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Humans of New York

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Humans of New York
Type of site
Photoblog
OwnerBrandon Stanton
URLwww.humansofnewyork.com
CommercialNo
LaunchedSeptember 4, 2010
Current statusOnline

Humans of New York (HONY) is a photoblog and book of street portraits and interviews collected on the streets of New York City.

Started in November 2010 by photographer Brandon Stanton, Humans of New York has developed a large following through social media. As of March 2015, the book had spent 31 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list.[1] Hundreds of "Humans of" blogs have since been developed by people in different cities around the world influenced by HONY.[2]

In March 2016, Stanton wrote an open letter to Donald Trump that went viral on Facebook, garnering over 2.3 million likes and over 1.1 million shares, making it one of the most-shared posts in the history of Facebook.[3]

Stanton has collected portraits in nearly 20 different countries including Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan.[4] In January 2015, he interviewed U.S. President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.[5] Also in 2015, Stanton covered the European migrant crisis in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to capture and share the emotional experience of refugees in Europe fleeing wars in the Middle East.[6] In September 2016, Stanton interviewed U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.[7]

Blog

New York City

Brandon Stanton started his blog in November 2010.[8][9] Initially, he planned to gather 10,000 portraits of New Yorkers and plot them on a map of the city. The project soon evolved, however, when Stanton started having conversations with his subjects and including small quotes and stories alongside his photographs.[10] With this new format, the blog began to grow rapidly. In a matter of months, HONY became so popular that when Stanton accidentally updated his Facebook status by tapping his phone's Q key, his post garnered 73 likes within a minute.[11] As of December 2016, Humans of New York had more than 18 million likes on its Facebook page.[12]

Elsewhere

In December 2012, Stanton spent two weeks collecting street portraits in Iran. Following the Boston Marathon bombing, Stanton spent the week collecting street portraits in Boston, Massachusetts. During the 2014 SXSW conference, he spent a week in Austin, Texas, where the conference is held, to gather portraits of Texans.

In August 2014, Stanton began a 50-day "World Tour" in partnership with the United Nations collecting portraits and stories in twelve countries: Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ukraine, India, Nepal, Vietnam, and Mexico.[13]

In August 2015, Stanton traveled to Pakistan for the photoblog.[14][15] He used his work there to raise awareness of Syeda Ghulam Fatima's efforts to help Pakistani brickworkers that had become bonded laborers.[16]

In association with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Stanton went to Europe in 2015 to capture migrants and refugees seeking asylum in Europe from their homelands, most of which are war zones.[6] This resulted in much support, donations, and awareness of the European migrant crisis.[17] Stanton stated in a BBC interview that he had to use a new type of interviewing style for these subjects, because he did not think it pertinent to ask about their past or future.[18]

During the COVID-19 pandemic Stanton accepted submissions from anyone in the world for the first time, asking his followers for "their most amazing, uplifting stories" to inspire people during the crisis. Giving his reasoning, he said "I think what is helpful are these doses and reminders of normal life, normal happiness, normal joys, normal love."[19]

Books

Stanton's first book based on the photoblog, also titled Humans of New York, was released in October 2013. Published by St. Martin's Press, the book sold 30,000 copies in preorders alone.[20] Stanton was interviewed ahead of release by Bill Weir for an ABC News Nightline story titled "'Humans of New York': Photo Gone Viral".[21][22] As of March 2015, the book had been on The New York Times Best Seller list for 31 weeks and was the number one Non-Fiction Best Seller for a week in 2013 and again in 2014.[23][24]

In October 2015, Stanton released his second book, Humans of New York: Stories, which focused more on the stories collected in his work. The book debuted in November 2015 at number one on The New York Times Best Sellers Nonfiction List of 2015, and was number one again the following month.[25]

Philanthropy

Humans of New York has launched a number of highly successful charitable efforts. Following Hurricane Sandy, Stanton traveled to the hardest-hit neighborhoods in New York City to photograph the residents, volunteers, and first responders who had lived through the destruction. Stanton then partnered with Tumblr founder David Karp to launch an Indiegogo fundraiser for the victims of the storm. With an original goal of US$100,000, they raised $86,000 in the first 12 hours and reached a total of $318,530 by the end of the campaign. All of the proceeds went to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a family-run charity that played a major role in the Hurricane Sandy Relief efforts.[26][27]

In 2013, HONY launched another Indiegogo campaign to help news cameraman Duane Watkins and his wife adopt a child from Ethiopia. The goal of $26,000 and was exceeded in 90 minutes and the campaign raised a total of $83,000. Excess funds went to an educational fund for the adopted boy and his sister.[28]

