QUICK SNAPSHOT OF Iurie Roman
As our Digital Media Producer at Rice Properties Group, Iurie Roman is responsible for bringing the “visual vibe” of all things RPG to life through the digital media projects he produces.
Known for having an “old soul,” Iurie brings a strong work ethic and a sense of passion, pride, and ownership to the RPG team. His attention to detail and keen ability to bring out the story of every home through photography and videography helps our client’s homes stand out on the MLS and adds to the success of their listing with us.
Whether he’s overseeing the production of digital content for our clients or filming and editing a documentary that conveys our brand’s messaging and purpose, Iurie’s imagination, creativity, and innovation is noticeable in everything he does.
Born in Moldova, Iurie moved to the U.S. to pursue the American Dream. This past year was a big year for Iurie as he purchased his first home and got married to his beautiful wife.
When not working or spending time with family and friends, Iurie’s feeding his creative side through art, mixing music, woodworking, and hands-on building projects.
Personal development is an integral part of Iurie’s life and always will be as he continually strives to grow forward, remaining moldable and flexible in life.
Full Spotlight Article: Iurie Roman
Meet Iurie Roman, an old soul and an immensely talented Digital Media Producer, with us here at Rice Properties Group. Iurie was born and raised in Moldova, where he grew up before moving to America as an adult to pursue freedom and the American Dream.
Today, Iurie does a fantastic job capturing the American Dream of homeownership through visual art for our Rice Properties Group clients. His attention to detail and keen ability to bring out the story of every home through photography and videography help us ensure that your home listing shines bright and stands out on the MLS and other websites.
From giving up his career in another country to moving here to build something different for himself from scratch, we’re excited about sharing Iurie’s story with you in today’s team spotlight.
Finding A Digital Media Producer
Most real estate agencies contract their photography to freelance real estate photographers or visual marketing agencies. But after meeting Iurie Roman, and seeing his work firsthand, we knew we wanted to make a space for him on our growing team.
Our owner, Ryan Rice, does a great job of explaining what we all saw in Iurie in his statement here:
“Iurie is an old soul who thinks deeply and is incredibly creative and talented. It’s funny because Iurie and I were friends before joining our team. I met him through the company we outsourced our videography and photography to for listings. Let’s just say that it didn’t take long for our entire team to begin requesting Iurie to do all of our photoshoots since we all could clearly see the distinct level of difference in his photography work. The fact that Iurie holds himself to such a high standard—as well as his level of ingenuity and creativity in ensuring that every one of our client’s homes gets photographed and videoed in the most attractive way possible so that buyers have an outstanding first impression—were just a few of the many reasons why I knew we needed Iurie on our team full time.” —Ryan Rice
As Ryan shared, we noticed something different in Iurie. His passion for visual arts and his unique ability to tell the story of a house through photographs, videos, and virtual tours stood out among the many photographers we worked with over the years. And since both Ryan and Lindsay Rice had plans to grow their brand in the coming years, they saw bringing Iurie onboard as part of their bigger vision for the company.
In Search Of An American Dream
Growing up, Iurie had always been interested in creative arts and loved pushing himself to master new skills. Whether it was painting, learning to play a new instrument, or mixing his own music, Iurie creatively expressed himself in many different ways over the years. That’s why when Iurie’s parents bought him his first Panasonic camera at the age of 14-years-old, young Iurie was thrilled to learn a new art. And he soon began carrying his camera with him nearly everywhere he went.
While Iurie found great joy in taking photos and videos with his camera as a teenager, he never imagined that more than a decade later, that gift would lead him to a rewarding career halfway across the world as an adult.
For Iurie, moving to the U.S. was a pretty big sacrifice. But one he felt was worth taking.
As a young adult in Moldova, Iurie was doing quite well for himself. He already attended University, had a career and a car, and was working towards building a name for himself as a DJ in his hometown, where he often opened shows with the music he mixed himself.
But, even though Iurie’s life was on track in his home country and everything was going well there, he had a different dream in his heart for the future—an American Dream.
“I had always seen how America was presented in movies growing up, and that created this dream in my head of what it would be like to live here. I think freedom was what I was ultimately looking for, along with opportunity. I wanted the opportunity to build a different life for myself and my family in the future. And I wanted the freedom to be myself and to do what I wanted and loved to do.” Iurie shares what he was searching for when moving to the United States.
Having grown up watching and admiring American movies and some aspects of the culture had instilled the American dream in Iurie at a young age. And as an adult making his way into this world, Iurie had the bravery, passion, and heart to go after it.
Iurie still remembers his first job in the United States after he got his Green Card. He understood he’d have to work his way up from the bottom to find success in a new country, and no matter the task, he was passionate about doing just that.
“One of my first jobs was as a dishwasher. I remember pulling those long gloves up over my arms and thinking—If this is the key to success, I’m ready to start from scratch and work my way up from here,” Iurie shares about his first job as a dishwasher after moving to the States.
Iurie has never been afraid of working hard. His work ethic and passion eventually led him to a freelance career as a content creator for the travel industry.
In this career, Iurie was able to make money taking pictures while traveling across the country, living in multiple different states, including California, Washington, Illinois, Alabama, and even Florida, to name just a few. He later became a videographer and photographer for a media marketing company in Alexandria, Virginia, which eventually led him here at Rice Properties Group.
While Iurie had considered many different cities to call home, he was drawn to the vibe of Washington D.C., as well as the European architecture that reminded him of his home country. And after meeting Ryan and coming to work with us at RPG, Iurie knew it was time to put down roots in the DMV area.
Why Rice Properties Group?
