Pro tip: If you find yourself slowly being dragged down by the monotony and rigidity of life, one of the easiest ways to cure the gloom that follows is to go to Humans of New York’s (HONY) blog, Facebook, or Instagram page.
That’s where Brandon Stanton, the man behind HONY, documents New Yorkers’ lives through photos and slices of their interviews. Sometimes he goes beyond the city and chronicles people in Russia, Brazil, and even federal prisons.
I’m a fan of HONY and I have to make a conscious effort to stop scrolling through their pages (damn you, endless scrolling) every time I visit. Reading about other peoples’ stories in that blog is an escape and a form of therapy. Their insights make me feel again whenever I feel desensitized. The anecdotes are intimate and relatable even if they come from people with different backgrounds, cultures, and environment.
Recently, HONY took the business of warming hearts to the next level. Last week, the page announced that it will be having its own Facebook TV series, a 12-part documentary with 30-minute episodes. It will feature new content from candid conversations Stanton had with 1,200 New Yorkers and captured on film over the past four years. The team he worked with consists of Oscar-nominated documentary producer Julie Goldman and cinematographer Michael Crommett.
“Early on I realized that video would add a deeper layer to Humans of New York. At the heart of all these posts are the conversations themselves,” Stanton wrote, talking about the project.
HONY’s new Facebook page dedicated to the series posts episodes every Tuesday. Episodes will also be available in Facebook’s new streaming service, Watch. You can already enjoy the first two episodes.
Header image courtesy of HONY’s Facebook page
Writer: YAZHMIN MALAJITO