In 2014, Stanton set up an Indiegogo campaign to send a boy he had photographed and his family on vacation to a ranch in Colorado after learning that the boy's dream was to own a horse.[29] Within 15 minutes of posting the fundraiser on his Facebook page, the $7,000 goal was met and it raised a total of $32,167. After paying for the trip, Stanton donated the remaining $20,000 to the New York Therapeutic Riding Center, an organization that helps provide horse rides to children with disabilities.[non-primary source needed]

Stanton, Mrs. Lopez, and Vidal visit the White House on February 5, 2015

In January 2015, Stanton photographed and interviewed a 14-year-old boy from Brownsville, Brooklyn, Vidal Chastanet, who said his greatest influence was his school principal at Mott Hall Bridges Academy, Nadia Lopez. Stanton used Indiegogo to raise over $1,419,509 in donations from 51,476 contributors that provided Mott Hall students opportunities such as college campus visits, summer programs, and a scholarship fund. As a result of the campaign, Stanton, the student, and his principal were invited to visit the White House in 2015.[30][31] Later in 2015, Stanton visited Pakistan and Iran for a traveling photography series during the month of August. He concluded the section on Pakistan by highlighting Syeda Ghulam Fatima, the leader of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front, an organisation that works to free bonded labourers that were victims of predatory lending practices. Stanton's subsequent Indiegogo fundraiser raised over US$2.3 million for the organisation.[32]

In May 2016, Stanton shared a series of interviews with pediatric cancer patients at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.[33] Following the series, he launched an Indiegogo campaign to support pediatric cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering as well as psychological and social support services for patients and their families.[34] In the first three days more than 10,000 people donated over $350,000, and in three weeks the campaign raised over $3.8 million from more than 100,000 people.[35] In August 2016, in a photograph series titled, "Invisible Wounds," Stanton featured interviews with American veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.[36] The series partnered with the nonprofit, Headstrong Project, to highlight the mental health struggles veterans experience.[37] An associated fundraising campaign for the non-profit exceeded the $100,000 goal in a few hours and continued to raise more than half a million dollars.[38]

Stanton visited Rwanda in September 2018.[39] Beginning on October 16, 2018, he began covering the genocide stories on his site through a series of interviews and photos from persons who were affected. On his site, he stated his objective: "During my week in Rwanda, I focused on the stories of people who took a moral stand during the genocide. These are members of the Hutu majority who risked their lives to shield and protect Tutsis. In Rwanda they are known as ‘The Rescuers.'"[40] In conjunction with the series, he hosted a GoFundMe campaign to benefit the Gisimba Orphanage in Rwanda and the planned but yet-to-be-built Gisimba House in Uganda. He supplemented the campaign with US$13,000 from HONY's Patreon fund, as well as with US$1 for every donation beyond the 5,000th donation. The campaign reached its goal of US$200,000 in 18 hours. Stanton also supported another campaign of the Little Hills organization, which plans build Rwanda's first children's hospital.

DKNY

In 2013, a fan noticed that HONY's photos had been used without permission in DKNY's window display at a store in Bangkok.[41][42] After learning of the infringement, Stanton publicly asked DKNY to donate US$100,000 in his name to the YMCA chapter in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of New York City.[41][43] The donation request was shared over 40,000 times on Facebook, and after heavy pressure on social media sites, DKNY issued a public apology and agreed to donate US$25,000.[41][43] Stanton used Indiegogo to raise an additional $103,000.[42]

