‘I was just doing my job’

WESTERN BUREAU:

For nearly three days, a viral video showing dancehall entertainer Elephant Man dragging Dream Weekend videographer Dario Shields across a stage has fuelled debate on social media. But the man behind the camera says the widely shared clip tells only part of what happened.

Speaking publicly for the first time since Saturday night’s incident at Dream Weekend’s ‘Yush’ party in Montego Bay, Shields told The Gleaner that he was not an overzealous cameraman who wandered into the entertainer’s performance but the festival’s contracted roaming live camera operator carrying out one of the production’s most important technical roles.

“My title is roaming live camera for Dream Weekend. I’ve been doing this since 2024 in Negril, again in 2025, and now in Montego Bay,” Shields explained.

He said his responsibility was to capture live images for the giant LED screens positioned throughout the venue, allowing thousands of patrons, many far from the stage, to clearly watch each performance.

“My camera feeds the big screens. Before the artistes come on, I help build the crowd’s energy by putting patrons on the screens. When the performances begin, my job is to capture the artistes so everybody can see them,” he said.

Shields said he routinely works alongside performers and their personal videographers while maintaining what he described as a safe working distance of between two and three feet.

“I stay out of their way. If they move, I move. I’ve worked on stages occupied by Alkaline, Skeng, and all the other artistes without any issues,” he said.

Video reviewed by The Gleaner shows Shields operating a professional camera rig away from Elephant Man before the entertainer walks towards him. The footage then shows Elephant Man grabbing the videographer and moving him across the stage as Shields bends down and appears to brace himself against a stage monitor while continuing to hold his camera equipment.

“I was completely outside of his way,” Shields maintained.

“He literally came over to where I was, grabbed me and started saying, ‘Move, move, cameraman’, while dragging me.”

Shields said the camera rig he was wearing was heavy and that instinct prompted him to brace himself to avoid falling from the elevated stage.

“If I didn’t bend down and hold onto the speaker box, I would have been pushed off the stage,” he said.

Rather than confronting the entertainer, Shields said he chose to continue working.

“I moved completely out of his way because I didn’t want patrons to lose the experience of seeing the performance on the screens. I just continued doing my job.”

‘Trying to create a moment’

While Elephant Man has publicly stated that he apologised both during and after the performance and has denied intending any disrespect, Shields rejects that characterisation.

“That was not an apology,” he said.

“I believe he was trying to create a moment because the crowd wasn’t responding. Afterwards he said certain things from the stage, but I didn’t see that as an apology.”

More than the physical encounter, Shields said he was hurt by comments allegedly directed at him during the performance.

“You don’t speak to people like that,” he said. “It doesn’t matter whether somebody is a janitor or a CEO. You treat everybody with respect.”

His account comes as attorneys Knight, Junor & Samuels have formally demanded what they describe as a full, public and unequivocal apology from Elephant Man, whose given name is O’Neil Bryan.

The attorneys contend that Shields was lawfully performing his contractual duties for Dream Entertainment Limited when he was intentionally dragged across the stage before thousands of patrons, members of the media, and entertainment industry personnel. They also claim that his Sony A7 III camera and attached Tamron lens were damaged during the incident and say that no formal apology has been received despite the entertainer’s public statements.

The attorneys have indicated that notwithstanding an apology, Shields has instructed them to pursue all legal remedies available.

Elephant Man has denied assaulting or intentionally disrespecting the videographer, maintaining that the interaction formed part of his stage performance and was never meant to demean Shields.

For Shields, however, the incident has become about something much larger than a viral video.

“People don’t always see the work that goes on behind the scenes,” he said. “We’re there to make sure the audience has the best experience possible. At the end of the day, I was just doing my job.”

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com