Eric “Remrod” Mayes
Eric “Remrod” Mayes is a St. Louis photographer, filmmaker, director, producer, musician, content creator, and cultural storyteller whose work refuses to remain inside one medium. Across more than two decades, he has built an award-winning body of work spanning portraiture, commercial campaigns, documentaries, branded films, music production, sync licensing, social media, and community-centered storytelling. His official portfolio includes credits connected to brands and platforms such as Forbes, BET, Peacock, Budweiser, Prairie Farms, Rap Snacks, Dave & Buster’s, and many others.
What makes Remrod’s work distinct is not only its range, but the way each discipline strengthens the others. His experience as a photographer sharpens how he constructs a film. His background in music informs his pacing, emotion, and sound. His understanding of social media allows a story to travel beyond a single release, while his knowledge of St. Louis gives the work a sense of place that cannot be manufactured.
That reach has grown considerably. Remrod reports more than 20 million views across social platforms and more than 15 recent sync placements. As a Recording Academy Voting Member and a selected mentor for the 2025–2026 GRAMMY U Mentorship Program, he now brings both his industry experience and creative perspective into helping guide the next generation of music creators.
His music has also entered major television and cultural moments. The instrumental “90 Five,” created with Ben Portner, was featured during NBC’s primetime coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics beneath commentary from Snoop Dogg. Other placements have included Paris in Love, Jersey Shore Family Vacation, BET’s Ms. Pat Settles It, TNT Sports, TMZ, and Extra.
Filmmaking remains another major part of his growing canon. His short film Loved 1s, narrated by Chingy, explores brotherhood, loyalty, grief, and the relationships that sustain people through difficult chapters. Additional work includes Finding Jacob, the Prairie Farms mini-documentary Meet the Cows, a film about Jazz St. Louis’ Jazz Academy, and a Doritos commercial that reached the semifinal round of the brand’s Super Bowl competition.
His upcoming documentary, Half Order, turns its attention toward one of St. Louis’ most recognizable but rarely documented traditions: the relationship between neighborhood Chinese carryouts and the Black communities that helped shape the city’s distinct takeout culture. Through food, memory, music, and conversation, the project preserves a piece of St. Louis identity that has existed in plain sight for generations. Remrod is also producing an original soundtrack for the film, bringing his work in music and cinema together within the same story.
I met Remrod at a Mvstermind listening party at TechArtista in St. Louis. That first meeting became the beginning of years spent crossing paths inside many of the same creative spaces—listening parties, community events, productions, gatherings, and rooms filled with the people helping shape the city’s culture.
Over time, our relationship grew beyond simply being in the same room. Remrod repeatedly shared my work with artists, businesses, and creatives who needed photography, opening doors and placing my name into conversations I may not have reached on my own. He also brought me into shoots directly, including a Budweiser project and other collaborations that gave me the opportunity to contribute while watching how someone with decades of experience approached the work.
I have learned an enormous amount from Remrod—not only about photography or filmmaking, but about longevity, adaptability, relationships, and the importance of building a body of work that can continue evolving. He has shown me that a creative career does not have to narrow with time. It can expand into new formats, industries, and audiences while remaining rooted in the same purpose.
What stands out most is how consistently he uses that reach to support the city around him. Remrod does not simply document St. Louis from a distance. He participates in its culture, amplifies its businesses, collaborates with its artists, preserves its overlooked stories, and helps other creatives find opportunities within it.
My photographs of Remrod preserve a person whose career contains far more than any single image can explain. They document an artist, mentor, collaborator, connector, and friend who has spent years building a creative archive large enough to hold the many sides of the city he calls home.