Humans of New York: The Series

On August 29, 2017, the documentary Humans of New York: The Series, based on the blog, premiered on Facebook Watch as part of that premium content platform's launch. From 2014 to 2017, Stanton interviewed over 1200 New Yorkers on video.[44] Season one included thirteen episodes which ranged from fifteen and twenty-five minutes in length and touched on common themes across the interviews. As of December 2017, it was the most followed series on Facebook Watch.[45]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Best Sellers – The New York Times". The New York Times. March 1, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  2. ^ "The Man Behind Humans of New York: Brandon Stanton". americanphotomag.com. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  3. ^ La Ferla, Ruth (March 26, 2016). "Humans of New York Founder Takes On Donald Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  4. ^ Kweifio-Okai, Carla. "Humans of New York blogger hits the road for world tour". The Guardian. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  5. ^ Grinberg, France, & Hetter, Emanuella, Lisa Respers, & Katia. "Obama meets boy who inspired $1 million fundraiser". CNN. Retrieved October 12, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b "UNHCR – Refugees Daily". unhcr.org. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  7. ^ Gambino, Lauren (September 8, 2016). "Hillary Clinton opens up about sexism in new Humans of New York post". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  8. ^ Maloney, Jennifer. "In Focus: City's Humans". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  9. ^ Stanton, Brandon (May 3, 2013). "Humans of New York: Behind the Lens". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  10. ^ "The photographer behind 'Humans of New York'". CNN. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  11. ^ "How Humans of New York Went Viral on Facebook". Inc. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  12. ^ Dumas, Daisy (March 15, 2016). "Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton pens open letter to Donald Trump". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  13. ^ Meghan Keneally (August 12, 2014). "Humans of New York Photographer Travels to Iraq With the UN". ABC News. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  14. ^ Corinne Abrams and Qasim Nauman, Humans of New York Helps Humans in Pakistan The Wall Street Journal Aug 24, 2015
  15. ^ Ramsha Jamal, Humans of New York blog offers a fresh perspective on Pakistan The Guardian 21 August 2015
  16. ^ "Millions donated to free Pakistan's bonded laborers – CNN". CNN. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  17. ^ "Why The Humans Of New York Refugee Coverage Is Such a Punch In The Gut". Yahoo!. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  18. ^ BBC News (October 20, 2014). "Humans of New York photographer Brandon Stanton goes global - BBC News". Retrieved August 26, 2016 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ Martin, Kristyn (March 19, 2020). "Coronavirus social distancing rules change how Humans of New York tells stories". Yahoo. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  20. ^ David Shapiro Jr. (October 14, 2013). "Human by Human, a Following Grows". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  21. ^ "'Humans of New York': Photo Gone Viral". Video – ABC News. October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  22. ^ "'Humans of New York' a Photographic Melting Pot of the City". ABC News. October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  23. ^ Julie Bosman (November 6, 2013). "'Humans of New York', by Brandon Stanton". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  24. ^ Cowles, Gregory (November 3, 2013). "Best Sellers – The New York Times : Hardcover Nonfiction (November 03, 2013)". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  25. ^ New York Times Book Review Best Sellers Nonfiction List dated November 1, 2015
  26. ^ "HONY & Tumblr Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser". Indiegogo. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  27. ^ "Hurricane Relief Goes Viral, With a Little Help From Tumblr and Indiegogo". Observer. November 12, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  28. ^ "Bringing Richard home, the story of a crowd-funded adoption". CNN. November 1, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  29. ^ "Let's Send Rumi on a Wild West Adventure!". Indiegogo. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  30. ^ Grinberg, Emmanuella; France, Lisa Respers; Hetter, Katia (February 6, 2015). "Obama meets boy who inspired $1 million fundraiser". CNN. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  31. ^ Schulman, Kori (February 5, 2015). "From the Streets of Brownsville, Brooklyn to the Oval Office". White House. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  32. ^ "Let's Help Fatima End Bonded Labor". Generosity. Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  33. ^ Rosenbaum, Sophia (May 8, 2016). "'Humans of New York' creator turns lens to young cancer patients". New York Post. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  34. ^ "Let's Help Dr. O'Reilly Fight Pediatric Cancer". Generosity. Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  35. ^ LaMantia, Jonathan. "Memorial Sloan Kettering is blown away by response to Humans of New York campaign". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  36. ^ Stanton, Brandon. "Humans of New York: Invisible Wounds". humansofnewyork.com. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  37. ^ Lamothe, Dan (August 21, 2016). "Humans of New York decided to profile veterans. The response has been overwhelming". Washington Post. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  38. ^ Stanton, Brandon. "Let's Help Headstrong Help Veterans". Indiegogo.com. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  39. ^ Stanton, Brandon (September 13, 2019). "Feeling Grateful". Patreon. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  40. ^ Stanton, Brandon (October 16, 2018). "Humans of New York". Humans of New York. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  41. ^ a b c Adams, Rebecca (February 25, 2013). "Humans Of New York Photos Accidentally Stolen By DKNY". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  42. ^ a b Humans of New York (November 10, 2012). "Let's Send Kids To YMCA Summer Camp". Indiegogo. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  43. ^ a b Jalabi, Raya (February 25, 2013). "DKNY to pay $25,000 after using photographs without permission | guardian.co.uk". The Guardian. London. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  44. ^ Jarvey, Natalie. "'Humans of New York' Docuseries Coming to Facebook (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  45. ^ "Humans of New York: The Series". Humans of New York: The Series Showpage. Facebook. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
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