Meet David Ragin of Cyberstars Entertainment

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Ragin. 

David, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I had a better-than-average upbringing; grew up with both parents, a strong support system, and a “Blessed by the Lord” family. In fact, most of my battles were on the social battlefield. I never had a lot of friends, and I never wanted to be the center of attention. However, the one thing that I was always known for is my talent. which came naturally through my family. No matter how quiet or how isolated I made myself, everybody knew “David Ragin could draw”. Everybody knew “David Ragin could rap”. Everybody knew “David Ragin, the actor”. And when I finally graduated high school, and I could be as standoffish as I wanted to be, I finally decided to double down and finally put my art and projects out for the world to see. And in doing so, I found people with a like-mind and similar mindset to mine.

While I’ve been drawing since the first grade, and have been putting out “questionable-quality” music as far back as 2009, my first foray into the wider film world was in the production of my first ever film, a superhero movie called “Graffiti: Dreams & Knightmares”. I wrote and made the film with my family and my fellow actors from the Creative Arts Spirit of Excellence (CASOE) Theater Group, where I began acting in theater productions in 2008. We filmed it in 2011 and 2012, and finally put it out in 2013. Following the film, my fellow actor and best friend Cortez Andre suggested that we immediately begin production on the sequel, “Graffiti: Welcome to Foxworth Enterprises”, which would be released two years later. Because of the success of the first film, we were able to go bigger with the second: the film had a more in-depth story, a larger cast, more special effects, and, in some honest opinions, went above and beyond the expectations we had for the films.

During production of the second film, my friends and I felt that we wanted to put out more content and that full films would be an extended process and take, at least, a year per movie. Because most of our acting origins were grounded in comedy, we decided to write skits and sketches for YouTube, and created “Cyberstars”, a placeholder name that eventually stuck. With a small group of fellow CASOE-alumni, we posted videos inconsistently from the end of 2015 until mid-2017, while concurrently working on a third Graffiti film, “Heroes and Villains”, which would be released on August 5, 2017; ironically, that would also be the day that I would marry my childhood crush Rachelle, and relocate to Ohio for the next two years. During my time in Ohio, I was starved for my craft, and my desire for writing and filming became relentless. Fortunately, I would find myself back in Michigan within the next two years. Immediately upon returning to my hometown, I reunited with my friends and fellow actors and began writing for more projects. Years overdue, on May 30, 2020, I finally established Cyberstars Entertainment, my first ever production company.

Through my fellow actor Indiana Rose, I met and worked with local director Tony Tale on his film Papers 15: Dark Chapters, Part 1. And from meeting Tony, I was able to expand my horizons and reach, and have been slowly but steadily growing my audience and gaining a following in the acting community of Michigan. In 2021 alone, I had the honor and pleasure to work with many directors, and even had the chance to meet some well-known celebrities. Going forward, I plan on further expanding my range and reach in the Michigan acting community, work with more directors and local actors, and expand and capitalize on the success of both Cyberstars and the Graffiti series. I’m truly blessed to be able to practice my craft and do what I love, and I’m excited to see what else God has in store for me.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Overcoming a general social anxiety, as well as coming out of my “comfort zone” is usually my biggest obstacle. I am a very introverted individual, and seldomly will be the first to speak or initiate a conversation. Also, up until recently, trying to find local films and projects to be a part of was always a difficult task. Luckily for me, social media and my connections with my fellow actors has put me generally in the know for auditions and other acting opportunities. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Cyberstars Entertainment?
Cyberstars Entertainment, LLC is an American production company, founded by me in 2020. Through Cyberstars Entertainment, we produced the YouTube sketch series Cyberstars (currently being produced under the name “Cyberstars Detroit”), and the Graffiti superhero film series (which were originally released under the unestablished and faux title “Ragin Productions”). At the moment, we have many projects in the pipeline, including many film ideas, more Cyberstars skits for season 2, and a new Graffiti film. And with the upgraded equipment and expanded support, we plan on coming back bigger and better than ever! 

Contact Info:

• Email: officialdavidragin@gmail.com
• Website: https://cyberstarsent.fandom.com/f
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realdavidragin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDavidRagin
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/realDavidRagin
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DavidRagin
• Other: https://linktr.ee/realDavidRagin