Behind the Band: K Enagonio

Every single week, it’s been such a pleasure to highlight different levels of professionals behind our favorite music. There’s so much that goes into the media that we consume on the daily and it’s difficult to imagine what it would be like without each of the people we’re currently choosing to focus on each week.

From moving around the world to settling down in LA and then traveling for work, K Enagonio is this week’s Behind the Band feature and we’ve been so excited about our talk with her! Scroll down for a look into all the incredible work K has done.

How did you get your start and what really made you dive into the music industry?

When I was 16 my family moved to the Middle East, to the United Arab Emirates, and I joined my first band, Nightmare Overdose. We played one show together and I helped organize it.

When I graduated high school I decided to go to film school to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Production. I studied partly in Dubai and got an internship filming stock footage at Skydive Dubai. When I was 19 my father and I moved to Perth, Australia where I continued studying film and joined my second band, Mourning Lilith. I went to see Make Them Suffer play the second night I lived in Australia and met some photographers at the venue, which was YMCA HQ. I asked them how they got access to shoot the show and they told me that at that venue you could just walk in with a camera and start snapping away.

A few weeks later I shot my first live show, headlined by Northlane. It was absolutely amazing and I was instantly hooked. I had a YouTube channel where I posted covers of popular pop and metal songs and because of it a lot of bands that came to Perth to play knew me and invited me to shoot their shows. I got to photograph bands like Atilla, Being As An Ocean, Letlive, and more in small venues. When I moved to California in 2014 I decided to live two blocks away from a venue called Chain Reaction where the rules for photography were similar to HQ in Perth; you could just walk in with a camera. I’m so grateful for venues that support up and coming photographers.

“[T]he content I make is valuable…”

Image: Matt Bender

It’s incredible to see how far you’ve come! What is your current job title and what does that fully entail?

I am currently a full-time freelance videographer and photographer. I film everything and anything that pays; sports, live music, corporate events, product promos, and more. I am also a certified and licensed drone pilot, which adds so much to my filmmaking and photography.

So what does your typical day look like? Can you give us a quick rundown of your responsibilities and things you need to accomplish before you turn in for the night?

As a freelance creator, I do something different almost every day. Some days I wake up early to drive to a location to film and other days I work from my desk at home. I often travel for work, because traveling makes me feel alive. I make it a point to apply for gigs outside of California to feed my traveling needs.

Are you currently working with mainly one band/musician or do you tend to spread your time out between multiple? What’s the biggest difference between the two experiences and how do you think it impacts your work?

I just got off a tour working for two bands, Red Handed Denial and ACME. I hope to work with them more in 2020, but they aren’t the only bands I want to work with. To answer the question, I tend to work with multiple artists to keep myself busy. One of the bands I consistently work with is The World Over. I’ve filmed music videos for them, taken promos for them, and I’ve gotten to capture content for them at shows as well. I’m open to working with any band that needs content, both on and off tour. I’m always looking for more consistent work, as are all freelancers.

Oli Sykes of BMTH

If for some reason, your position did not exist or you weren’t able to do what you are now, do you still think you’d be involved in the music industry and in what capacity?

If I wasn’t able to photograph or film bands and artists I think I’d still be in the music industry. I’d probably go into marketing because it’s the closest thing to photography [or] video creation. I thought about TMing, but I don’t think I’m organized enough for that.

So we know where you’d be if your job wasn’t an option, but without photographers and videographers, what do you think the music industry would look like? How do you think bands would make up for the lack of what you do?

Oh man, without photographers and videographers bands wouldn’t be able to connect with their audiences the same way that they can with photo/video. 90% of content consumed in 2020 will be video content and I believe that it is vital for the growth of any band or artist. I’m not sure how bands would make up for the hypothetical absence of photographers and videographers, but I’m sure they would try to make their own content to the best of their ability.

“[T]raveling makes me feel alive.”

Is there a standout moment since you began this journey that proves to you how necessary and important your position is?

In 2017 I was asked to be the Alternative Press Correspondent for Warped Tour and it really solidified the importance of content creation for me. The work I did on that tour showed me just how important videography and photography can be for a brand like AP. Thanks to them I was also able to go cover behind the scenes of the XGames for three days that summer and, again, it proved to me that the content I make is valuable.

Outside of your official job title and description, what are some other things you’ve branched out and started doing for the bands you work with?

Honestly, I’m trying to get more work right now with bands so I haven’t really branched out past photography and videography.

We’ve looked into your past a bit, now let’s look into your future: what can we expect from you within 2020?

My goal for 2020 is to film at least 5 music videos for bands and go on at least 3 tours. I’d also like to travel to different parts of the country to film those music videos and I’ve already got one lined up on the East Coast! Aside from my photo and video work I also make music in a band called Chasing Satellites and I’d like to play some festival dates in the summer with that project. 

Goldfinger

Finally, as we’ve said, bands create ripples of all sizes and we’re truly fascinated by it. However, we all know they couldn’t do it alone and we’ve loved focusing on you and how you’ve impacted the experience of consumers and fans of music. Can you shoutout two or three people who are also part of the behind-the-scenes that you think deserve more recognition?

Oh I would love to shout out some other creators!! First off, I have to give mad props to Bryce Hall, a fellow photographer, who got me my gig with AP. Bryce is such a badass and he’s been touring consistently for a few years now. I look up to him as a creator and as a human being. Another content creator is Jar, AKA @TheWorkOfJar. This guy is killing it in the photography and video game right now and he’s blowing up on social media! You guys should definitely talk to him! Lastly, Adam Elmakias is a photographer that I think inspired us all to get into live music photography. His work is iconic and he’s done an excellent job at giving back to the photography community through his blog, YouTube, and even with his twitter threads.

Do you know someone in the industry who deserves recognition and you think would like to chat with us? You can email us at press@thpmag.com with the subject “Behind the Band” or send us a tweet @TheHoneyPop!

Curious where this began? Click here to read the article that started it all!

Interested in finding out more about what happens Behind the Band? You can check out our entire segment here!

K Enagonio
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Internal Article Concert Images: Courtesy of K Enagonio
Featured Image Source: Andreea Farcas for TheHoneyPOP.com