Darkside Industries
1571 Irving Street # 205
www.darksideindustries.net/

Darkside Industries (DSI) slowly evolved out of need for a creative outlet during the pandemic. As many artists found themselves isolated in lockdown, longtime friends Alvin Reaves (Vie) and Markel Pitt, connected with a pod of creative people to share ideas, create music, and generate art. Ideas flourished and a common theme grew; to build a safe space to nurture and support artists in the community. Markel, also an experienced businessman tends to the nuts and bolts, while Vie cultivates the creative concepts. As the small collective grew, they realized that by working together their art became stronger.

In order to grow they needed a dedicated space. Through a connection in 2020, they learned about an affordable rental in the Tesla building on Irving Street. Vie was aware that Rahway actively supported and welcomed artists from his experiences playing out as a working musician.

The evolution of turning a creative collective into a working business demanded a radical change in mindset from the imaginative to the hard reality of running a business. It was a grass roots effort and like many small businesses finding the money to start from the ground up presented many challenges. Taking advantage of Rahway’s recent Business Improvement Program, they were able to upgrade equipment without it impacting their bottom line.

A core group of artists and engineers make up the DSI staff who offer creative solutions to clients and interested artists to further develop their craft. Specializing in digital media arts and photography, studio space and equipment are available for rehearsals, production and small art events. Clients can work independently or employ the professional expertise of the in house creative team. To support novice artists, opportunities are available for internships to gain hands on experience. They find their best marketing practices rely on word of mouth, but have found the internet and gorilla marketing techniques provide a wide berth to attract artists from all over.

Dreaming big, they visualize a DSI International someday, rooted amidst a strong local arts identity. All you need is community!