We recently connected with Rule 19 Cosplay The Black Dread and have shared our conversation below.
Rule 19 Cosplay, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
There have been several. My portfolio is pretty active at any given moment. One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on most recently is No One Ever Was (NOEW), a ikhatuni series under my studio, ACADIA Studios. It represents just one moment were I stopped waiting for permission to create the kind of stories I believed should exist.
I grew up inspired by Western animation, comics, anime, and a host of other media art forms, but I also noticed that many Black creators were expected to stay within very narrow creative lanes. I wanted to build something that felt cinematic and mythic, but that also carried cultural identity without being limited by it. That became the foundation for ikhatuni: an animated storytelling approach inspired by global animation traditions while intentionally remaining its own category.
NOEW began as an idea far larger than the resources I had available. Instead of waiting for investors or a major studio opportunity, I started building it piece by piece. I partnered with JP Jackson, whom I had worked with before on smaller endeavors. What started as a custom cosplay design developed into worldbuilding, scripts, visual direction, trailers, and production structure while still working full time in enterprise project and program management. Much of the process came from experimentation and persistence rather than traditional industry access.
A major turning point came when I screened a director’s cut trailer publicly at Plus Ultra Entertainment and later had ACADIA Studios featured on the main stage at Blerdcon alongside much larger entertainment brands. We even showcased a shorter teaser and introduced the main antagonist during PokeRage Rapper Genwunner’s set! That was insanely fun. Seeing audiences react in real time confirmed that the project could create emotional impact before the series was even complete. People were engaged immediately. Some people loved it. Others just sat there trying to process what they had watched, and that’s great too. I wanted the project to leave an imprint instead of just blending into the endless stream of forgettable content people scroll past every day.
This project also became meaningful because it unified different parts of my life into one creative system. My background in leadership, systems thinking, scheduling, cosplay, and storytelling all became part of the same engine instead of existing separately. I could impart knowledge to JP that he could use later in his work and I learned deeper aspects of the processes involved with the medium we were creating.
At its core, NOEW represents creative sovereignty. It is proof that independent creators can build worlds with ambition and scale without waiting for validation from traditional gatekeepers.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a creative director, cosplayer, storyteller, and enterprise project/program management professional operating under the brands Rule19Cosplay the Black Dread and ACADIA Studios. Most people initially discover me through cosplay or convention appearances, and sometimes through event collaborations, the larger goal has always been worldbuilding and creating experiences that leave a lasting impression.
I’ve been doing some form of this work since 2001 and I’ve always been embedded into the space at minimum from a fandom of franchises like Masters of the Universe, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Pokémon, Star Wars, Naruto, Inuyasha, and on and on ad infinitum. I’ve always been drawn to larger-than-life storytelling too, but I noticed there was often pressure for creators to follow familiar formulas while trying to build something original. That pushed me toward developing my own creative identity rather than trying to fit into existing expectations. There’s definitely a way to create work that fells cinematic and culturally distinct without reducing itself to stereotypes or nostalgia bait. Franchises that are super popular now didn’t always spark immediate approval with decision-makers.
The observations and that mindset eventually led to the creation of ACADIA Studios and my ikhatuni storytelling framework. Ikhatuni is inspired by traditional and contemporary anime and other global animation traditions, but as I mentioned, it is intentionally its own category rather than an attempt to imitate Japanese animation. Through ACADIA, I develop original concepts, cinematic trailers, visual identities, experimental worldbuilding projects, and long-form story universes like No One Ever Was (NOEW) and Reckon.
What sets my work apart is that I approach creativity like systems architecture. A lot of people may separate artistry from operational discipline, but my background in enterprise project and program management heavily influences how I build worlds and audience experiences. I think about narrative structure, audience psychology, visual identity, rollout strategy, event presence, production pipelines, and long-term scalability as part of the same ecosystem. The planning can be exhausting, but seeing the execution play out is extremely rewarding. I’ve met some really amazing people through these projects.
On the cosplay side, Rule19Cosplay the Black Dread became known for high-impact character work and sometimes unconventional presentation. Cosplay combatives and stunt work that blur the line between fandom and cinematic performance is something I started as early as 2001, and I am happy to be doing more of that most recently. Though I will say, props and weaponry are not all equal, and I along with my teams in the past, have broken more than a few, just from sheer speed and power. We don’t hold back. We probably should. I’m especially proud of projects like Mewtwo Ranger and Nabil Nkosi because they demonstrated that people are hungry for reinterpretations that feel authentic instead of formulaic. I’ve also used conventions as live testing grounds for larger creative ambitions by screening trailers and building immersive branding experiences while capturing audience reaction in real time.
One of the things I’m most proud of is building momentum independently. A lot of the opportunities I’ve received came from consistency, execution. The teams I’ve worked with also show willingness to take creative risks rather than waiting for institutional approval. Seeing ACADIA Studios featured at conventions alongside major entertainment brands reinforced that independent creators can operate at a much higher level than people often assume. We’re not “just getting started” either; we’ve always been here; only now, the visibility is increasing.
The main thing I want people to understand about my work is that I care deeply about impact and intentionality. Whether I’m designing a cosplay stunt performance or building an animated universe, I want the audience to feel something memorable. I’m not interested in creating disposable content just to satisfy algorithms or trend cycles. I want the work to carry weight and identity. Maybe some big studio picks up one of the many projects in the pipeline and maybe that’s farther down the line than any of us know at this moment. Either way, we keep pushing.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Simple. It’s seeing the vision in my head become something tangible and real. Whether or not others “get it” is irrelevant. What matters at that moment is did the project move from ideation to execution and fruition. If I did it alone, cool. If I inspired others to see that same vision and they helped bring about something even bigger, then that is truly rewarding.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Hmm, not so much a story as a tragic event. The last time I was asked about doing an interview for Canvas Rebel and another entity, I had just been informed that my mother had passed away suddenly. I was in no shape to do any interviews or much of anything else beyond getting back home some 950 miles away. I had a great support system of friends, family, and even recruiters and supervisors at work. I grieved. I handled the business. I leaned on my support, though I know that effectively, I had lost my anchor, my tether, my grounding force, I still had to continue. Life is for the living. So, I think this illustrates that resilience isn’t a solo construct. It is a community.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.rule19cosplay.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rule19cosplay/
- Other: ACADIA Studios
http://youtube.com/@ACADIAStudiosNo One Ever Was
https://youtu.be/Gz1l5rvdNk4?si=ub094K2YAV5hQNQC
Image Credits
Vanguard Cosplay Handler Syndicate
Katsucon Photo Booth
Alias Expo Photo Booth