by

Tim Ferriss

Brandon Stanton — The Story of Humans of New York and 25M+ Fans (#321)

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Brandon Stanton in the middle of a snowy New York City street.

“Doing anything less than something amazing is squandering this whole reason that you’re here.” – Brandon Stanton

Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) is the photographer behind Humans of New York. He attended the University of Georgia and worked as a bond trader in Chicago before moving to New York to pursue photography. Followed by over 25 million people on social media, Humans of New York features daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City. It has been turned into two #1 New York Times bestselling books: Humans of New York and Humans of New York: Stories. 

Enjoy!

Brandon Stanton – The Story of Humans of New York and 25M+ Fans

Want to hear another podcast with an innovative artist? Listen to my conversation with Soman Chainani, author of The School for Good and Evil series, in which we discuss publishing stories, personal discipline, and remaining true to an artistic vision when money’s on the table. (Stream below or right-click here to download):

Soman Chainani — The School for Good and Evil

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

  • Connect with Brandon Stanton:

Humans of New York | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

SHOW NOTES

  • A notable time in Brandon’s youth when he got in trouble. [07:54]
  • What led to Brandon’s exit from college and the journey toward what would become Humans of New York? [09:25]
  • Where did Brandon’s preoccupation with purpose originate? [12:25]
  • What was it like growing up in Marietta, Georgia? [14:49]
  • Why Brandon majored in history. [17:00]
  • What catalyzed Brandon’s committment to reading 100 pages per day? [18:17]
  • Why Brandon considers biographies “the best form of history.” [21:54]
  • What biographies might Brandon recommend? [23:04]
  • What the study of history’s most persuasive villains really teaches us. [25:50]
  • How betting on Obama got Brandon into bond trading in Chicago as his first real job. [28:27]
  • A history major’s philosophical take on the stock market — what Brandon learned as a trader and why he stopped after two years. [32:20]
  • How having an obsessive streak can be an asset in some fields and a liability in others. [39:06]
  • In spite of the fear leading up to it, Brandon found the loss of his trading job curiously liberating. [44:30]
  • The real genesis of Humans of New York. [46:30]
  • How did Brandon cover his expenses in the time between losing his trading job and Humans of New York becoming profitable? [48:31]
  • Why did Brandon make New York his base of operations? [51:30]
  • When Brandon was a newcomer to photography, what did he do to improve his craft? To him, what makes a good photograph? [56:06]
  • How has Humans of New York changed over time to become what it is today? [1:01:30]
  • Who is The Green Lady, and how did Brandon’s encounter with her become a turning point for Humans of New York? [1:03:37]
  • Brandon isn’t used to being the subject. [1:08:50]
  • How does Brandon approach and open conversation with potential subjects, and how has the process changed over the past eight years? [1:09:54]
  • How did Brandon handle early days when rejection came in waves and self-confidence was low? [1:13:14]
  • Humans of New York often proves therapeutic to the people on both sides of the lens. [1:18:50]
  • Introductory questions as a springboard into real conversation, and how Brandon becomes 100 percent present in the presence of someone he’s just met. [1:25:09]
  • One recent example of how a conversation got from that springboard to a place of depth. [1:29:05]
  • How often do subjects ask that their stories not be made public? What’s the disclosure process? [1:33:16]
  • Generating compensation to afford more than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches without losing integrity. [1:36:25]
  • Was it easy for Brandon to find a publisher for his first book? [1:40:36]
  • Reasons publishers gave for passing on Brandon’s first book. [1:43:08]
  • The paradox of being derivative. [1:43:51]
  • What’s next for Brandon? [1:46:17]
  • My book recommendation for Brandon before he starts his next adventure. [1:50:30]
  • Final thoughts. [1:51:53]

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