By: Erica Patton
Keshon Campbell, 21, a St. Louis native, knew he had an eye for cinematography with a unique perspective of the world and an impeccable attention to detail. Since his early days of dabbling in YouTube videos and shorts, Keshon continues to grow as an icon, an inspiration, and most importantly, a filmmaker.
Keshon Campbell Credit: Instagram
Keshon is a close friend of mine, so I’ve had the privilege to watch him grow in his career. It has been eye-opening watching someone with so much ambition chase after his goals. I remember when we were in elementary school, Keshon was making videos pretending to be a Subway worker, and the extent to which his videography skills have grown is insane.
Keshon started to gain popularity amongst his community on his YouTube channel when he focused on his various short film projects. While Keshon worked on many side projects, “Midnight”, (a thriller short film) really started to gain traction as many peers grew fond of his amazing ability to create an eerie scene and an interesting story. The sequel “Midnight 2” gained even more attention, drawing in just over 54k viewers on his YouTube channel.
Keshon also pays particular attention to bringing awareness to racial injustices in his filmmaking. “Black Dreamers,” a mini-documentary by Keshon, includes the voices of some of the black youth in St. Louis. This also helped to bring a voice to the Black Lives Matter movement, and a call to action for people of color to stand together when hard times arise in our community.
While Keshon’s rise to career success is still ongoing, he emphasizes the need to bring more people of color into the film industry. By incorporating many black actors in his projects, Keshon has successfully created more visibility for this effort. Another one of Keshon’s bigger project series “BLACKMALE”, displays more of his talents behind the camera, and his underrated acting skills.
Stills from BLACKMALE Credit: Instagram
After Keshon graduated from Full Sail University in Florida while studying film and television, he began working on his journey towards the big leagues. He has been able to work for companies like Facebook, Walmart, Amp Me, and many more. While Keshon spends a decent amount of time behind the camera, he also dapples in music. One of my favorites he made a little over a year ago, “ I DON’T WANNA FALL,” captures his lyrical and videography talents as he uses many aspects of his filmography expertise. Keshon’s most recent songs, “ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM” and “YOUNGEST SIBLING,” establish Keshon’s unique musical sense in how he explores many genres. During his quest to stardom, Keshon has been able to grow through many social media platforms. He has just over 73k followers on TikTok, with many of his creative projects going viral. He’s even been recognized by major companies such as HBO Max. He has also gained 11k followers on Instagram, where he posts most of his work, and over 12k subscribers on YouTube.