Mr. Brian Hungerford & Mrs. Dana Hicks Hungerford
~ Copa Style Magazine's 2021 "Couple of the Year" ~
By Rodney Wayne Branche
Copa Style Magazine Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Copa: Where are you both from?
Dana: I'm from the District of Columbia, Washington, DC.
Brian: I'm from Maryland.
Dana: I'm from the District of Columbia, Washington, DC.
Brian: I'm from Maryland.
Dana & Brian
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Copa: Where did you both meet?
Dana: We met at Club Aqua in DC. He was living in Virginia and only came in town, because his cousin was celebrating his birthday and my friend happened to be throwing the party. We were over in VIP and we locked eyes a few times. I was wondering who in the hell this cool, fly dude was. I had never seen him before. I saw him walking over to me and thought to myself “is he coming over to me?” My assumption was correct, he was and I was smiling from ear to ear when he introduced himself to me. We danced and talked the entire night. You would have thought that we came to the club together. The attraction that we had for each other started from the moment we noticed each other. We were together and talking everyday after the initial night that we met. Brian: I don’t know if you know this or not, but Dana talks with her eyes. Just look at her photos on social media. She talked to me through the crowd and that was all she wrote! |
Copa: At what time did you feel that you both had the right chemistry to be partners in love and business?
Dana: It’s funny, because we are both very tight with our mothers. I didn’t find out until a few years later that he told his mom about me the very next day after we met. I did the same thing, but my mother said, “whatever, let me know if he is still around two weeks from now.” She knows her daughter has very little patience and will be over you in the blink of an eye. This time it was different. Two weeks after that I told Brian that he had three weeks to cut off all the women in his life. I had one person at the time that I was seeing for a while, but we never labeled it a relationship. Brian and I both did what came naturally and here we are today. June 3, 2021 will mark our three year wedding anniversary and Nov. 23, 2021 will mark 7 years that we have been together. Since both of us are go-getters when it comes to business we are both all up into every aspect of it whether it’s his passion or my passion we are pushing together.
Brian: I can't follow up behind that. She gave you the facts.
Dana: It’s funny, because we are both very tight with our mothers. I didn’t find out until a few years later that he told his mom about me the very next day after we met. I did the same thing, but my mother said, “whatever, let me know if he is still around two weeks from now.” She knows her daughter has very little patience and will be over you in the blink of an eye. This time it was different. Two weeks after that I told Brian that he had three weeks to cut off all the women in his life. I had one person at the time that I was seeing for a while, but we never labeled it a relationship. Brian and I both did what came naturally and here we are today. June 3, 2021 will mark our three year wedding anniversary and Nov. 23, 2021 will mark 7 years that we have been together. Since both of us are go-getters when it comes to business we are both all up into every aspect of it whether it’s his passion or my passion we are pushing together.
Brian: I can't follow up behind that. She gave you the facts.
Copa: Please explain to our readers why good communication is so essential to a good relationship.
Dana: If you don’t have good communication you will always have issues because you have to try and figure out what’s going on with your spouse. One thing that Brian and I do is talk about things whether they are good or bad, we are going to discuss it.
Brian: We are both very opinionated, so our communication often times will turn into a debate. It’s all good though as long as we are communicating we can progress.
Dana: If you don’t have good communication you will always have issues because you have to try and figure out what’s going on with your spouse. One thing that Brian and I do is talk about things whether they are good or bad, we are going to discuss it.
Brian: We are both very opinionated, so our communication often times will turn into a debate. It’s all good though as long as we are communicating we can progress.
Copa: Who are both of your heroes in life and why?
Dana: My forever hero is my dad. My dad was an awesome, cool, fun loving father and husband. He showed me what real love looked like and felt like from the day I was born until the day he died. My brothers and I watched him treat our mother like a queen until the day he died. I call him my hero, because he was a helluva role model and his tough love is what made me the strong survivor that I am today.
Brian: I would have to say my mom is my hero. I will never forget as a child watching her fight Cancer. She was given a 2% survival rate. I never saw her cry or complain not one time. Her strength made me realize at a young age that I can survive and push through anything.
Dana: My forever hero is my dad. My dad was an awesome, cool, fun loving father and husband. He showed me what real love looked like and felt like from the day I was born until the day he died. My brothers and I watched him treat our mother like a queen until the day he died. I call him my hero, because he was a helluva role model and his tough love is what made me the strong survivor that I am today.
Brian: I would have to say my mom is my hero. I will never forget as a child watching her fight Cancer. She was given a 2% survival rate. I never saw her cry or complain not one time. Her strength made me realize at a young age that I can survive and push through anything.
Copa: Please name your favorite couple of all time and why?
Dana: We both agree on Barack & Michelle Obama. They are just the forever image of a powerful black couple that made history together. Barack was blessed to have a woman that loved him for him from the very start. They grew together and stayed together. They were giving to charities and doing outreach way before he became the President of the United States. Together they have been a force to be reckoned with.
