You can bet when Brandon Stanton first started taking pictures strangers all over New York City, he didn't expect it - or himself - to become an international sensation. But that's exactly what happened when he started interviewing his subjects and adding their often heart-wrenching quotes beneath their portraits.
Suddenly, interest in the project took off - it turns out that people actually like knowing strangers' deepest, darkest secrets. Humans Of New York now has over 18 million Likes on Facebook and more than 7 million followers. There are two bestselling books - 2013's Humans of New York and 2015's Humans Of New York: Stories.
Now, there's going to be a new addition to the HONY empire - a 12 part docuseries on Facebook Watch. Which, in case you hadn't heard, is Facebook's new video platform. Watch the trailer below and see how it differs from all those tedious Facebook Live videos your friends post and no-one watches.
Credit: Humans of New York/Facebook Watch
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Alongside the trailer for the new series, Stanton made a statement explaining what he hopes the TV series will become.
"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. I'm often deeply moved by the people I meet. Or they make me laugh. Or they make me think. And I always do my best to recreate the experience through photos and words.
"But I always knew that video would provide the closest thing to 'actually being there.' So for the last four years, I've filmed 1,200 interviews on the streets of New York. (With the help of an extremely talented cinematographer named Michael Crommett.) Instead of posting these videos one day at a time, I held onto them so that one day I could combine them into something special.
Credit: Humans of New York/Facebook Watch
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"My goal was not to make a television show based on Humans Of New York. 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. Humans of New York, the series, will premiere next week on Watch- Facebook's new platform for shows."
Stanton has also taken his blog to far flung places such as Iran, Pakistan and Russia, and has raised money for philanthropic causes.
Most notably, it broke records on fundraising platform Indiegogo after raising $1.4 million for students of Mott Hall Bridges Academy in Brownsville - reportedly one of Brooklyn's most dangerous neighbourhoods . Not a bad guy to have on your side, it seems.
Words: Mischa Pearlman