David Farrier

David Andrew Farrier was born on December 25, 1982, in Tauranga, New Zealand. He spent his early years home-schooled in Bethlehem before attending Bethlehem College. Initially enrolling to study medicine, he later transitioned to Auckland University of Technology, completing a Bachelor of Communication Studies in 2005. His journalism career began at 3 News, serving as the entertainment reporter for Nightline from 2006 to 2013, where he developed a reputation for his distinct reporting style and offbeat interviews, covering subjects from Hollywood to more unusual topics.

Farrier co-directed the acclaimed documentary “Tickled” (2016) with Dylan Reeve, a film investigating the peculiar world of competitive endurance tickling, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. This project led to further international recognition and a follow-up documentary, “The Tickle King” (2017). His work continued to expand into television, co-hosting “Newsworthy” in 2015 and later creating and presenting the Netflix documentary series “Dark Tourist” (2018), which explored dark tourism destinations globally.

More recently, Farrier launched the newsletter Webworm in 2020, focusing on diverse topics ranging from conspiracy theories to investigative journalism, and has developed multiple podcasts, including “Flightless Bird” and “Armchaired and Dangerous,” collaborating with Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert network. In 2022, he directed and produced “Mister Organ,” a documentary stemming from an investigation into controversial car clamping practices, showcasing his continued commitment to in-depth and often personal storytelling.