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A streak of creativity
austintown
Sparking creativity can be as simple as drawing a black streak on a white piece of paper.
It’s also a metaphor for how Black Streak Entertainment intends to start a trend on the nation’s pop culture.
The Austintown-based business publishes fiction and graphic novels for young adults that feature characters who represent minorities. The self-publishing company was founded by Terry Raimey and his brother, Justin, in October 2011.
“We wanted to bring something new to pop culture,” Terry said.
Justin said they wanted to “break the monopoly” that companies such as Disney and Marvel have over the entertainment industry. Another issue is the stereotypical depictions of the few minority characters within pop culture, he added.
“We want to break those stereotypes,” Justin said.
Justin and Terry have traveled to places such as San Francisco and Los Angeles where they showcased their work.
“We’ve got some positive buzz from people,” Terry said. “We want to get a trend going.”
Such trends probably won’t originate in their home state, they concede, because Ohioans follow pop culture more closely — whereas places such as California are always on the lookout for the next best thing, Justin said.
The two, however, have started publishing their work.
Last June, Justin published his first graphic novel, “Fiji Random,” which is a comedy about a high-school girl named Fiji Maide. Also, Terry’s first novel, “Knights of the Second Earth,” will come out in spring 2015. The novel is about a group of teenagers who have super powers to confront the corruption of law enforcement, government and big businesses.
“I want to entertain people, but I want them to think about the social issues as well,” Terry said, referring to the themes of the novel. Terry and Justin both had passions of their own at a young age. For Justin, it was art, and for Terry, it was writing.
Justin started drawing in elementary school, with characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Around the same time, he started copying the style of anime and manga — Japanese-style animation and comic books. Justin said he continue developing his style over the years.
“I try to stay true to who I am,” he said.
While in high school, Justin started working on what eventually became “Fiji Random.” On the other hand, Terry struggled with drawing, but he enjoyed writing short stories while in school.
Additionally, the two studied criminal justice while attending college. Justin continued developing his graphic novel while attending Youngstown State University until he graduated in 2010, whereas Terry graduated a year before from Park University in St. Louis.
For the time being, Justin works at a factory in Salem while Terry works in law-enforcement for the Department of Justice. The two plan to start a gallery in Los Angeles that would showcase their work and bring in more business.
Justin has two comics that also are comedies, which are in development: “Milk and Coffee” and “My Sweet Lady,” which has an ongoing Kickstarter campaign, the website where people ask for money to finance their projects. They also expressed interest in branching out in traditional animation and video games.
“We want to make a brand that’s recognizable in America,” Terry said.