As someone passionate about self-improvement and personal growth, Iurie believes in having five people in his life who he can look up to as a mentor and role model. And according to Iurie, RPG founder Ryan Rice is one of those five people.
Iurie has a great deal of respect for Ryan and appreciates the valuable advice and wisdom that he’s gained from their friendship over the past few years. Ryan’s persistence in raising the bar and helping to push the company and the team to the next level are just a few of the many things Iurie appreciates and admires about him.
When it comes to Iurie’s relationship with Ryan, he shared that they have a bit of a hybrid relationship since Ryan’s his friend, boss, mentor, and real estate agent, since Ryan recently helped Iurie buy his first home here in the United States.
Iurie, who’s incredibly proud of having purchased his first home here in the U.S., shares that having Ryan and the RPG team behind him the entire time brought comfort and a sense of security to the process. He knew the level of service that RPG was known for, and they lived up to those standards that he expected of them.
“We live by emotions. Those are what stay with us and what we remember in the middle of the night. Ryan doesn’t usually show up on the closing day at the Title office, so I didn’t expect him to be there when I signed my paperwork. But five minutes into the process, he showed up and surprised me. Having him in the room while I was making one of the most monumental investments of my life was truly special. It’s something that I will always remember.” —Iurie shares.
Passion is one of the critical differences that make Rice Properties Group stand out from the competition, according to Iurie, who appreciates how the whole team is 100% involved in the process every step of the way.
We asked Iurie what else made him choose to join the Rice Properties Group team, and here’s what he shared:
“It’s the people. The entire team is ambitious. I don’t know how to express this best, but they all have that “sparkle” in their eyes. Everyone’s passionate and motivated to grow this company bigger and stronger in the future. And when Ryan says, ‘the sky’s the limit,’ it’s believable. For Rice Properties Group, the sky is the limit, and that’s something I’m proud to be a part of.“
A Day In The Life Of A Digital Media Producer
In today’s age of mobile devices and social media, videos, photographs, and virtual tours can make every difference in how buyers perceive a home.
As our Digital Media Producer, Iurie helps create our brand’s “visual vibe” and makes every one of our seller’s homes stand out. He does a great job of telling the whole story through media, putting his role at the heart of our company’s success.
“Iurie embodies the Rice Properties Group difference in everything he does, and the value that he brings to every one of our clients who lists with us is top of the line,” Rice Properties Group owner Ryan Rice shares
When it comes to the day-to-day activities of a Digital Media Producer, Iurie’s responsibilities can vary significantly throughout the week.
Iurie frequently attends listing appointments alongside Ryan and the team to meet clients and learn more about their home, as well as the story behind it, before he even lifts his camera. He enjoys speaking to sellers and getting their input on any ideas they might have for the visual marketing process of their homes. Sometimes sellers might have unique insights on different aspects of their home that could be important for Iurie to capture to better share those features and benefits with buyers viewing their home’s media.
“Creativity is my favorite part of my job. Every home and every client I work with is different. One of my favorite parts of the day-to-day process that I enjoy is interacting with our clients and better getting to know them and their homes. This enables me to learn and feel their story first before I work to recreate it in visual content for Rice Properties Group. We’re big on collaboration at RPG. Sometimes our clients have a preference related to the visual marketing of their home. And I love working and collaborating with them to guarantee that their photography, videography, and virtual tours are a success.” —Iurie shares about his role as Digital Media Producer.
There are many different elements required for a successful photoshoot that Iurie’s responsible for, including lighting, sound, and the use of the right camera and equipment. When not out on a photoshoot, Iurie can be found working in his studio at home, editing and perfecting all digital media before it gets labeled ready to post on the MLS.
When Iurie isn’t filming or taking photographs for our client’s homes, he’s working on brand building for Rice Properties Group. From helping with visuals for social media, to filming team videos and documentaries that show the Rice Properties Group passion, Iurie is excited about being a part of the process wherever we might need him.
“The trust factor that we have with Iurie is huge. I don’t have to worry if he will do what he says he’s going to do, because he always does it. Iurie’s work ethic at his age is not normal… Maybe it’s because of where he was raised, or because he’s an old soul, but I just respect it and value him very much,” Managing Partner Lindsay Rice shares.
Iurie’s currently working on a unique side project with Ryan to promote an upcoming special Disc Golf Event that they’ll be sponsoring called the Rice Bowl. Iurie hopes to capture Ryan’s passion for the sport and help convey that excitement to the community.
What Does Home Mean to Iurie?
“Home is an experience. It’s where we feel comfortable. The features of a home can evoke emotion and help us build memories. For example, when I lit my fireplace here in my new home for the first time, I could feel that I was building a new memory that I’ll never forget. I’m looking forward to building many more memories in this home with my wife and our family in the future.” —Iurie shares about his new home and what the word ‘home’ means to him.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE…
This past year was a big year for Iurie as he purchased his first home and got married to his beautiful wife. With the statement, “everything happens for a reason,” tattooed on him, Iurie finds personal development and growth integral in his life. He continually strives to grow forward, remaining moldable and flexible in life.
“I don’t want to be stuck in a specific shape forever. As I get older, I want to continue to be moldable and flexible so that I’m always growing in my life.” Iurie shares.
When it comes to life outside of family and work, Iurie enjoys reading about Eastern Culture or listening to self-development podcasts, and he’s always striving to live a more balanced lifestyle. Iurie feeds his creative side through art, mixing music, woodworking, and hands-on building projects. He’s currently working on a 3D wooden model of a tram and railway, which reminds him of a Woodshop class he took in his youth. He shared that building something that comes alive in front of his eyes is both enjoyable and relaxing for him.
