Today we’d like to introduce you to Jefferson Lewis III.
Jefferson, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started martial arts in 1995 after being influenced by movies like Mortal Kombat and TV shows like the Power Rangers. When I was 14, I got my first camera and recorded fight scenes with my friends in the alley. Skipping ahead many years later I’ve earned my fifth-degree black belt in kung fu from the Dennis Brown Shaolin Wu—Shu training center in 2018. I also graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta with a bachelor’s degree in digital film and video production in 2014. In 2015, I began pursuing a career as a stunt man and became a member of SAG-AFTRA on May 3 of 20017 (which also happens to be my birthday). The first movie I worked on was avengers infinity war and the first movie I worked on that hit the big screen was Black Panther. After five years of working as a performer, I’m now pursuing more fight coordinating jobs as an action designer with the skill to make pre-visuals for movies. I plan to later direct and act in future action movies.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I’m 2011, I attempted to pursue stunt performing work but I tore my ACL and MCL in my right knee. After surgery, I knew I wanted to finish school while I had the downtime. In 2015 it was hard to navigate the culture of the stunt community. I got a lot of bad advice in the beginning which made it difficult to make it in. A lot of people seemed very unfriendly to me for reasons I did not understand the time. It wasn’t until three years of working that I understood the behaviors of those around me in the beginning. I also currently am faced with a new challenge as on May 3 of this year I tore my hamstring doing a front kick. I will likely need surgery and will be out for the next 8 to 10 months. But I haven’t let that stop me! I am continuing to create more action videos and practice my craft as a filmmaker.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think the thing that sets me apart from others is that I’m able to wear multiple hats when it comes to production. I’m a very experienced Shooter, Editor, Producer, and Director. I also used to host events which gives me an edge on handling time-sensitive pressure situations. In fact, my knack for being a problem solver is one of the talents I’m most proud of. When it comes to producing videos I’m known for my speed to quality ratio. Many can’t produce the same quality I do in such a short amount of time. People often are shocked when I tell them most of my videos were done within the same day.
What were you like growing up?
I was a pretty quiet kid and very introverted until I was around 21 years old. Although I grew up in an area that wasn’t foreign to violence I always stayed to myself and my close friends. Pretty much everything in my childhood surrounded Martial Arts in some way including the video games I played. I was definitely a peacekeeper and that hasn’t really changed since then. I was also a very intellectual and smart kid. I won the science fair two years in a row and skipped a grade in high school. I grew up in Washington DC by the way.
Contact Info:
- Email: fightscenemachine@gmail.com
- Website: jlpostpro.com
- Instagram: @fightscenemachine
- Youtube: @fightscenemachine
