- [Narrator] Keith Griffith III developed an interest in beekeeping at age 11 when both of his parents were incarcerated.

- My uncle taught me about beekeeping.

- [Narrator] Now 15, with camera in hand, Keith's love of bees is all the buzz in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

- He is a teenager and already a business owner.

Keith Griffith is taking his future into his own hands and succeeding!

- [Narrator] Filmmaker Evan Mascagni helps Keith shine a light on the importance of bees, nature, and his mental health.

- [Griff] Everybody goes through challenges.

Everybody has a story.

We can only speak on our story.

[upbeat music] [upbeat music continues] - [Advertiser] Major funding for this program is provided by... [upbeat music continues] Additional funding by... [upbeat music continues] - This is intro take one.

[gentle music] My name is Keith Griffith III, but most people know me as the beekeeper.

And this is my Uncle Shawn.

He got me into beekeeping.

Uncle Shawn is number one mentor for me doing beekeeping.

[gentle music continues] [gentle music continues] - [Shawn] Go ahead and pick that up right now.

Go ahead and set the smoker next to it.

- This is our escape plan right here.

This is our sugar water spray.

When we use this one, we'll like, spray it on the hives, and the bees, boom, the bees are distracted by it.

They'll be like, you know, bees like sugar, anything sweet.

And they would just go all over the sugar water that's on the hives.

And sometimes when we open up the hive, we'll like, spray it on them, so they can, like, they don't fly around at us.

Gonna get our first frame for today.

Whenever we open it and I see all them bees, I just watch it and I'm just mesmerized how there's so many and they all know what they're doing.

And it's just crazy, 'cause they're like, little bugs, like this tall, and they're intelligent.

Personally, whenever I do beekeeping, I feel like I'm with nature and stuff.

- [Shawn] Feel like you're at one with nature?

- Yeah, I guess you can say something like that.

Working with the bees takes my mind off of all my other challenges.

I want to make this film because my family and I have a story to tell.

When I was born on February 18th, 2007, my dad gave me the nickname Muddies.

[gentle music] I was born and raised in Kentucky, and I've always been interested in nature at a really young age.

[gentle music continues] - You were very, very thoughtful and compassionate as a child.

You very caring even now.

I remember we went to the grocery store one time and the sheriff was out there collecting groceries for something, and you say, "Let's go back in there and get them some groceries."

So, we went back in the store and got groceries.

- Lemme say, you always was caring.

That's one thing that we all probably have stories of you asking to give somebody, help somebody, buy some food.

Can you pull over?

Can I pet your dog?

You know, you wanna meet somebody's dog when we go to the park.

If it's a stray cat or a stray dog, you wanna take the dog or the cat home to make sure it's fed.

It don't matter what it was, okay, you always wanted to help people.

- It was amazing to me the similarities between you and your dad.

He loves animals, and you just kinda grew up, you know, with the same interests that he had.

- [Keith] Everyone always tells me how much I remind them of my dad, but it's hard for me to hear that, because my dad's been incarcerated since I was two-years-old.

- When you would visit your dad as a young child, probably until you was four, you thought you were visiting him at work or at school, because he was taking classes, and, you know, he worked in the prison.

You would take your homework in there, papers, and he would help you, you know, do homework.

But one day you decided, I think one of your friends, his dad came home, and you said, "I want a take-home dad," and, "How come my dad can't come home?

I want a take-home dad."

And so then, I think that was the time they finally tried to explain to you that he had made some mistakes, and that he was, you know, in prison, and he couldn't come home yet.

So, you didn't really feel that loss until 2017.

- [Keith] In 2017, everything changed for me.

I was 10 years old and my mom was incarcerated as well.

I didn't know if I'd ever see my mom and dad ever again.

- When you came to Louisville to stay with me, I really didn't talk to you about what was going on, because we really didn't want to have you worried or stressed out because you were a feeler, you would be worried and concerned about everybody's feelings.

- I stopped doing well in school.

I was having therapy sessions and to help me get my mind off what was going on, and I was moving between my grandmother's homes and uncle's homes.

