Maxance Vincent
When Kareem Rahma initially conceived the now-popular internet sensation known as Subway Takes, he thought, as he explains to Awards Radar during a Zoom press day, that “it was a bad idea. It was the best idea I had at the time, but I was still reluctant to go through with it. I remember I was telling my wife, “Here I go again, doing another thing on the internet, when all I want to do is make TV and films in Hollywood.” It didn’t feel like it was going to do anything. At the time, there weren’t really social shows or unscripted vertical video talk shows. There were definitely Hot Ones and Chicken Shop Date on YouTube, but nothing was in our feeds.
I was really reluctant to do it, but she encouraged me, and it has made my Hollywood dreams come true because I’m now part of the industry, certainly in my own way. Even being able to have those conversations with you around the Emmys. It’s so funny because I would joke with the famous guests: “I’ll see you with the Emmys.” It was my goodbye to them. It was always a joke. However, one day, I was like, “Wait, what if I actually did try to win an Emmy?” I started bringing it up to them, like, “Do you think I can win an Emmy?” Many of them told me to definitely go for it. Now, it’s this blessing where I’m participating in the industry, except I’m doing it on my own terms.”
Because Subway Takes is vying for Emmy consideration and has submitted the show for contention, we live in a new era where content creators are making their mark in the entertainment industry. This past month, Obsession and Backrooms, two films directed by people who got their start on YouTube, have shattered box-office records and may have shifted the paradigm of what people want to see on the big screen.
For Rahma, this is a watershed moment because “everyone in the traditional world has been dipping their toes in, lurking, and being interested in what’s happening over there. I’m hoping this is a watershed moment when everyone goes, “All right, let’s figure out how to make this work.” For me, the door is open to having conversations with traditional players. I’m not an anti-traditional guy. I just happen to, out of necessity and desperation, do what I’m doing right now, which has turned out to be an amazing and fortunate circumstance for me. I’m happy to work in that part of the entertainment industry. The difference is that it’s no longer my goal. When I started, my goal was to make the leap. Now, it’s just another opportunity to make something interesting. I’m hoping that, with the successes of Backrooms and Obsession, it will be a watershed moment where we’ll make these hybrid collaborations. I think it’s a really interesting and exciting time, because it feels like it’s now been validated by revenue, which is the one thing that everyone cannot say no to.”
Listen to the full conversation below:
[Some of the quotes in this article were edited for length and clarity]
Stif