Jason, tell us about you. Who are you? What do you do? Do you have other hobbies?
My name is Jason Rawley, the designation given to me by my human mother when she found me in my crashed kryptonian spaceship. I do many things, most of which are interesting. Among the things I do is running my own business, Fireblade Comics (www.firebladecomics.com), where I produce my own props, custom action figures, etc. I am also a Security Officer at a local hospital. In addition I write, draw, craft, design websites and other media, and generally manage the Suncoast Ghostbusters team. I used to run my own galactic bounty hunter enterprise but that was lost when Alderaan exploded.
My passion for Ghostbusters was kindled like any fiery romance usually starts, with tenderness, time, and gasoline. I was 5 years old when Ghostbusters came out in 1984 and I immmediately fell in love with it. Growing up through the 80's I was privleged to spend my childhood with The Real Ghostbusters cartoon. The local library had free VHS rentals and we rented Ghostbusters so often I don't think anyone else in Largo got to see it. And I remember when Ghostbusters 2 was announced. I spent the months leading up to it drawing the GB 2 logo freehand until I had it memorized. Ghostbusters has always been in my blood from a very young age, which the doctors all say there is no cure for.
Well I had been producing custom nerf guns for a while and started to become aware of just how big the cosplay community had become. I saw some really exceptionally crafted Star Wars costumes at conventions and I realized I too wanted to be that big of a nerd. So I set out to do research on what Star Wars costume I wanted to do and what went into it. But after exploring further and seeing how people interacted with costumed characters in public I realized that limiting myself to a particular character meant I would have to act like that character. However, Ghostbusters immediately became appealing because of the creative license to create your own Ghostbusters character based off of yourself. So I set out to fulfill a childhood dream and marry a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, but after that failed I decided I would like to be a Ghostbuster.
Our team has so many events throughout the year we are always busy. At the start of the year we are fundraising for the American Cancer Society up until their big celebration called the Relay For Life which is usually in April. During the summer months we are at Regal Cinema's Park Place Stadium 16 in Park Side Mall helping them with their Stars of Hope program. After that wraps in July we begin fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society until their big event in November called the Light The Night Walk. In between we spend time helping local comic and costume stores with their events, as well as entertaining the kids at the Kid's Fishing Day put on by the group 4 Kids Charity and rolling with the Ecto-1X in the Pinellas Park Christmas Parade. Having to pick a favorite event is impossible since each one is unique, fun, and rewarding in its own way.
Webster's Dictionary gives the following definition for "Ghosthead": Error - no entry found. So in essence, isn't the definition indefinable? Which is quite strange because indefinable itself is actually the definition of things you can't define. It's like dividing by zero or crossing the streams, bad idea until the climax of the movie.
The Suncoast Ghostbusters have a limited roster for a good reason: we ran out of printer paper. As such, applications are non-existant. And for those who manage to apply we have a rigorous training regime: you must eat 12 donuts and run 2 miles. If you make it the two miles, you fail. We used to have strong ties to the Knights Who Say Ni, but we found the cutting down trees with herrings and the shrubbery business all rubbish. Honestly, I find this all a bit ridiculous, but I digress.
I plan to continue in my quest to bring peace to Middle Earth and defeat the Borg once and for all. That aside I think we have plenty of activities and events and demands on our time to keep us occupied throughout the rest of the year. And now I have to also spend time writing new material since I used up some of the good stuff in this interview.
Now, to conclude, do you want to say “hallo” to all the fans in the world?
I would gladly, but my keyboard is missing. So will just send out that word as a psychic telegram with good tidings of great joy which shall be for all the people.
Link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Suncoast-Ghostbusters/211790252180833