I just wasn't feeling the same, and, you know, I was sad.

I thought I did something, but personally, I didn't really know what to expect, and I just kept on living and looking forward to the next day, hoping if something happens, oh, my dad gets to come home the next day, or my mom, both of them gets to come out the next day, so.

- When both of your parents, you know, got incarcerated, and went through what they went through, and then I got to be in more of a role in your life.

You know, I can't get out here and throw the football, or we can't fly the drone, you know, do some of the things that I felt like as a little boy, you know, you needed to be able to do.

- And then my uncle told me about beekeeping.

- Then you asking questions about bees and the queen bees.

I think that was your favorite bee, the queen bee.

It was so much of just learning and going through the process, man.

And I remember telling your mom in your past that it was like something clicked.

- He is a teenager and already a business owner.

Keith Griffith is taking his future into his own hands, and succeeding.

- [Newscaster] Keith Griffith is a normal teenage boy- - Oh, here's mine.

- [Newscaster] who loves basketball and does well in school.

But there's one thing that makes him even more special, his love for bees that's blossomed into Beeing2Gether LLC.

For Keith, beekeeping is a way to not only help his community through learning about the importance of bees, but also mental health.

- [Keith] In 2018, beekeeping was a big game changer for me.

It helped me do better in school and it helped me think about how to start a new business.

It kept me very focused until my mom got home.

- [Facilitator] You can just write mom.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

My God.

The bees, and I was just like, oh my God, he's going to get stung and I ain't going to have no kid no more.

And it turned out to be a really good thing, and I'm very thankful for your Uncle Shawn that has paved the way for that.

I don't know where you would be at, you know, if it wasn't for my family and your dad's side.

- We would deliver orders to people, like, we'd meet 'em at Jefferson Mall or something, and they'd be like, "That's Keith, that's Keith, the bee keeper, the bee keeper, it's Keith."

And like, you were just a celebrity.

- At the time too, I was really trying to find a way to make being healthy cool.

And it was like, once it sparked inside of you and then stuff took off the way that it did, it just made sense.

You know, like, this is how we can make being healthy cool again.

- It's just become a family affair.

[boxes shuffling] - Is it cold in there?

- [Shawn] You ready?

- [Keith] Yeah.

I'm just trying to move as slow as I can so this thing won't hit the mic.

- [Stephanie] Is it too heavy?

- Huh?

Nah.

- What'd she say?

- I just don't want this hitting the mic.

Hello, my name is Keith Griffith III and I'm 15 years old, and I've been doing beekeeping for about 14 years, oh, not 14, four years now.

I've been doing it for four years now.

My uncle right here has gotten me into it, and, you know, I've been enjoying it so far, and I'm glad to tell you guys about what I've learned.

Here's my mom.

- Hello everybody.

I'm Stephanie.

I'm Keith's mom.

I do the back end of Beeing2Gether.

We focus on honeybee preservation and mental health awareness.

Keith went through a tough time in his life.

He used that as a coping mechanism with mental health, okay?

So he's got his stuff in the stores now.

He's been on "Good Morning America."

And he's won a lots of awards and achievements that he has received.

So throughout this presentation, you'll see what Keith does with the bees, how he basically opens up more while he's out there with the bees, and being able to teach people about the importance of the honeybees.

- [Keith] Not only was I beekeeper, but I went around giving talks to people on how important bees are to our planet.

A balanced ecosystem is where things work together.

Bees depend on each other and so do we.

- [Stephanie] Come hold this.

I'm trying to hold this up.

- I got it.

I got it.

I got homework.

The other teacher assigned us a three-page paper today.

I get math homework every day out of this class.

It sucks.

- Right, yeah.

That was probably one of the main things that really helped us knowing, okay, this is what we gonna talk about first, this is what we gonna talk about next.

It's in the groove, all right, yep.

Yeah, go ahead, you know, yeah, go ahead, we stepped a few more.

It was dope.

I'm a real person though, you know how it goes when people can relate, you know, more, yeah.

It was cool.

- [Griff] Sounds good, man.

