Start practicing your sad stories, Bangkok — Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York (this Facebook page read by 18 million people globally, which has also spawned a million ripoffs) will be stalking the streets of Asia’s City of Angels this week, taking photos and looking for the sweetest, saddest, most unexpected stories Bangkokians are willing to share with a foreign stranger toting a camera.
The post about his visit, published on Friday, said he is looking for stories for an upcoming book, as well as a Thai interpreter who doesn’t mind talking to strangers about their innermost thoughts and feelings to collect the very intimate stories the blog is famous for.
It will be interesting to see the results of his time in Bangkok, since Thais can be shy, especially around foreigners. But Stanton has a gift for getting people to share things that — in many cases — they’ve never told anyone before. This gift is what brought HONY from a humble, local New York City blog, started in 2010, to a massive, globally-recognized name. Stanton creates books, sells branded merch, and has branched out into filming episodes in addition to posts.
Stanton has traveled the world collecting stories from strangers, whom he approaches randomly on the street. He has spent time in the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Russia and many more as well as completing moving series in war-torn Syria and on Rohingya refugees. He has also raised millions in donations for people in need by hosting fundraisers where he asks his huge fanbase to each give a small donation.
Keep your eyes open for the famous photographer this week. Here’s what he looks like:
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