Meet Andreas Verrios: The Man Behind Mr. NYC Subway

Andreas Verrios '08 is a prolific content creator, with 39.7 million likes on TikTok and counting, who captures happiness in the most unlikely place: the subway platform.

Known as Mr. NYC Subway on social media, Verrios registered for “Introduction to Theatre” on a whim during his first year at Trinity. “I was so focused on baseball at the time, but that class made me realize I might also have some artistic talent,” he says. At the end of the semester, Professor Steve Gilliam—who for 30 years directed and designed sets for Trinity musicals and plays, in addition to teaching and advising students—pulled Verrios aside. “He said, ‘There's something about you. You have so much energy, passion, and drive,’” Verrios recalls. “He saw something in me.” Looking back now, the conversation was a sign of who he would become. “It feels full circle,” Verrios says. “There was a spark in me back then, and someone else recognized it.”

Before arriving at Trinity to play baseball, the San Diego native had never been to Texas, but it didn’t take long to fall in love with the culture, the people, and, of course, the food. Off the field, Verrios favored political science and business classes and studied abroad in Granada, Spain.

After graduating in 2008, he clerked for three years at a Los Angeles law firm, before pursuing his juris doctor at Western State College of Law in Irvine. In his own words, he “nearly flunked out” before “crushing it,” and graduated top of his class in 2013. Next up was New York City for a Master of Laws degree at the Cardozo School of Law, which eventually led Verrios to in-house legal positions at Goldman Sachs and then Deutsche Bank. On paper, his life was perfect. “I had a great apartment in Brooklyn overlooking the Statue of Liberty, I was in an amazing relationship, and I had my membership at Equinox,” he says with a laugh. “But I was like, 'This isn't why I came to New York.'”

Since moving to New York City, Andreas Verrios '08 has become well known for his video and photography work on his Mr. NYC Subway social media accounts.

One morning, during a mundane subway commute, he noticed everyone staring at him. They were curious about the large pillow under his arm, which he was bringing into the office for lumbar support. “I realized how easily I could take everyone out of their normal commuting funk,” Verrios says. In the office, he texted a musician friend. “I said, ‘I have this vision, I want you to perform on the train car and tell people you don't want their money, that you just want them to take that positive energy and pass it on.’” The reaction from passengers was mixed, according to Verrios, who filmed the whole thing. “Some people clapped, others cried happy tears, and some New Yorkers never even looked at us,” Verrios says. “You don't need to bring positive energy to the subway; it's already there. You just need to look for it.”

He finally found what he had come to New York City for, and for the first time in his life, Verrios saw what Professor Gilliam had recognized in him all those years ago. Inspired by the untapped joy that can come from a morning train ride, he bought a professional camera and began taking photos of subway commuters. “I was looking for my purpose and my passion, and it came from a place that I used to say I hate,” he says. “But if you just pause and look a little deeper past the surface, you're going to find something.”

Verrios uses his camera to capture positive energy and bring joy to the usually mundane subway platforms of New York City.

Since launching Mr. NYC Subway in 2017, he has made countless viral videos in subway stations with celebrities like Ed Sheeran, Matchbox 20, and James Blunt. His “stranger series,” where he asks people on the street to model for major brands, has racked up hundreds of millions of views. It’s a creative line of work, built on a foundation of connection and determination, traits which he formed playing baseball and performing on stage at Trinity. “You can't always predict your future or see your full potential, especially that young,” he says, “but in many ways, the writing was on the wall.”