Steven Prusakowski
When I first stumbled across a SubwayTakes clip while doom scrolling on Instagram, my immediate reaction was the pure skepticism I sometimes find myself slipping into. “Who is this jerk?,” I thought. He appeared to be just some guy talking with strangers on the NYC subway using an MTA Metrocard like some sort of makeshift microphone. Another person with a phone, another viral-looking gimmick designed to turn someone into a superstar overnight. A healthy dose of my jealousy was mixed with dismissal. I figured I’d watch for a few seconds, roll my eyes and scroll on.
I was ready to swipe… but wait! His question, “What’s your take?,” snagged my attention. I surprised myself, as I watched a full interview, then another, and another. I looked for a reason to scroll away, but I couldn’t. The conversations kept pulling me in. This guy had a way with people. What looked like a stunt revealed itself as something far more substantial – the simple power of people connecting with people. The host, Kareem Rahma, asked a simple question that gave people a chance to be heard, then did the most incredible thing in today’s world, he listened.
In a fragmented world where so many lose themselves trying to copy others, Kareem Rahma stays unmistakably himself while talking to everyone from everyday subway riders to politicians and celebrities, the Rizzler to Riz Ahmed, treating each of them equally. It’s honestly no surprise that the web series is nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series.
Soon, I wasn’t questioning Rahma or his intentions, nor was I offput by the subway card mic. What he was putting out into the world was not a gimmick, it was the power of conversation.
When Rahma joined me on TV Topics (full interview below) , much to his surprise, I shared this initial reaction with him. He wasn’t upset, instead he laughed it off, reflecting how he’s on the same page. The same charm he brought to Subway Takes was evident from the second we started talking.
“I think I would have the same reaction as you if I first saw it. And I do oftentimes have the same reaction when I see something new,” shared Rahma. “it does at face value look like a gimmick. But the gimmick was born out of necessity. You know, a lot of people don’t understand that the reason that I shoot it on the train is because I had no money for a studio. That was the only reason. It’s not like, ooh, like this is viral, that wasn’t even a single thought in my mind… virality has never been the point to me ever… the virality is the outcome. The quality is the intention. So your intention should be to make the highest quality thing with the resources that you have available. And if it’s great, the virality will come.”
The more he shared of his origin story, the more impressed and inspired I became with his pure resourcefulness and drive.
“I worked at Vice which I guess technically was not traditional media at the time,” said Rahma. “I worked in advertising. I worked at the New York Times and I felt like a prisoner because I was bursting with creative energy and had nowhere to put it honestly.”
Just as impressive were his creative instincts and ability to improvise. Rahma was driven by his self-imposed high standards, built Subway Takes piece by piece. The most iconic element, the MetroCard-as-microphone, was just one of the decisions he committed to.
“I’m at the deli. I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I don’t want to hold a tiny mic. Everyone holds a tiny mic,’ confessed Rahma. “I went to the deli, I got a spork. ‘Maybe I’ll clip it on the spork. What else should we clip it on? Maybe a straw.’ And then, last minute as we were entering the subway, the card! I did not come up with that before I shot the first episode.”
The show developed organically, instead of Rahma trying to imitate others’ successes, he blazed his own original trail. “I shot the first episode with my friend Anthony Deary. He said, ‘Vertical video is the downfall of American civilization.’ And I go, ‘100% disagree.’ Then I just put it in the next episode and the next episode. None of this was engineered,” shared Rahma. “It is pure. There’s a purity to the show and so much of it is born out of this independent spirit that I have.”
If Kareem was going to build this into something bigger, it would require more than creative commitment; it meant investing in himself.
“From day one, I bought the cameras myself because I don’t like having excuses to not make things. So, I bought two Sony FX3s and Sennheiser microphones. The total is $14,000,” remembered Rahma. “I was like, ‘This is a horrible idea, but it might work out. And if it doesn’t, I’ll sell the cameras.’ If I didn’t have those cameras, there’s no world in which I would have made the show.”
Subway Takes has become a huge hit, with a growing guest list that now covers a massive cross-section of people, a who’s who of politics, art, and entertainment to the strangers on the train just looking for a great conversation.
It’s no surprise that he describes himself as “always a talker.” Agree or disagree with his guests, his conversations flow. “I was always a rambunctious child and one that wanted to be the center of attention and more so one that liked to argue.” Turning that into a career is quite the feat that new followers begin to learn every day.
“One time I received a comment on a video that was one of my favorite comments ever,” shared Rahma. “ I had just published an episode with John C. Reilly and it was great. And then the next day I published a video of this independent filmmaker who was a woman who was like, ‘I’m selling my eggs so that I can make a movie.’ And the comment was like, ‘This is the only show in the world where one day you have John talking about how he doesn’t like to eat on screen and the next day you have an independent filmmaker saying you should sell your eggs to make your movie and it’s so true. It is the only show in the world that does that.”
The love Rahma has for his work comes through in every word he speaks, not only with guests that span the full spectrum of humanity, but about his work itself. He is energetic and excited for each conversation.
“No one hired me to do this. I’m choosing to do it because I love it. I think it’s so fun. People are like, ‘When are you going to retire the show?’ And I go, ‘Why would I? It’s so fun. I literally have the funnest job in the world,” he said.
Rahma decided the best way to succeed is to stop treating creativity like a side hustle or a job and pour everything into building his own.
“I was 33 years old when I started doing this kind of work,” shared Rahma. “And I was like, I’m going to jam 10 years of work into the next 5 years. I’m going to give it five years. If some things are percolating, I’ll keep going. If I’m striking out completely, I’ll give up. And the plan kind of worked.”
The plan worked because the work stayed true to his vision. The show never sacrificed the feeling of being right there on the train, using two (now often four) quality cameras, the wire, the dimensionality, because that’s what makes the conversations feel authentic.
“A lot of people were advising me to do things one way. And I was like, ‘I’m not going to take this advice,’” expressed Rahma. “We march to the beat of our own drum. We do not sacrifice quality and we don’t do what people tell us to do just because they tell us to do it. That’s how we will succeed. And, I’ve done it time and time again.”
The more people questioned why he didn’t follow others’ leads with the show, the more his creative integrity became evident. Rahma recalled some of the times he was questioned. ‘“Why don’t you just shoot it on a phone? Why don’t you use wireless mics? Why is the wire there?’ And I’m like, I like the wire there. I like that it looks bad, you know? I want it to look bad. I want it to look like I’m just making it, which I am.”
While so much of this show happened organically, it ultimately succeeds because of his early choices. The man-on-the-street (in this case on the subway) vibe, the mic choice, and that this show feels lived-in, but fabricated, all make SubwayTakes relatable and engaging.
Kareem didn’t engineer virality. He simply made the best thing he could with what he had, stayed true to himself. He keeps it going, not striving for others’ approval or for fandom, he just keeps going because it’s fun.
SubwayTakes isn’t a gimmick. It’s proof that showing up as you are, prioritizing quality over trends, and talking with people, really talking with them, are aspects that Rahma brings to the show that are timeless. The results speak for themselves, a one-of-a-kind show that has captured the hearts of many, including mine, while never compromising. It’s also the first non-studio-backed, independent creator show to break into the Emmy ballots. Quite the feat.
Watch Kareem Rahma’s full episode of TV Topics where we talk even more about SubwayTakes, but also about the TV he loves, classics like Mad Men and The Sopranos and then modern classics like Hacks, The White Lotus, and even Jackass. It’s one of my favorite conversations, and surprisingly, most inspiring to date.
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