About Darrien Griffin



Darrien Griffin is an African-American, Author, Photographer, and Graphic Designer from Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Digital Harbor High School, where he became passionate to learn about entrepreneurship and media production, 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. After receiving six months of in-home medical treatment with the Eastern Chest Clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, 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 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 production. After working with the marketing agency for 3 years, Darrien further pursued a career in call center operations, working for the Maryland Health Connection in 2013, which became Maryland’s private health insurance marketplace after the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. 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 and brand known as Ascending Icon Media, which he 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. 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 and Advanced Digital Photography to name a few. He manages his creative portfolio website, AscendingIcon.com; general landing page, DarrienGriffin.com; and upcoming magazine, KeepRisingMag.com.

Darrien manages a print shop and is a father of four children. He resides in East Baltimore, Maryland.

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For business inquiries, please call or text 443-226-1020, or send an email to info@ascendingicon.com.