Rising Stars: Meet John Hensley of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Hensley.

Hi John, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I got started as a poet on the LA open mic scene. After a few years I started getting booked for national and international gigs. I would come back home to LA and think we should have the best spoken word show in the world… and I set out to build it. 25 years later we’ve earned the reputation, among the most sought after poets in the country, as world’s top producer of live spoken word events.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I was broke for the first 10 years. Almost quit many times but stuck with and continued to believe in the vision. Venues love the idea of having poetry shows but soon enough it always comes down to the bar and food sales. Also, getting the touring poets to buy into the vision and fly themselves out to LA with hopes of at least breaking even after merch sales and whatever I had to offer in terms of pay. They did buy in because the word was out that our house would be packed, energy incredible, my production tight, and audience was very supportive in term of sales.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I learned so much in the acting and modeling world I come from. Always intrigued by the behind the scenes machine. The day I walked into a poetry open mic my life changed forever. I fell in love with the culture, the art form, the scene. It was a matter of time until my knack for production and passion for spoken word came together. I’d say my specialty and what I’m most known for would be my willingness to accept the challenge of making the artists and the patrons both feel as though they have been put first and my commitment to quality and creative production while always showacasing only the best poets on the national scene.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Dena Romanelli kissing me on the cheek in the 5th grade.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://flypoet.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flypoet/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flypoet/