Brandon Stanton’s photography project “Humans of New York” has captivated audiences since its inception in 2010 and now, he’s releasing a docuseries on Facebook’s new platform, The Watch.
Stanton, who was fired from his job as a bond trader in Chicago in 2009, began posting photos and interviews with everyday New Yorkers soon after. His project has exploded in popularity and has allowed him to travel to different countries to bring his audience stories from around the world.
The docuseries will attempt to do the same but in a video format. Stanton began the project four years ago and has interviewed more than 1,200 people in 400 days from around New York. The trailer, which was released on Facebook on Aug. 24, opens with a scene of the Queensboro Bridge.
A spokesperson for the docuseries said interviews from Long Island City and Astoria will likely be featured in the show. It’s not clear if other Queens neighborhoods will also be featured.
Stanton stops people on the street and is usually able to get his subjects to open up and admit personal and sometimes painful stories with others. His Facebook page has more than 18 million likes and each post is flooded with thousands of comments.
“Early on I realized that video would add a deeper layer to Humans of New York,” Stanton wrote in a Facebook post. “At the heart of all these posts are the conversations themselves. I’m often deeply moved by the people I meet. But I always knew that video would provide the closest thing to ‘actually being there.’”
There will be 12 parts released in total and one episode will be released per week. The first episode will be released sometime next week. Facebook’s The Watch will feature a mix of short-form videos as well as a few longer projects like “Last State Standing” from “American Ninja Warriors” producer A. Smith and Co.
“My goal was not to make a television show based on Humans of New York,” Stanton wrote on Facebook. “I wanted the television show to *be* Humans of New York. I think I came pretty close. And I think/hope you will love it.”
Watch the trailer on the “Humans of New York” Facebook page.
