Who is John Weatherall III? Local photographer, videographer and KLFY employee goes viral on social media
Just by doing what he loves, capturing Acadiana culture and spotlighting local talent, the world now gets to see why John Weatherall III is loved and appreciated in the Acadiana community.
LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Just by doing what he loves, capturing Acadiana culture and spotlighting local talent, the world now gets to see why John Weatherall III is loved and appreciated in the Acadiana community.
Weatherall's love for capturing the moment started as a kid.
He said he started photography and videography in the late 90s when his parents taught him and his siblings how to use a VHS camera.
As he got older people began taking his work more seriously. Tonya Bolden said she's worked with Weatherall for years.
"It's good to see him finally getting the spotlight he deserves," she said.
Bolden said she admires him for several reasons.
"John has recognized the fact that his gift and talents can carve out a space for him," Bolden said.
Weatherall said that's his motivation.
"I grew up on the Northside of Lafayette and I just wanted to schowcase that hey, there is talent on the Northside."
When he's not capturing monumental moments in his community, he's filming Acadiana's favorite food and music segments with KLFY's Gerald Greuning.
"Me and John started working together in 2014," Greunig said. "We started Acadiana Eats in 2015. Since then we've been rocking and rolling."
Their relationship has grown beyond work related, they said they're now family.
Lance Ruffins with the Mardi Gras crew, Krewe De Krunk said Weatherall "helped me grow."
For over a decade, Weatherall has helped to keep the crew's Mardi Gras culture alive.
It was through this process and a video of a man dancing at a Mardi Gras that helped Weatherall go viral.
"I just posted it on the day after Mardi Gras just because I wanted people to know that I'm going to be posting more content that I didn't share yet," Weatherall said.
Reaching up to 40-million views on TikTok, several re-tweets from celebrities like Cardi-B and Maury Povich, and even a re-make video by Grammy-award-winning artist Lizzo.
In awe, Weatherall said. "It just blew up."
Now, John continues to create eye catching content. Proving that the little boy from the Northside of Lafayette with big dreams can make an impact.
The song in the TikTok video that went viral is by rapper and Baton Rouge native Kevin Gates. The rapper's team invited Weatherall to an upcoming concert in Lafayette with VIP access.