Why Refusing to Change the Format Led Subway Takes to Viral Success

Subway Takes, the Instagram account where people share their hot takes while riding the New York City Subway, has grown to more than 2 million followers and booked A-list celebrity guests like Cate Blanchett and Jason Bateman. 

And host Kareem Rahma isn’t changing the show’s premise or format, no matter how big it gets.

“I’ve been always pushing against changing the show, against any new variation of it,” he said on stage at ADWEEK’s Social Media Week in New York. “I’ve always been very aggressive about trying to keep the DNA of the show to be mostly independent comedians, independent writers, independent filmmakers, independent models, independent whatever, with a couple of bonafide celebrities.”

To him, that’s authentic to who you might see riding the subway in New York: “You can go on the subway and see Ethan Hawke. Sometimes famous people take the subway.” 

It’s this commitment to authenticity that has made Subway Takes a breakout social media success. Rahma only books guests he finds interesting—people he would want to grab a beer with. His bar for good content is, is he entertained? 

“My filter is, am I having fun? If I’m being entertained, then I am successful,” he said. 

That often means turning down celebrities or creators, even if they are famous or have big follower counts. Recently, for instance, Rahma turned down a pitch from DJ Tiesto because he’s not interested in EDM.

He has a similar barometer for measuring success. Rather than falling into the “data trap” of metrics, which can “suppress creativity and innovation,” he stays focused on what motivates him creatively. 

“Cultural relevance is really what you’re looking for in success,” said Reza Izad, co-founder and co-CEO of Underscore Talent, which reps Rahma. “Are people sharing it? Are people engaging with it?” 

Brands make ‘everything possible’ 

Staying true to the show’s brand is especially important when engaging with other brands. But Rahma said he was never hesitant about bringing advertisers into Subway Takes. When he started, he was self-funding production at about $2,000 an episode. 

“I wouldn’t be able to make the show without funding from brands, and I wouldn’t be able to then take some of that money and invest in new shows,” he said. “The brand component of it makes everything possible.”

But according to Izad, keeping a “rigid structure” is key to successful collaborations. 

He described the way brands can engage with Subway Takes as “very, very specific”: they can integrate with the show’s “100% agree/disagree” format or co-develop a new content series with Rahma.

A recent example is a partnership with Papa John’s for the launch of a new sandwich. The video leaned into the show’s hot take format, with the question being whether or not it’s OK to eat on the subway. Rahma was involved in the creative process, casting comedian and former Subway Takes guest Zach Schiffman. It worked because of “the brand being easy, trusting us, wanting to work with us,” Rahma said.

Rahma also co-created a series with UPS called Business Trips, which riffs on the format of his other show, Keep the Meter Running, in which New York City cab drivers take Rahma to their favorite restaurants. This time, he drives around in a UPS truck to local businesses.

“[UPS] cast the drivers and chose the small businesses, but I produced it with my crew,” he said. “They didn’t make me change my equipment or anything, and that’s why it ended up working out.”

For the most part, Rahma said he has had great experiences working with brands, but they can miss the mark if they think of creator collaborations as small or one-off investments. “It’s either do it or don’t do it,” he said. “Don’t do it halfway.” 

“It happens from time to time when people commit to things that they wish they didn’t, and so our job is to navigate through all that,” Izad added. 

But at the end of the day, creators that want to be successful, both financially and culturally, have to embrace brand involvement. 

“I always tell [creators], ‘Brands are the only people who have money. No one has money anymore. Just respond to brands,’” Rahma said.