Dr Nkeng Stephens is the eye behind the images that made Cameroonian music feel international. A film producer, director, editor, cinematographer and colorist in one, he is the visual force artists call when a record deserves to be seen as well as heard. “I’m just everything when it comes to the audiovisual world,” he says — and after more than a decade behind the lens, with a body of work the hosts reckon runs past a thousand videos, the title that stuck is the one the whole scene uses: The Camera Doctor.
What clients hire him for is the refusal to settle for “good enough.” His signature sign-off — “we take another shot” — is not a catchphrase so much as a working philosophy: roll it again, light it better, hold the frame until the story lands. That perfectionism turned a credit into a brand. The tag became so recognizable that, he laughs, artists now insist on it — leaving it off “means you didn’t take the video serious.” It is the kind of reliability you can sell: the promise that the work leaves his hands finished.
His path to director ran straight through the music. Before he was behind the camera he was an artist, songwriter and sound engineer in a crew the scene knew as Rhythms. When the group couldn’t afford to pay outside directors, he taught himself to shoot — downloading editing tutorials at the cyber café when internet was scarce and expensive. Asked to choose between being a musician and being a video director, he chose the camera, “because I felt more happier making stars than becoming a star.” That decision built an industry standard: richly colored, cinematic, story-driven videos that played like films, a look he helped popularize across Cameroonian music.
The catalogue speaks, but so does the reach. He has lensed work for some of the biggest names in the industry and partnered with major brands; his videos have drawn audiences at national scale, and his craft has earned him recognition as an award-winning director and a feature on international television. Today he is on tour across the United States, connecting with African filmmakers in the diaspora and carrying the same message everywhere he lands — that, as he keeps saying, “we Cameroonians can do this.”
What makes him a Fireside story is that he refuses to hoard the craft. Having run into a culture of gatekeeping early on, he built the answer himself: the Hold Hands movement, a training effort where, in his words, “I’m holding hands of young filmmakers… and together we’re rising together.” Hire Dr Nkeng Stephens and you get more than a shoot — you get a director who has spent a career making other people look like stars, and who is now exporting that culture to the world.
Why they hire Dr Nkeng Stephens
- One creative, the whole pipeline. Producer, director, editor, cinematographer and colorist — “everything when it comes to the audiovisual world” — so a project stays coherent from concept to final grade.
- A perfectionist by signature. “We take another shot” isn’t a slogan; it’s a guarantee the frame is right before it ships.
- A cinematic, story-first look. He helped popularize the rich, film-like music video in Cameroon — videos people watch like a film, not just a clip.
- A deep, proven catalogue. A body of work the hosts put past a thousand videos, with audiences at national scale.
- Award-winning, internationally noticed. Recognized as an award-winning director and featured on international television for his work with Cameroonian artists.
- A partner who builds the next generation. Founder of the Hold Hands movement — a director who shares the craft instead of guarding it.
Fun facts
- The “doctor” was never a degree. His father wanted a real doctor — “isn’t that very typical from a Bangwa?” — but because he could shoot, mix, master and help artists “see the light,” the name stuck.
- He learned to direct out of necessity — downloading editing tutorials at the cyber café overnight when his group couldn’t afford to pay outside directors.
- His signature spoken tag — “we take another shot” — was inspired by hearing Clarence Peters call “take another shot” on a set, and is now an expected stamp on his videos.
- He runs the Hold Hands movement — “holding hands of young filmmakers… and together we’re rising together” — because no one walked him through the craft when he started.
- He chose the lens over the spotlight — “I felt more happier making stars than becoming a star” — and is now exporting that Cameroonian film culture on a tour through the United States.
In their words
I felt more happier making stars than becoming a star.
My vision is basically just inspiring the Cameroon film and video industry — also building a filmmaking culture around our industry and exporting a culture out in the world… making people know that, okay, we Cameroonians can do this.
Don’t be stingy. There’s the marketplace for everybody. Even if we had like a thousand video directors that come around, everybody can be making money.