About Darrien Griffin

Darrien Griffin is an African-American Entrepreneur, Artist, Photographer, and Graphic Designer from Baltimore, MD. He attended Digital Harbor High School, where he became passionate to learn about blending business, creative art, and technology, taking special interest in his Programming, Graphic Design, and Economics classes. Darrien became the President of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Club during his 12th grade year, leading his team to present a school store business plan to executives of M&T Bank. He and his team successfully obtained a $5,000 loan, and was also awarded the school’s Ram sports mascot named “Nifty The Ram”. After graduating Digital Harbor High School in 2006, Darrien studied IT: Visual Communication at the now defunct ITT Technical Institute from March 2007 to November 2008, having to withdraw from the program after suddenly being diagnosed with Pulmonary Tuberculosis, a contagious, airborne infection that destroys body tissue, primarily attacking the lungs. After receiving 6 months of in-home medical treatment with the Eastern Chest Clinic in Baltimore, MD, the Tuberculosis completely subsided in June 2009, allowing Darrien to continue his love for the arts and graphic design by working as a freelancer on a wide variety of projects.

During that time, he ventured into audio recording, mixing, and mastering as a Hip-Hop Artist & Producer under the moniker “Slim Gooney Grrr” which he gained notoriety within the local community with the mixtape “Wii B Da Future”, followed by several solo projects. After deciding to go on a temporary hiatus from the music scene in 2010, Darrien began working with a marketing agency as the in-house Graphic Designer, further developing his skills and knowledge in multimedia. After working with the marketing agency for 3 years, Darrien further pursued a professional career in Operations, working for the Maryland Health Connection in 2013, which became Maryland’s private health insurance marketplace after the Affordable Care Act (ACA/”Obamacare”) health care reform law was enacted in March 2010. After becoming one of Maryland Health Connection’s first Subject Matter Experts and Social Media Representatives, Darrien got the idea to develop his own business brand known as Ascending Icon Media, which was officially established as a Limited Liability Company in the state of Maryland in January 2018.

To further educate himself and pursue his entrepreneurial endeavors, Darrien is now in his first year of undergraduate college towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, studying courses with Ashworth College. Darrien is a student member of the Professional Photographer’s of America (PPA) and contributing member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). Darrien values the importance of continued education, and has completed online training courses in Visual & Graphic Design, Social Media Strategy for Small Business, Advanced Digital Photography, Leadership, and Time Management to name a few. He manages both his creative portfolio website, AscendingIcon.com, and his contact landing page, DarrienGriffin.com.

Darrien also works as a Print Shop Coordinator and drives with Uber & Lyft part-time. Darrien is a father of four children, and resides in Randallstown, MD.

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For business inquiries, please call 855-242-8624, or send an email to info@ascendingicon.com.