Burned-Out FL Engineer Finds Joy On Stage As Elvis Impersonator

SEMINOLE, FL — Dorian Alberti thought he had built the life he always wanted.

The 27-year-old Seminole resident had founded an engineering startup and designed and earned patents for wearable exoskeleton technology.

On paper, he had everything he'd worked for since he was a child. In reality, though, he was burned out.

"Life was a real drag," Alberti told Patch. "You bring your passion into corporate, and it just strips away all the fun."

He needed a creative outlet to bring balance to his life. That creative outlet arrived in an unlikely form: Elvis Presley.

After taking his mother to see the 2022 biopic “Elvis,” Alberti became captivated by the joy that Presley seemed to bring audiences.

"I thought, 'Man, this guy on stage is having a great time,'" he said.

Then, a 2024 business trip to Las Vegas changed everything for Alberti.

He attended an Elvis tribute concert “because that’s what you do when you’re in Vegas, right?” he said.

During the show, performer Daniel Jenkins unexpectedly invited him onstage to sing a few lines of "Viva Las Vegas."

“It was my first time in Vegas and I had never performed before formally, only karaoke,” Alberti said. “Then he just handed me the mic and I sang a couple of lines, and that was it for me.”

He flew back to Las Vegas a month later after Jenkins invited him to compete at an Elvis tribute festival, despite having almost no experience on stage.

"I jumped right into the deep end," he said. “There were Elvises from every country in the world.”

Since then, Alberti has traveled across the United States and Canada, competing and performing at Elvis festivals, appearing everywhere from Arizona and Georgia to Cape Cod, New York and Ontario.

This year, he won the King of the Jungle competition in Tinley Park, Illinois. He also performed at Elvis Summerfest in Ocala and is slated to return as a headliner next year. He's also awaiting confirmation to perform at a major Tampa Bay venue on Elvis Presley's birthday.

Although audiences know him for his performances, Alberti spends just as much time behind a sewing machine.

He learned tailoring while working at a men's clothing store during college and began making his own Elvis jumpsuits when he couldn't find exactly what he wanted.

Before long, fellow tribute artists started asking him to make theirs. Today, performers from around the country commission Alberti to design custom stage wear.

His work has reached one of country music's biggest stages: the Grand Ole Opry. The Malpass Brothers have debuted two of his custom-designed suits during separate Opry appearances, with another set scheduled for later this summer.

Alberti also creates costumes for internationally recognized Elvis tribute artist Dwight Icenhower.

"When you're competing, you have to be biblically accurate to Elvis," Alberti said. “Judges scrutinize every detail of a performer's wardrobe. You’ll get points marked off.”

Outside of competition, however, he enjoys putting his own spin on Presley's iconic style.

And engineering is still a part of his life, but now he’s a contractor, allowing him to work in the field on his terms. The role gives him the flexibility to perform and design costumes while maintaining a steady career.

Earlier in his career, he devoted years to developing mechanical exoskeleton technology inspired by “Iron Man.”

Alberti designed and built 15 different suits, starting in childhood, before landing on the one he patented.

“Those things are heavy when they’re real and it’s not cosplay, it’s actual metal,” he said.

As the stress of his work overwhelmed him more and more, Alberti decided to make his patent for the suit free for public use.

“Like Iron Man, I liked building things and wanted to help people. I’m not interested in helping the bottom line; I want to help people,” he said. “Hopefully, somebody can use it.”

He imagines it will be useful in warehouse settings, helping prevent workers from getting injured.

“It reduces the amount of load on your body when you pick up boxes,” Alberti said.

He brings this same energy to his performances as Elvis, the creative outlet that was missing from his life.

“I do OK financially as an engineering contractor, but there’s no joy in it,” he said. “I don’t want to be a guy who golfs on the weekend. I want to be involved.”

He’s fully embraced the role, growing out his hair and sideburns.

“They don’t come off. I don’t just turn it off,” he said.

His Elvis look has become so recognizable that strangers regularly stop him in public for photos - which he’s happy to take.

"You don't know how somebody's day's going," Alberti said. "They look over and there's Elvis, and they'll smile."

And that’s the point of everything he’s doing, on and off stage.

"It's about bringing joy," he said. "You can't be on the hamster wheel all the time."