Kareem Rahma brought Subway Takes into the corporate spotlight this week, appearing at the YouTube Brandcast in New York City to pitch his new long-form series, Keep the Meter Running. This transition from viral subway clips to formal industry pitching follows a busy week of events, including a premiere at the Metrograph and a public town hall in Brooklyn.
The hosts of SmartLess recently hosted Kareem Rahma, where he described his viral project as "a, a, a essentially, like a, a two-minute talk show on the train where I interview, like, local stand-up comedians, regular comedians, musicians, writers, directors, like, all, anyone who I find kind of interesting." Sean Hayes framed the project as a hustle born from necessity, asking if he figured he could do it "at the same time simultaneously" alongside his other developing projects.
The industry consensus on Subway Takes is overwhelmingly positive, with Sean Hayes noting that the show has already "achieved acclaim from The New York Times, GQ, New Yorker, Vanity Fair, as well as receiving multiple Webby nominations." With the successful launch of Keep the Meter Running, the question remains whether Kareem Rahma can maintain his "man of the people" brand while pivoting toward high-budget, long-form production.
