How Keagon Smith captures comedy, culture behind the lens

Local videographer and photographer Keagon Smith has helped showcase T&T’s culture and make scores of people laugh over the past few years. While he may be best known as the cameraman and video editor for comedian Gervail “Jr Lee” Lemo, he’s that and so much more.

Smith’s calling to camera work came unexpectedly.

The 29-year-old Point Fortin native recalled initially being interested in an IT career during his days at Chandernagore Presbyterian Primary and Couva West Secondary schools. This led him to pursue a diploma in computer science at UTT. But a school sports day during his tertiary studies helped him discover a new interest—photography.

“I saw a friend of mine (Jonathan Pierre) taking photos and just vlogging on the day. I was like, ‘Yo, could I see the camera for a bit?’ I played around with it and took a few pictures,” he told Guardian Media.

He became so fascinated that he started researching photography online, and Pierre later told him about someone who was selling a camera for “a really good price.”

He began to express disappointment as he was unable to pay in full at the time, but Pierre volunteered to cover half the cost until he was able to pay him back. It’s a gesture he remains extremely grateful for.

“It was a Nikon D3200. I was on YouTube for hours learning about composition, lighting, etc.” He took photos of landscapes, friends, family and “almost everything” as he navigated his new hobby.

After getting his feet wet for about a year, he upgraded to a Sony A6000, doing some hired work here and there as he continued to improve his craft.

Then came the unfortunate line many entrepreneurs have had to say in recent times: COVID-19 happened.

But around that time, Jr Lee and some friends had a podcast called The Test Podcast. And while they were not close, he and Smith were familiar with each other, having both attended school in central Trinidad.

They had also connected at the UTT sports day when he (Jr Lee) and filmmaker Shari Petti were doing a video segment called Dollar Questions.

Smith realised he was good friends with a few of the people working on the podcast. “I messaged all of them saying I want to learn how to shoot videos and to do video work,” he said.

It took some reminders, but he eventually happened to be in the right place at the right time.

“I saw one of the guys—Shae Bethel—and he was like, ‘Well, we shooting an episode today inno. You want to come?”

Of course, Smith’s answer was yes. He went, listened, observed and asked questions. When the session was over, the crew asked him: Yuh coming back next week?

“But Shae was like, ‘Oh gosh, now I have to go and edit all this.’ So I told him I want to learn how to edit as well and if he taught me how to, then he wouldn’t have to.”

It was the perfect barter.

Bethel showed him how to navigate Final Cut Pro and his journey as a video editor began.

“So it reached the point where I would be by him (Jr Lee) every day discussing ideas for the podcast and I’d always say, ‘Any idea you have, let’s do it.’”

So he could edit now, but still wanted to learn how to shoot.

He connected with filmmaker Renaldo Matamoro, who mentored him on videography.

“He was basically Jr Lee’s cameraman before me and sort of passed on the mantle.” Matamoro invited him to Port-of-Spain for brief lessons every Saturday, along with two others.

Smith also credited fellow videographer Shayad “Captain Plexx” Andrews for providing further guidance, as well as job opportunities to grow professionally.

Photography? Check.

Videography? Check.

Video editing? Check.

But even after he finally grasped all three disciplines, he was still a bit timid about posting his work online. Once he did, though, the positive feedback and reactions from his friends and family gave him a much-needed confidence boost. “It was really nice seeing how people feel about my work. Honestly, it still feels like that.”

When the pandemic finally ended, his independent work, as well as work with Jr Lee, continued, but he wanted to secure a steady stream of income.

“There was this IT job I saw… But I kid you not, two days into it, I was like, ‘Nope,’” he said with a laugh.

Jr Lee told him not to worry and that he had his back. He asked that they simply maintain the trust they had in each other as they both continued to advance professionally in the arts industry.

As the skits began blowing up more and more on social media, many began giving kudos in the comments to the cameraman and editor. And if you’ve ever watched an online skit from Jr Lee, you know the angles, camera movements, transitions, etc., often make them even more hilarious.

The comedian even started calling Smith by name while on camera sometimes, and later began including him in videos. Sometimes Smith speaks while behind the lens as well.

“At first I was a bit unsure (about being on camera) because I was like, ‘Aye, this is your stuff. I don’t want to seem like I’m pushing up myself,’ and he was like, ‘Nah. You mad? You are part of the team. We are doing this thing together.’”

He said the reception to his work has been great, adding that he’s still surprised by how many people recognise him in public. “Sometimes, I would be in a line and just be talking to the cashier or sending a voice note to someone on WhatsApp and people are like, ‘Wait, you is Keagon?’ It’s so crazy having people recognise you by your voice only.”

He joked that when people ask for photos with him, he would sometimes say: I’m not Jr Lee inno. Their response? “We know, but it’s you we want a picture with.”

And even though many hail him as “Jr Lee’s cameraman”, he doesn’t feel “boxed into just that one role.” He’s still Keagon Smith, and values people’s reactions to his other work, too.

He has done work for several entities, including Coca-Cola, Digicel, Scotiabank, KFC, Axe and Visit TT. He also worked on a documentary for the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), and music videos for local artistes like Voice, Mical Teja and Trinidad Killa.

“I’m immensely appreciative that I get credit for what I do behind the lens,” he beamed. “I live in a constant state of gratitude.”

He concluded, “I’m always thinking about what my next steps would be, I’m working on my craft, and I’m focused on how I could take content and visuals to the next level and how far I could go by God’s grace.”