Meet Jason B. Ryan | Writer, Producer, Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason B. Ryan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason, why did you pursue a creative career?
Art has always been important to me since I was in elementary school. Comic Books were the first thing, at a young age, that I could read long enough to hold my attention (I’d rather be outside playing) But that experience really helped me develop my creativity and instilled the desire to write and create myself. Whether it was writing short stories, performing my own radio dramas on an old tape recorder, drawing super heroes, etc. I was always drawn to the arts. Through school, my favorite classes were always Art and English/Creative Writing. There were 2 experiences that solidified that I would always pursue artistic and creative career… the first was in Middle School when our big English class assignment was to write and illustrate our own fiction book and the teacher would print them and bound them in a hardcover. Definitely my favorite assignment. The second was in high school, my friends and I took a film study class and the big assignment was to produce a short film. Both experiences proved to me that artistic and creative outlets are not only enjoyable for me from an innate natural calling, but that they could also be translated into an actual career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Art has always been an important part of my life since I was a kid. as an adult I always continued to develop my creative expression through various means whether, drawing, graphic design, writing, music and other outlets. for years I would do it for myself but back in the late 2000’s I developed the brand BlackDroog as an all encompassing outlet for all of my creative interests. Music, Digital Art, Cartoons, Fashion design all centered around the fictional character, BlackDroog which allowed me to create storylines and characters around that universe. The BlackDroog venture was more of a hobby and less of a business, but when it was time to launch my Company, Odd Ninja Media, I learned that all of the experience with the BlackDroog brand had prepared me to run that business. Working a full time job (sometimes a part time as well) all contributed to me gaining the skills and experience to put into my own business. It definitely. was not easy and is a constant learning experience but it has been tremendously valuable to my overall career growth.

Odd Ninja Media is the culmination of all of my experiences both creatively and professionally and represents all aspects of my journey as a professional and as an artist. It is a production company and Publisher with a mission to tell inspiring, exciting, thought provoking and authentic stories featuring culturally diverse characters through animation and comics.

Odd Ninja Media is dedicated to collaborating with the many talented artists from around the globe and particularly showcasing the works of artists of color and those from underrepresented communities to contribute to bringing diversity to the comic, animation and sci-fi genres.

Odd Ninja Media’s unique brand of original content infuses elements of hip-hop, science fiction, afro-futurism, comedy, spirituality, metaphysics and action with fresh, original characters that push the limits of creativity and imagination.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First I definitely want to shoutout Jason Bell. Not only did he recommend me for this interview but he has been part of my creative journey for the last decade. We met while I was making music and we worked on some music projects together. But then we ventured into creating a hip-hop, sci-fi comic book project and that was the first time I had seriously considered the possibilities of creating in that space. I was currently writing my first comic book project at the time and he was also working on one. So we connected on that level in addition to the music. All these years later we are still pursuing creative ventures in the same space and motivate, collaborate and support each other in those different ventures. I also want to shoutout my Wife, Yolanda for her love, support and encouragement as I go down the path of creative entrepreneurship running a small business and writing/creating. There are many others who have contributed signifiant support throughout this process and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without them.

Website: https://www.oddninja.media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oddninjamedia720/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oddninjamedia

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrXqssusB-w_Dr0Eo4ymNNg

Image Credits
Artist Credits: Olen Oliver (Odd Ninja Illustration), Tonio Maicon (Jericho Cutter Illustration), Mikhail Sebastian (Izzie Illustration), Jason B. Ryan (Self Portrait, Black Droog Illustration, Graphic Design) All Images are Created and Owned by Odd Ninja Media, LLC Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved.