Fredericton man's UNB footage appears in new Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift video

Kurtis Knappe had no idea his footage would have a role in Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift's new music video until he saw it for the first time on Thursday night.

Knappe got an aerial shot of the University of New Brunswick (UNB) campus in Fredericton in 2018 and sold it to a stock footage website.

When he watched The Joker and The Queen music video at around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, he was surprised to see his work in the opening scenes. 

"It's pretty surreal," he said.

Why Fredericton was selected for the duo's new video isn't clear, but it's been catching the eye of local people, especially at UNB.

Knappe wouldn't call himself a huge fan of Ed Sheeran, but he likes his songs. When it comes to Taylor Swift, Knappe said he wouldn't upset the Swifties.

"I love Taylor Swift and everything she does," he said.

Swift is known for delighting fans with Easter eggs in her videos, and she and Sheeran even dropped a couple of hints about their new song together leading up to its release. 

The video is also a continuation of the pair's song Everything Has Changed, which came out 10 years ago. Stars of the 2012 video, who were children at the time, came back for the new video as college students — hence the stock image of a college campus.

While he can't say everything has changed, Knappe said he'll miss going back to being a normal person tomorrow. 

As a creator, he said, he always finds it validating when someone values his work and wants to use it in some way.

"To have it included in an Ed Sheeran video, it's next level," Knappe said.

Knappe, who has his own freelancing videography company and also works for Forget Me Not Ceremonies in Fredericton, said he's not upset at all that he's not getting any compensation for his shot appearing in the video.

If he hadn't sold it to a stock footage website, it never would have appeared in the video, he said.

"Just having it out there is a good feeling and getting to share this beautiful city and the campus … it just really speaks to what a beautiful, special place we live in."