About

This is Wesley-

Wesley Kabakjian is a New York and Boston-based Steadicam operator, cinematographer, and camera operator whose work has taken him around the world. Beginning in film and television productions in Puerto Rico to documenting the stories of refugees in South Sudan and Uganda, from operating live on stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City to helping create one of the first narrative films produced in Kutchi, a language of western India.

Kabakjian's credits include national commercial campaigns, some shown at major sporting events (like Super Bowl LII), Netflix documentaries, Amazon Prime and Discovery Channel series, Broadway productions, independent feature films, and live broadcasts. He has also collaborated extensively with CBS Sports and the NFL, operating 30+ Steadicam one-take parody films alongside host Kyle Brandt.

As a cinematographer, Kabakjian served as Director of Photography for The Kelly Clarkson Show during Clarkson's first season filming in New York, leading photography for the cinematic "We Love New York" opening sequence to kick off Season 3.

In 2020, Kabakjian joined a team working to bring a more cinematic visual language to live television during a period when the broadcast industry was rapidly evolving. That experience helped shape a niche centered on cinema-hybrid live production, leading to work on broadcasts including the TikTok Live Awards, featuring Demi Lovato and hosted by Keke Palmer, Michael Kors fashion shows, three consecutive years of TwitchCon across Europe and the United States, and the United States Army 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington, D.C.

His live performance experience includes operating for artists such as Bruce Springsteen and The Killers, Jack Harlow, Kehlani, The GooGoo Dolls, Rauw Alejandro, T.I., and Arctic Monkeys, among many others.

Kabakjian's path into filmmaking was unconventional. While living in Puerto Rico in his early twenties, he regularly arrived on film sets before sunrise in search of work, beginning as background talent. Along the way, he appeared in productions including 22 Jump Street as DJ Diplo's body double, Royal Pains, The Big C, and NBC's Crossbones starring John Malkovich. Those early opportunities taught him that film sets were where he wanted to be and the hustle to get there, eventually leading him behind the camera, where he built a career as a Steadicam operator and cinematographer.

His formal training includes an intensive cinematography program in India, where he studied filmmaking from an international perspective and cross-cultural communication. He is also a graduate of the internationally respected Steadicam Operators Association Workshop (SOA) founded by inventor Garrett Brown. The workshop is widely regarded as the industry's premier Steadicam training program, with decades of instruction passed down by many of the world's leading operators.

For Kabakjian, filmmaking has always been about the people. The people we meet and work with along the journey. He believes stories have the power to change perspectives, strengthen empathy, and leave a lasting impact. Whether working on a live broadcast, a documentary, or a scripted production, that belief continues to guide every project he takes on.

No project is too big or small:

Let's build something cool together!