{"id":2392,"date":"2025-07-23T10:25:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T10:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/?p=2392"},"modified":"2025-07-23T10:25:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T10:25:59","slug":"brandon-stanton-the-storyteller-behind-humans-of-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/brandon-stanton-the-storyteller-behind-humans-of-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"Brandon Stanton: The Storyteller Behind Humans of New York"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Brandon Stanton is the American photographer, writer, and creative force behind Humans of New York<\/em> (HONY), one of the most influential storytelling platforms of our time. What began in 2010 as a simple project\u2014a photographic mapping of New Yorkers\u2014has blossomed into a global phenomenon that has elevated everyday lives into powerful narratives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Finance to Fulfillment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Born March 1, 1984, in Marietta, Georgia, Stanton studied history at the University of Georgia. After graduation, he worked as a bond trader in Chicago\u2014a prestigious but unfulfilling job. He bought a DSLR camera with $3,300 he won from a bet and began photography as a creative outlet. Eventually, he’d be fired\u2014a turning point that led him to leave Chicago for New York with two suitcases and a dream: photograph 10,000 strangers and plot them on a city map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Humans of New York: That First Step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Starting in late 2010, Stanton dedicated himself to meeting strangers on the streets of Manhattan. He began adding brief captions, then quotes, to his portraits\u2014and found that readers cared more about stories than pictures. After publishing a portrait of the now-famous \u201cGreen Lady\u201d along with her words\u2014\u201cI used to be a different colour every single day\u2026 I\u2019ve been green for 15 years\u201d\u2014he realized emotional depth was what truly resonated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rapid traction followed. HONY became known as much for its emotional intimacy as its photography. Today Stanton has interviewed over 10,000 people<\/strong> across 40+ countries<\/strong>, building a community of 30\u202fmillion<\/strong>+ followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Books That Tell Global Human Stories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stanton translated his online success into bestselling books:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Humans of New York<\/em> (2013): debut volume with 400 photos, triggered record-breaking preorders and reached #1 on the NYT bestseller list\u2014staying there for over 26 weeks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Humans of New York: Stories<\/em> (2015): deeper interviews, world-shifting moments like Vidal\u2019s story, which raised $1.4 million for his school.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Humans<\/em> (2020): portraits and stories from people in more than 20 countries overseas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Tanqueray<\/em> (2022): collaborative long-form biography of a New York icon featured in his series.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Stanton’s next book, Dear New York<\/em>, is set for 2025\u2014a deeply personal exploration of the city that launched his journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Philanthropy Through Storytelling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Brandon has leveraged his platform for real-world impact. Following a series on bonded brick workers in Pakistan, his audience raised $2.3 million<\/strong> to free dozens from indentured labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    His Vidal series led to a $1.4 million<\/strong> fundraiser for a Brooklyn school and an invitation to the White House. Another campaign for pediatric cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering raised nearly $4 million<\/strong>. Overall, HONY has raised $20+ million<\/strong> for various causes and individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Beyond the Blog: People & Purpose on Screen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In 2017, Stanton produced Humans of New York: The Series<\/em>, a 13-episode documentary for Facebook Watch. Shot across over 400 days and over 1,200 interviews, the series brought intimate face-to-face encounters to a global audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Style, Method & Philosophy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Stanton\u2019s storytelling thrives on authenticity and empathy. He spends hours daily walking NYC, often approaching strangers with candid questions like \u201cWhat is your greatest struggle right now?\u201d\u2014and about two-thirds say yes to being photographed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He credits his lack of formal photography training as an advantage: his raw perspective became his signature. His emotional openness and willingness to follow gut instincts continue to guide his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Recognition & Influence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Brandon Stanton has received:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • Time Magazine\u2019s “30 Under 30: People Changing the World”<\/strong> (2013)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • First social media creator granted an interview in the Oval Office<\/strong> (2015)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Webby Award<\/strong> for Best Use of Photography (2013)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Clio Award<\/strong> for Storytelling (2021)\u2002<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      His work is celebrated by major media and used as an archetype for digital-era storytelling and socially conscious journalism.
      Additionally, HONY is hailed as \u201cone of the most influential art projects of the decade\u201d by The Washington Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Legacy and Continuing Mission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Brandon Stanton has transformed urban storytelling by proving that someone’s street corner conversation can move hearts\u2014even raise millions. His work emphasizes shared humanity and empathy in a fragmented digital world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Through HONY, he redefined what a photographer does: not just capturing faces, but weaving narratives, igniting compassion, and turning strangers into storytellers. In doing so, he\u2019s created a platform that feels like a public diary of our shared human experience\u2014and a reminder that everyone has a story worth hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Quick Facts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      Attribute<\/th>Details<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      Born<\/strong><\/td>March 1, 1984 \u2014 Marietta, Georgia<\/td><\/tr>
      Education<\/strong><\/td>University of Georgia, B.A. in History<\/td><\/tr>
      Known For<\/strong><\/td>Humans of New York<\/em> blog, books, global storytelling<\/td><\/tr>
      Followers<\/strong><\/td>30M+ across platforms<\/td><\/tr>
      People Photographed<\/strong><\/td>10,000+ in 40+ countries<\/td><\/tr>
      Funds Raised<\/strong><\/td>$20M+ for charity campaigns<\/td><\/tr>
      Books<\/strong><\/td>Humans of New York<\/em> (2013), Stories<\/em> (2015), Humans<\/em> (2020), Tanqueray<\/em> (2022), Dear New York<\/em> (2025)<\/td><\/tr>
      Awards & Honors<\/strong><\/td>Time 30 Under 30, Webby, Clio, first content creator to interview a U.S. President<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Brandon Stanton is the American photographer, writer, and creative force behind Humans of New York (HONY), one of the most influential storytelling platforms of our time. What began in 2010 as a simple project\u2014a photographic mapping of New Yorkers\u2014has blossomed into a global phenomenon that has elevated everyday lives into powerful narratives. From Finance to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philanthropists"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2392"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2394,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392\/revisions\/2394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}