Miami, FL · id8Labs

Eddie Belaval

Cinematographer

Miami-born filmmaker. Architect of primitive chain systems. Founder of id8Labs.


15+ years in production30+ productions6 countries filmedMiami, FL
15+
Years in Production
6
Countries Filmed
30+
Productions
10+
Networks & Studios

The journey

Career

From behind the camera to shaping narratives to building tools. Each chapter shaped the next.

The Eye

Cinematographer

2008-2019

Capturing stories through the lens. From reality TV to documentaries, learning that every frame tells a story—and that the best shots come from understanding people first.

  • Director of Photography on 15+ productions across MTV, A&E, History, Oxygen
  • Motion control & timelapse specialist with custom rig builds
  • On-call 24/7 for A&E's The First 48—capturing raw crime stories as they unfolded
  • Shot in 6 countries for Reserve Channel's ExPats documentary series

The Story

Story Producer

2019-2021

Moving from behind the camera to shaping the narrative. Years of watching human behavior through a lens taught me what makes stories resonate—authenticity, tension, and emotional truth.

  • 90 Day Fiancé: Diaries/The Other Way/HEA (TLC) - Produced storylines across international locations
  • Developed character arcs and narrative beats for multi-episode story threads
  • Bridged technical crew and creative vision as someone who'd done both

The Build

Primitive Chain Architect

2021-Present

Every chain I design starts with a frustration in production. After 15 years solving problems on set with duct tape and creativity, I am now solving them with architecture: primitive chains with human gates, built into a portfolio of real products that ship in public.

  • Founder of id8Labs, an independent lab building the tools of the AI build wave
  • Applying production thinking to software: ship fast, iterate, solve real problems
  • Designing robust primitive chains with human gates, proving one cross-domain builder can ship at institutional scale

The work

Selected credits

From MTV to TLC to A&E. Stories captured across networks and continents.

90 Day Fiancé: Diaries/The Other Way/HEA

TLC

Story Producer

2021-present

The First 48

A&E

Field Producer / Camera Op

DeKalb & Harris County

Dark Horse Nation

History Channel

Director of Photography

Orange County Choppers

Discovery

Camera Operator

High on the Hog

Netflix

Camera Operator

Gotham

Warner Bros/DC Comics

Camera Operator

Additional credits

Teen Mom (MTV)
My Life as Liz (MTV)
Made (MTV)
Married at First Sight (Kinetic Content)
Living Different (Oxygen)
Rampage for Real (Spike TV)
10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty (Original Media)
American Choppers (Pilgrim)
ExPats (Reserve Channel)
In The Grey - Life as a Transgender (World Why)
Carry That Weight - a Rockumentary (Hyperion)
Day in the Life of an NYJTL Student (NYJTL)

Brand collaborations

GEHondaRevlonBurger King / Jersey ShoreChristian LouboutinArcadis EngineeringDasé Clothing Co

The craft

Skills & certs
FAA Licensed Drone PilotLocal 600 Union Member

Production

HD/UHD Camera OperationField ProducingMultiCam DirectionLighting DesignMotion Control TimelapseDolly, Jib & SteadicamFinal Cut Pro

Technology

Next.jsTypeScriptReactAI/LLM IntegrationSupabaseTool Building

Currently

id8Labs

Designing primitive chain architecture with human gates

From telling stories to designing the architecture between the tools. Every chain starts with a frustration in production: if I am hitting the same human-glue moment again and again, there is a primitive chain that should be carrying that weight instead. id8Labs is where those chains become products that ship in public.

Building in public

Miami, FL

Let's connect.

Available for cinematography, story production, and creative consulting work.


Email [email protected]Based in Miami, FL

Designed with early morning Miami light in mind.