A new kind of travel television — an interactive tablet series that focuses on people and their culture in two-to-three minute short films — has taken flight. Founded by Kerrin Sheldon and Gaston Blanchet, Humanity.TV, seeks to tell stories from around the world through the words and experiences of the local people. Rather than watching a TV host explore a foreign city or village, the filmmakers focus on letting natives share their trades, cuisine, customs, traditions and homeland’s natural wonders.
Sheldon and Blanchet recently released the first 12 episodes of what will be a 35-episode first season, during which they are traveling through southeast Asia. This riveting first season features one of India’s earliest rock bands, a Nepali conservation biologist working to save the Bengal tiger, and tour guides who lead travelers through the Delhi slums and the Himalayas (Mashable).
To help tell these fascinating stories, Sheldon and Blanchet will also be involving the community by putting the storytelling capabilities directly into the hands of the subjects; they’ll pass out cameras and allow the subjects to tell their own story – in their own words and on their own time with the focus on the story, rather than the production.
Right now the two are running a campaign to fund their project on Kickstarter. The funds will be used to create future documentaries and pay for the cost of travel and community filmmaking.
To learn more about the Humanity.TV project please visit their page on Kickstarter.
Photo by CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture
