Joseph Levy Cohen (aka Dark Joseph Ravine) knows a thing or two about perseverance. In 2017, he earned a Guinness World Record for longest line of redemption arcade tickets. However, that success did not blossom overnight. He attempted this achievement twice before he completed his goal. Since then, Ravine has taken all the lessons he learned with his World Record title and applied them to his other career pursuits. After becoming a World Record holder, Ravine pushed his brand to social media, and he soared there, too.
Under the stage name “Dark Joseph Ravine,” Ravine has established a large following based upon the premise of “Kindness For Success,” which he has turned into a fruitful business for optimistic, positive people. Kindness For Success takes the thrill Ravine felt after winning so many unique prizes at the arcade and pushes it forward, rewarding followers for their support. He frequently hosts giveaways for high-ticket items, like the coveted PS5 gaming system.
“My favorite part is seeing their reactions,” he says. “And stuff like a PS5 is hard to come by. Not everyone can afford that kind of high-ticket item, especially in this economy. So, it feels genuinely amazing to brighten peoples’ day like that.”
Through his creative endeavors, he began to expand upon his skill set, pivoting away from social media and giveaways. It’s important to have multiple outlets that fulfill you, so he tried his hand at writing, model shoots, singing, voice acting, business, and much more. He found that he loves writing important, entertaining stories with a meaningful message. Essentially, each new endeavor that he finds is meant to push his “kindness for success” mantra even further than he’s already taken it over the past several years through his various outlets
Ravine is currently looking forward to another milestone: publishing his first book. His debut children’s book, Watch Out! It’s Nolan, is out now via Amazon, and many other book outlets. The story follows a young boy named Nolan who is forced to learn some tough life lessons at a pivotal age via the help of meaningful connections that he makes serendipitously. He undergoes serious character development throughout the novel in ways that real-world kids can relate to. That’s no coincidence, either.
“I probably needed a Nolan when I was a kid,” suggests Ravine. “There was a lot of stuff out that was meant to uplift kids, but some of it felt forced. You could tell it was written for kids by adults, and those adults may not have had these experiences for a very long time. There was a disconnect, and I wanted to fix that.”
Ravine hopes his book helps further solidify the messages and values he posts about across his social media platforms. To him, it’s not about presenting as a certain image of a person to the world. Instead, he chooses to operate authentically, encouraging his audience to do the same, and hopefully create a more positive, uplifting, and community-driven world. He truly does believe that kindness conquers all, and positivity holds more value than any arcade ticket. He is now working on many other projects and talents.
