Today we’d like to introduce you to Erick Szentmiklosy and Lisa Ann Markuson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We three co-owners and co-founders met in Vermont actually – at a yoga festival called Wanderlust. We instantly connected writing poetry on a grassy knoll 5 years ago, and became collaborators immediately. From there, we all worked part-time on the business until 3 years ago when Lisa Ann went full time, and then 8 months ago Erick did too. Now, we have a company of performance poets nationwide, plus Canada and France. It’s amazing to us, to this day.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Well, it has been surprisingly smooth, considering that we’ve built our own niche market out of essentially a dream and some determination, with no real role model to follow on this path.
Struggles have been really just trying to decide what is worth the risk, how can we do the best for ourselves, each other, our clients, and the world at large, and pushing the limits of what we think is possible.
Playing the game while you make up the rules is a challenge, but it’s also a blessing.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Haiku Guys + Gals – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Well, most simply put, we provide instant inspiration and interactive entertainment through poetry.
As we say in our deck for clients:
We are poetic entrepreneurs, performing at the intersection of engaging experience and bespoke literary art production.
We are where intellectual meets parlor game.
We are where the bard meets the ballroom.
We are where intimate interactions are written into instant inspiration.
We connect with guests at any event in a fresh way that deepens their experience more than any DJ or photo booth.
We’re experiential entertainment for anyone seeking an analog antidote to the world of digital screens.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
This year is going to be huge for us. We’re producing 5 haiku duels across the country. (We don’t have one booked for Boston yet but we could be convinced to add another date in April!)
We are working on a new original content series that we can’t say much about just yet, and we are traveling around the world for new events and opportunities. You’d be surprised where you’ll see our form of irreverent and engaging poetry pop up this year…
Contact Info:
- Website: thehaikuguys.com
- Phone: 201.919.2213
- Email: erick@thehaikuguys.com
- Instagram: @thehaikuguys
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHaikuGuys/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHaikuGuys
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