Brian: I agree with everything that Dana said. Another thing that I noticed about them and this might sound crazy, but you can feel the love they have for each other without personally knowing them. Just by watching them interact you can see it’s real. It doesn’t seem staged or forced.
Dana: We both agree on Barack & Michelle Obama. They are just the forever image of a powerful black couple that made history together. Barack was blessed to have a woman that loved him for him from the very start. They grew together and stayed together. They were giving to charities and doing outreach way before he became the President of the United States. Together they have been a force to be reckoned with.
Brian: I agree with everything that Dana said. Another thing that I noticed about them and this might sound crazy, but you can feel the love they have for each other without personally knowing them. Just by watching them interact you can see it’s real. It doesn’t seem staged or forced.
The Obamas
Copa: Do you feel that you partner completes your circle of life and why?
Brian: I wouldn’t say we complete each other’s circle of life, but I will say that we are a perfect balance for one another. I always say she gives me life and she says I calm her down. That’s the balance that we both need. We are night and day with our personalities, and it works for us.
Dana: I don’t need to say anything after his response. He was so on point. Brian is an introvert, well until he gets to know you. I’m totally an extrovert. He is very laid back and he cannot stand being in the spotlight. If he could never be scene he would be fine with that. I’m very outgoing and pumped up about life every single day that I wake up and it shows. I can take the spotlight or leave it. Overall we are just focused on crushing our goals and we are fine doing that in our own little world.
Brian: I wouldn’t say we complete each other’s circle of life, but I will say that we are a perfect balance for one another. I always say she gives me life and she says I calm her down. That’s the balance that we both need. We are night and day with our personalities, and it works for us.
Dana: I don’t need to say anything after his response. He was so on point. Brian is an introvert, well until he gets to know you. I’m totally an extrovert. He is very laid back and he cannot stand being in the spotlight. If he could never be scene he would be fine with that. I’m very outgoing and pumped up about life every single day that I wake up and it shows. I can take the spotlight or leave it. Overall we are just focused on crushing our goals and we are fine doing that in our own little world.
Copa: Why are true friends important to you both in your lives?
Brian: Having a true support system and loyalty is rare to find these days and I’m blessed to be surrounded by true go-getters that I can call my friends.
Dana: I just want people that genuinely like me or love me around me. I truly know who my real friends are and I will always cherish them.
Brian: Having a true support system and loyalty is rare to find these days and I’m blessed to be surrounded by true go-getters that I can call my friends.
Dana: I just want people that genuinely like me or love me around me. I truly know who my real friends are and I will always cherish them.
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Copa: What does the future hold for Mr. & Mrs. Hungerford in your would of Love & Business?
Dana: We are going to just keep loving on each other and pushing forward together through the good times and bad times. We are going to keep focusing on our businesses BBDJ LLC, Gateway Distribution Group, Hungerford Real Estate and Development, F.A.C.T.S nonprofit, my Stage Play “A Woman’s Love” and lastly, bringing the “Pro Se Litigator” TV Series to life. Brian: Happy wife, happy life is my motto. My baby summed the business part up, because whether the business or project was started by me or her we are both in it together. I’m going to continue to stay out of the way and do what’s best for my family. We have currently started revisiting what to do with my 20 acres near Lake Anna in Virginia since the world is opening up. It’s either going to be one of my biggest projects in 2022 or I’m going to sit it out a little while longer. We have to way the pros and cons, because I try to be a strategic planner with everything that I do. |
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Copa: We spoken about love and business, but let’s talk about something else that is very big. You two are philanthropist and I have watched you give back throughout this entire pandemic. What’s next for you guys?
Brian: Dana can answer that, because I can’t keep up with her big heart. I know I will forget something. Dana: Rodney, GOD gave us strength to keep pushing during the pandemic. When the pandemic hit we saw so many people hurting and struggling. Seniors were struggling and dying in nursing homes and my bestfriend’s aunt was one of those people. Some seniors couldn’t get groceries. We went grocery shopping for some senior and I started an online GOFUNDME campaign that brought in a good amount of money to assist nursing homes in some areas of DC, MD & VA. Brian and I started our company Gateway Distribution Group with our partner Jaron Fulse at the beginning of the pandemic. Our headquarters is based in West Palm Beach Florida. We saw the urgent need that some hospitals, small businesses, big businesses and some government agencies were having with obtaining PPE. We held coat drives, clothing drives and toy drives. It was amazing how our friends, family and social media friends showed up and showed out at every event. We also fed families during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just this week I gave a praise report and tagged two guys on my social media pages. They were complete strangers that assisted us financially with helping an elderly woman that I know with keeping her home of 40 years. Life cannot just be about you, you, you. If you want to be showered with blessings you have to show God that you’re worthy of receiving them. |
