Rising Stars: Meet Curtis Hill Jr.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Curtis Hill Jr. 

Hi Curtis, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, I stepped out of a budding poker career into the world of arts and entertainment on a whim! I have written poetry since I was a child and decided all of a sudden, on a cold February day outside of Chicago, that I wanted to have a poetry show wherein I did not perform ANY of the work and instead had other artists perform it for me. I put my crazy idea on paper and the first “Inkspired” production was held on August 4th, 2018. 

There was a 4 pm and a 7 pm show because I expected 300 at each showing! At 4 pm we had 13 people in attendance and at 7 pm there was 110. Needless to say, I was distraught about the numbers including the $7000+ in the red I was at the end of the night! What I wouldn’t realize until a few days later was that 100 people coming out on your first ever show was amazing! Social media started buzzing, people who ran other events started calling, and that prompted KrystalDaMuse (my business partner, host, and coordinator) to say to me “we have to have another show in 90 days.” 

We promoted that the next show, Inkspired RELOADED, would be bigger and better… and it was! We went from having only 3 poets in the inaugural event to having 7, went from 9 poems to 18, and we added two dynamic singers to take the music up another notch. 215 people showed up in Seaboard Station downtown Raleigh for the second production on November 17th, 2018. That night, along with everything else, show-goers witnessed the first Inkspired show-stopping poem titled BLACK CONSCIENCE. 2 poets, 1 white and one black, both dressed in full KKK garb and performed a socially conscious piece that I wrote that had hard truths as well as things to ponder. After that night it was clear that this was not just a normal poetry show. 

We took several months off, then came back with the 3rd installment of Inkspired, Queens Edition, and 2 other brand-new shows. One was an erotic show called BODY OF WORK (headlined by national artist Whitney Austin) and another was a special curated show (not involving my poetry) titled IN OTHER WORDS – headlined by world-renown poet Jasmine Mans. Afterward, we prepped for the 1-year anniversary celebration of Inkspired. 

That show was held at the Raleigh Convention Center in Nov 2019 and was the largest Inkspired event to date boasting 255 people with ticket holders flying from as far away as Phoenix AZ. The 2nd show-stopping poem STRANGER FRUIT took place at that show. During the performance, I was hanging on stage from an apparatus when a slight malfunction happened and I eventually passed out. I had already instructed the performers Lee Chapman and Imony Lowd that no matter what happens they were to continue the performance, so when I passed out (and my team made a heads-up spur-of-the-moment decision to turn off the venue lights) Imony continued to sing beautifully! We left to a standing ovation and when the night ended, we all knew there was even more on the horizon for S DOT P DOT PRODUCTIONS. 

We began prep for Inkspired 2020 and 2.5 weeks before show night the NBA canceled its season and I turned on the news for the first time in 2 years to see what the hell was happening in the world, that I was missing. Covid threw me, as well as everyone else, for a loop. I didn’t know what to do and had no idea how to keep the company relevant. After a lot of thinking, I learned how to edit video footage so that I could chop and post my own show content faster, wrote what I called an Instagram chapbook called DIE IN PARIS, AGAIN, and then later in the pandemic begin learning to film. 

Fast forward after a false start with trying to have Inkspired on JUNE 5th 2021, we are scheduled for Nov 20th in the ballroom of the Raleigh Convention Center! This show is a FREE show in hopes to give some relief from the mental devastation of the pandemic. 

This will no doubt be the largest Inkspired show and will likely become the largest poetry show in NC when the night is over. Being this close to my first event in 2 years has me feeling every emotion you can think of! 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not lol! Approaching established poets to not only perform your work but to also not perform any of theirs is a tall task. I get a lot of no’s but thankfully get a lot more yeses nowadays too. Money has also been a hurdle. I have paid everything out of pocket for every show. We are getting close to having sponsors in place but as of now the amount of money I can put up has, on one hand, made shows what they are but on the other hand, drastically reduces what kind of experience we could create with a bigger budget. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am known for my newly found filming prowess but mostly for my productions under the S DOT P DOT PRODUCTIONS umbrella – most notably Inkspired. I specialize in writing poetry and also producing events. Inkspired is where my words are on display in a super unique way. To my knowledge, it is the only poetry show of its kind in the world and so that is beginning to spread in poetry circles as well as the entertainment world. 

I am most proud of the fact that, even though it is early in my producing career, I have created a platform that has paid artists and creatives thousands and thousands of dollars. Without funds artists almost never reach their expected potential and to be a part of the positive side of that makes me very happy. I am also extremely proud to say that what I pay artists never has anything to do with their race, political affiliations, gender, or any other societal means used to segment or marginalize people. If someone is good or great, I want to book them. It is always that simple. 

What sets me apart from others is two things. 

1. I never want to do what everyone else is doing HOW they are doing it. I do not have to re-create the wheel but I want it to feel like I did.

2. I am willing to go to whatever lengths I have to go to make things happen. Even if it means I go unconscious on stage like I did in my poem STRANGER FRUIT. Nobody in poetry is going to those lengths. Nobody. 

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Inkspired and other S DOT P DOT PRODUCTIONS events will now be hybrid events. Beginning with Inkspired FREE Edition on Nov 20, 2021, you will be able to stream events in 360 view as well as Virtual Reality! We are looking at the world and realizing where it is going and trying to stay ahead of the curve. I am excited that many people’s first encounters with some of these technologies will be through an event I help produce. To receive updates text the word POETRY to the number 888-549-0199 

Visit my website at spthewriter.com 

Pricing:

• There are FREE tickets to Inkspired on Nov 20th, 2021
• VIP Experience Tickets range from $100 to $300 and donations are also welcomed and appreciated!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: spthewriter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spthewriter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=53503758
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTixMpp_qh0

Image Credits:
Derrick Thomas
Frame 26
OneClickPhotography
Johnny Lee Chapman