For Anthony Terry, entrepreneurship began with a world he wanted to create.
The Carey MBA candidate had a vision for Projecto Alminé LLC, a media and entertainment studio developing a new global animation and comic category rooted in Afro-Diasporic culture. His goal was ambitious: combine cinematic realism with anime-inspired expression and build something that could reach audiences around the world.
But bringing a creative vision to life as a business required a different kind of work.
Through Spark, the Pava Marie LaPere Center for Entrepreneurship’s early-stage accelerator, Terry began putting his idea to the test. The program challenged him to move beyond creative world-building and confront some of the fundamental questions every entrepreneur faces: Who is the customer? Is there a market? What problem—or opportunity—is the venture addressing? And how can an idea become a sustainable business?
From ideas to evidence
“Participating in the Spark accelerator through the Pava Marie LaPere Center for Entrepreneurship was an incredibly rigorous and high-octane experience,” Terry said. “Moving through the cohort forced us to transition from purely creative world-building into disciplined, data-backed customer discovery and business planning.”
That transition culminated in the Spark Showcase, where Projecto Alminé earned recognition and funding.
For Terry, the experience represented more than a competition victory.
“It proves the university ecosystem recognizes the commercial viability of independent, diverse intellectual properties,” he said.
The funding will help Projecto Alminé build its digital comic sales architecture, prepare for direct-to-consumer crowdfunding campaigns, and invest in specialized artistic talent. But Terry says one of the most valuable outcomes of the experience was learning how to bring business discipline to a creative idea.
At Carey, he says he learned to replace assumptions with evidence. Instead of simply presenting a compelling concept, he developed a bottom-up analysis of the potential market, identifying an initial opportunity of more than $190 million across direct consumers, independent comic retailers, and youth enrichment programs.
That process changed the way he thinks about entrepreneurship.
A powerful idea, he learned, is only the beginning. Entrepreneurs also need to understand their markets, test their assumptions, build organizational structures, and make decisions based on evidence.
“Being part of Carey has instilled a mindset that pairs bold creative innovation with bulletproof organizational plumbing,” Terry said.
For a student building a venture at the intersection of art, culture, and technology, that combination has become increasingly important.
Rooted and growing in Baltimore
Terry's entrepreneurial journey has also been shaped by Baltimore. A Baltimore native, he sees the city not simply as the place where he lives and studies, but as part of Projecto Alminé’s future.
“Baltimore becomes an unmatched incubator,” he said, pointing to the city’s creative community, independent retailers, and institutional resources.
His goal is to build an international animation studio headquartered in Baltimore—one that creates economic opportunity while helping bring greater representation to the creative technology industry.
That vision reflects something larger about entrepreneurship at Carey and across Johns Hopkins. Students can enter the university with expertise in a particular field or a passion for solving a problem. Through experiences such as Spark, they can learn how to investigate opportunities, gather evidence, connect with mentors, and begin developing the skills needed to build something of their own.
For Terry, the journey has meant learning to see his creative vision through a new lens.
The story he wants to tell through Projecto Alminé remains at the center of his work. But now, alongside the creative vision, is a growing understanding of what it takes to build a company capable of carrying that vision forward.
His ultimate goal, he said, is to create something that lasts.
“Don’t just build a product to sell; build a legacy that will outlast you.”
