After Rashan Brown finished his first major performance as a spoken word poet, opening for best-selling author and poet Rupi Kaur at the King’s Theater in Brooklyn, New York in December 2022, he stepped outside to celebrate on an empty winter street.
“We’re changing the game of poetry,” he said in a video recorded after the event. Standing on Tilden Avenue, grinning, he exclaimed, “[One day]we’re going to go to the King’s Theater – we’re going to fill the King’s Theatre, the Apollo.’
Brown, who is a product manager for ESPN by day, was referring to his New York-based side hustle called Poetry me, please. This is a spoken word poetry showcase that hosts monthly events primarily in New York. Videos and photos of their appearances are available for each showcase, as opposed to poetry events, which typically have 10 selected artists perform for free per event and charge an admission fee for performers.
Brown also performs his own work and manages other poets under the Poetry me, please brand he founded in 2020. Revenue in 2024 was $148,000, or an average of $12,000 per month, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
Most of the revenue comes from ticket sales, which is mostly offset by event operating costs. “Poetry, please, made a profit of $500 in 2024, which Brown reinvested into the business,” he says. He points out that despite grueling work hours of 20 to 80 hours a week, depending on the season, he doesn’t earn any money from his side job.
Other staff members are also paid. Brown hires at least 10 contractors for each event (DJs, videographers, door attendants, etc.), as well as a personal team that includes a chief of staff, an agent, a social media manager and a project manager, he says.
“As an entrepreneur and as a CEO, I have complete creative autonomy in that every decision comes back to me,” said Brown, 30, who works on everything from the theme of each show to the visuals on the advertising flyers. “I really enjoy flexing my creative muscles. I always feel like I have great ideas and I just start implementing them.”
turn passion into business
Brown began writing and performing poetry as a creative expression in high school, he says. In January 2020, he searched for his first open mic night in New York. For him, being on stage “felt like therapy” — minus the $20 admission fee he paid, he says.
As the audience clapped, applauded and cheered, Brown said, “Paying to perform just wasn’t for me.” “I’m providing a service. I got ready and filled the room (with friends).”
He started posting videos of his performances on YouTube and later hosted his own small events with other poets in bars. At first, he says, he was just making pennies. It then hosted an event in October 2021 at its two-story restaurant, where attendees could dress up in fancy clothes and order food while listening to music. He says the change worked and he went home with a $1,000 profit.
Brown performing at the Apollo Theater in New York
Provided by Rashan Brown
The next event brought in more than $4,000, he says. Excited, and perhaps ambitious, Brown researched ways to book the Apollo Theater in New York. He discovered that a one-night show would cost $50,000.
Over the next year and a half, Brown hosted many more Poetry me, please events. The more I post and interact on Instagram, the more followers and partnerships I gain, including events at New York’s Soho House and City Winery, and sponsorships with companies like Eventbrite and Microsoft.
In the fall of 2023, Brown paid a $10,000 deposit (combined from his personal savings and money from Poetry Please) to secure a night on the Apollo for a November night, and he promoted it extensively on social media. Brown said roughly 1,400 people, the series’ largest audience at the time, purchased tickets, which helped cover the remaining costs of the event.
Do a time-consuming side job
Brown works on Poetry me, please a lot, sometimes to his own detriment, he says.
In February 2024, Brown took a break from his recovery from knee surgery to perform at a White House event for black male entrepreneurs. After the event, he was exhausted and in pain. He ended up visiting an emergency room in Washington, D.C., that night, he says.
“Every time I get really sick, I feel like it’s because I’m working too much,” Brown says. “I learned that either you can rest, or your body will want you to rest.”
Still, he says the long hours are worth it, especially with the biggest events taking place each winter. Working to help fellow performers, inspire audiences and build a poetry community makes up for the lack of pay, he added.
On November 29, Brown returned to the King’s Theater. This time it’s to host “Show Me a Poem.” Rupi Kaur was the special guest that night.
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