April 25, 2018
Netflix today announced a new short-form documentary series in partnership with BuzzFeed, Follow This, launching globally on Monday, July 9. Over 20 episodes, 15-minutes each, the weekly series takes viewers behind-the-scenes of BuzzFeed News’ diverse editorial team — exploring stories through the lens and personalities of its award-winning journalists.
Each episode will follow a journalist as they delve into a variety of topics and settings worldwide — from unexpected cultural phenomenons to controversial social issues. From Ben Smith, Editor-in-Chief of BuzzFeed News: “We're thrilled that Netflix saw the drama in the work of our journalism and the stories we tell. And we're so pleased to have brought what we've learned to Netflix's unmatched audience."
The first episode, The Internet Whisperers, follows BuzzFeed reporter Scaachi Koul, as she explores the curious world of autonomous sensory meridian response — or ASMR — and some of its most enthusiastic proponents. Along with Koul, the team of BuzzFeed reporters include senior culture writer Bim Adewunmi; senior national correspondent John Stanton; reporter and podcast host Ahmed Ali Akbar; science reporter Azeen Ghorayshi; editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed India Rega Jha; senior tech writer Charlie Warzel, and more as the series rolls out. Follow This is produced by BuzzFeed News; Jessica Harrop serves as showrunner and executive producer, along with Shani Hilton, Linzee Troubh and Cindy Vanegas-Gesuale serving as executive producers. Jason Spingarn-Koff, Kate Townsend and Lisa Nishimura serve as executive producers for Netflix.