Meet Casey Barrett | Father, photographer, volunteer, Batman

We had the good fortune of connecting with Casey Barrett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Casey, how do you define success?
From my point of view, success is part of a positive psyche, part of “the happy.” In this world of volunteering, for me, and I know for some others that I’ve worked with for a number of years, success is measured in smiles. Smiles are the physical indication that, in that moment, that challenges of life are forgotten, even if it’s for two seconds. In 2020, when things were locked down, my very good friend (I call him ‘my little brother’) Colorado Captain and I teamed up with LL Baytoevan’s Love (a non-profit that helps families I impacted by pediatric cancer, think Make-A-Wish, but on a smaller, more local scale) to “parade” by over thirty family’s homes in thirteen cities along the front range. We called upon some great groups of volunteers, including 3C CausePlay, Geek Garage, the 501st Mountain Garrison, and a few individuals, and made a Memorial Day weekend I will never forget. Cap and I planned…a lot. When it came time to make it happen, so many things went off the rails. We stressed SO hard all weekend, So much anxiety and intensely flustered moments, mostly brought on ourselves, putting pressure to be perfect all weekend. When we came out of it, we decided we never wanted to do it again (although, now that time has passed, we’ve revisited the concept of planning something again). The point is, very few people knew he and I struggled to get through thst weekend. The convoy, the friends, and the families we visited had no idea that we were stressing so hard. People along the road were smiling. The friends in costume and movie cars were smiling. The parents and children were smiling. They were able to let go of stress, either internal or external, even for a moment, and smile. Despite that anxiety, and problems that came up, the smiles are how I defined that weekend a success, That made me happy, and I just hope that I’m not the only one who felt that “happy.”

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Volunteering is pretty self explanatory. I don’t take money for any of the events I do. If I’m ever given any monetary anything (which has only happened once, because they snuck it into a gift bag) I turned around and donated it.

As far as volunteers goes, I guess what sets me apart is, I try to keep all options open and just be available for any community cause. Some “cause players” raise money for charities, some are their own charity, some do professional cosplay, all of which are fantastic avenues to use their creative works. We all tend to have instances when we can work together, I try to be available for all volunteer opportunities. I’m always excited for the future, I’m constantly meeting new people, both within organizations, charities and costumed characters. There’s always events I get to revisit every year, but there’s always something new that comes up.

How I got here today… persistence. Keep going, sometimes there’s lulls in events, sometimes events are more taxing than others, sometimes it takes real motivation to put on 35 lbs of black rubber urethane, and walk a mile in a summer parade. But showing up, putting on the right “mask” for the event (getting in the character) and let yourself network your own brand.

It hasn’t always been easy. My first six months trying to get into this were very challenging. And the constant costume repairs and adjustments are tedious and sometimes downright expensive. But again, I think the persistence is important. But that persistence is easy for me, because of what the outcome is. Seeing the smiles and the important moments that come from getting dressed up, no matter how heavy the suit is, or how hot or cold the day is, makes all the effort worth it.

Lessons learned. Legit cosplay is expensive. I am not crafty, so I pay for commissions by other crafty people, and when paying for something that looks like something you’d see in a movie, is not cheap. We’re talking thousands of dollars. And everyone I’ve worked with in costume has spent countless hours and dollars either making, buying, repairing and adjusting every costume. Other lessons are ones that are spoken about or on memes across the interwebs, kindness costs nothing, be kind because you don’t know what someone else is going through. While costuming is expensive, being a good person is not. There are volunteers I’ve worked with that come only to support. Some bring backpacks full of snacks and water bottles and make sure characters are all good. Some take endless amounts of pictures. But you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to help within your community. And while kindness costs nothing, seeing it, and being around it drives point home. Being around these organizations and families, you learn that a lot of people struggle. All of us stress. Life is hard, and we are all just trying to do the best that we can.

What I want the world to know about me…. that’s a question that drives some awkward feelings. When you all did your previous interview with me, I’ll be 100% honest here, I read the rough draft that you emailed to me, but after it was published and out there, it was really uncomfortable reading about myself in a public forum. I’m not a big “look at me” person. There’s nothing wrong with that, people should be themselves, but I’m just… not that way. If people want to know and want to read my story, I would recommend reading the previous interview. From an outside perspective, its quite the life path so far. I guess that’s why Batman works so well for me and what the world should know is, I am always willing to help, but I enjoy being in the shadows.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Holy so much to do Batman! One thing I love about cities in America, there’s so much to offer. Denver and the surrounding areas are no exception. If my best friend came to town, the first place I would take them would be all the way to Fort Collins, to Young’s Café. Amazing Vietnamese food and their coffee is so good. But we’d also have to eat at Cinzetti’s, Fogo de Chão for dinners. The Early Bird in Broomfield for breakfast, but also Duo and the Wooden Spoon. Jagged Mountain Brewery would be a must stop, but honestly… we’re really lucky to be surround by so many great places to eat and drink. The Denver Comedy Underground, Ophelia’s, etc. I feel like I could do this for hours. And I know it’s cliché, but it’s that way for a reason, a concert at Red Rocks. One of my personal favorite places however, is the Butterfly Pavilion. It holds a very intimate and special place in my heart. If you get in during the more “quiet” hours, it’s an amazing place to unwind and take in a unique natural environment. It’s great for kids, dates, and friends.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Oh my. My success as a volunteer “cause player” would not have been possible without many people. The challenge to pick one or only a few is… holy difficulties Batman. My kids, my parents, my ex-wife have always been supportive of this path. The many people who helped me get a non-latex Batsuit. The volunteer office women at Children’s Hospital. Vanessa at 3C CausePlay. Colorado Captain. Lorri at the 501st. Kirk, Javi, Ted Krysta, Brian, Terri, Megan, Jason, Laura, Rob, Sarah, Paul, Brent, Mackenzie, Nathalie, Holly, Kristina, Suzanne at Let’s PLANet Giving, Jenny at LL Baytoevan’s Love, the Autism Society of Colorado, Make-A-Wish Colorado, Best Buddies Colorado. If you don’t see your name, I sincerely apologize, but there have been so many people that have helped me get to where I am with this today, they’re all part of my own Bat-Fam. Thank you all so so so much!

Instagram: @hospitalbatman

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hospitalbatman

Other: For volunteering requests: MomentsMeanMore@gmail.com

Image Credits
Terri Christensen