not only the United States but recognized around the world. I also see myself taking on more roles and maybe becoming the president of either a major corporation or partnering with a company of that high calibre. The limits are endless, and with the success of Sharelle Rosado’s new Netflix series, the best is only yet to come.

To stay up to date on the official release date and to learn more about the musician turned marketing mogul, you can visit his website at http://www.gabrielantonio.com/ and www.allurerealtyhomes.com.