Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Kitson
Hi Brian, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My writing journey began early in the pandemic when I was looking for a creative outlet. Stuck at home and conducting therapy over the computer, it felt like I needed something to distract my mind. I stumbled on someone looking for writers for a new website and decided to give it a try. Since then, I’ve written hundreds of articles and hosted many podcasts. We began as a website dedicated to comics, sci-fi, and fantasy, however one of my biggest passions and loves has always been Broadway and musical theater, so we expanded our niche just a bit, eventually resulting in our sister website Cosmic Circus Broadway.
As we were expanding the brand, I started bringing RJ, another theater lover who has extensive history of acting and working behind the scenes in community theater, around to some of the shows with me. Together, we started to brainstorm ideas and that’s how Box Seat Babes was born. Through BSB and CCB we’re looking to spread our love of Broadway while also highlighting many local theaters and productions that don’t always get the attention and love they deserve.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t always been the easiest, as there has been quite a few obstacles that have come our way. Growing pains are expected, however finding a fanbase for both the website and social media has been a struggle. We knew separating the Broadway content from the other articles was going to prove difficult as we built up that niche to be something for itself, but it’s still frustrating at times when we hit a plateau.
We also hit a point where we had to learn how to better balance our work loads with our day jobs and personal lives. There was a point where we wanted to attend every show and promote every community theater we could, but we learned quickly that it’s impossible to do absolutely everything and sometimes it was okay to be more selective. While it’s fantastic to give the spotlight to as many theaters as possible, biting off too much meant that we weren’t doing what we wanted for these theaters and then the balance of our lives was thrown way off.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
While I may be a psychologist during the day, I love being a theater critic in my off time. Being a writer/critic always seemed like such a far off dream that was so unachievable, so sometimes I have to stop and pinch myself about where I am and what we’ve built here for Box Seat Babes and Cosmic Circus Broadway.
Within the niche of musical theater and plays, we cover any and all productions that we can. Musicals are definitely some of our favorites, with majority of the shows we cover falling into that subcategory, but really anything on the stage is perfect for our brand and coverage.
I’m incredibly proud of the hard work RJ and I have put into building this brand, along with our Editor Lizzie Hill, who has worked relentlessly to help us build up something special in the world of Broadway. What sets us apart, as we’ve been told by a few local theaters, is that we’re one of the only Broadway podcasts in Michigan who are working to showcase local talent as well as larger productions, which is also something to be proud of.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Having an impeccable work ethic has to be number one. As we’ve noticed over our time writing and podcasting is that majority of the theaters tend to have similar schedules, so that means in one months time, we might go from no shows to multiple shows a week. So making sure we our scheduling our time correctly and working on shows as they come up has been an important life lesson, but that’s essential to our success.
We are also dedicated and passionate about theater in all forms, which began when we were young and has helped to carry this journey through the difficult times.
Being outgoing has also been something that makes this much easier, as we have to go out and socialize with those on the stage and behind the screen. Building a brand and business isn’t easy, it takes a lot of conversations and building relationships, which can be difficult for two introverts such as ourselves. However, learning to put ourselves out there has helped us immensely in this endeavor.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://broadway.thecosmiccircus.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boxseatbabes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561016944686
- Twitter: https://x.com/BoxSeatBabes
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CosmicCircusBroadway
- Other: https://x.com/MyCosmicCircus