What's up, man?

- [Keith] What's up?

- [Griff] What they do?

- What they do?

- [Griff] You know what they do, man.

How'd you feel?

- Good.

- [Griff] You feel good?

- Yeah, I'm just, I gotta go home and do homework now.

- [Griff] Yeah, I know it, man.

Tell me about it.

There you go.

My man.

My man.

That's all I'm talking about.

You gave it your best effort, that's it.

How your mama do?

- She did good.

- [Griff] All she be doing is laughing at them, when she get to talking, she just start laughing.

- Yep.

- She did alright.

She did alright.

- [Griff] She did alright?

- All right, I'm gonna go help Uncle Shawn out with his chair.

Hold up, you gonna look at the sky for a moment.

[serene music] [serene music continues] During those times when I first did it, going through that tough stuff that was happening, and, you know, it's helped me take my mind off of it, because I was having fun doing it.

I just wanted to keep on doing, because I can't just ask my uncle to drive me to the park so I can go play some basketball real quick.

I feel like I'm moving forward in life, and I have everything I need right now, except for my dad.

[serene music] [table clanking] [tent rustling] [poles clanking] [wind whooshing] Here you go.

- [Patron] Thank you.

You have a good day, I hope.

- [Stephanie] Thank you.

$8, 15, and then $12 here and here.

[group chatting] And we have a lot of material there that kind of helps with, like, mental health, anything along with bee facts and all of that.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

[Stephanie laughing] Okay.

Thank you.

- [Announcer] You have an incoming call.

You will not be charged for this call.

This call is from... - [Griff] Griff.

- [Announcer] an inmate at a federal prison.

- We got up a little bit late but we got here.

[Griff speaks indistinctly off microphone] - Nah, we're already setup.

We're just waiting now.

- [Griff] I'll be checking back with you, man.

I love you.

You hear me?

I'm proud of you, man.

You just keep doing what you doing, man.

We gonna get everything figured out, everything's gonna be all right, man.

Like I said, I love you so much, man.

I'm just, I'm grateful for you, you hear me?

- Yeah.

- [Griff] There's definitely a lot of catching up to do, man.

I wanna actually get to know you, you know what I'm saying, actually meet you and learn you and see, you know, and allow you to see who I am, you know what I'm saying, in person and stuff like that, you know what I'm saying, outside of this prison life actually, man.

And also, probably never told you this, you know what I'm saying, but I apologize, you know what I'm saying?

I apologize for a lot of mistakes, you know what I'm saying, a lot of bad decisions- - [Announcer] This call is from a federal prison.

- [Griff] that I've made that ultimately affected you and your mom.

We'll get to all that, man, but, you know, words can't express, you know?

Words can't express it all, man.

But I just want you to know that.

We got about 80 something days, man.

You hear me?

- [Keith] Uh-huh.

- [Griff] All right.

I love you.

Tell your mom I'll talk to her after awhile.

I gotta monitor these messages, but like I said, I'll definitely be in touch, definitely be checking the email and all of that, all right?

- [Keith] All right.

- [Griff] All right, I love you, man.

- [Keith] I love you too.

[phone beeping] [wistful music] - It's definitely been pretty tough for us, you know, so, pretty tough.

You know, I tried to make it as normal as possible for you.

I hope I did a good job.

[wistful music continues] - [Announcer] You have a prepaid call.

This call is from a federal prison.

- [Griff] Two weeks til old daddy touch down, man.

I can't wait, man.

I'm excited, man.

Getting a little anxiety, a little nervous.

But they said that'd be expected.

Everything's been leading up to this, man, you know?

We just getting there and then making a transition, and just starting life, man, starting life with y'all, with my family.

Let me talk to your mama real quick.

Hey, is he right there or is he gone?

Well, you need to step away, 'cause I need to holler at you real quick.

I ain't got nothing but like, two minutes left at least.

Look man, I told you I get out on December the 19th, right?

- [Stephanie] Uh-huh.

- [Griff] Well, it's really December the 9th.

I was so happy when she told me it was the 9th.

She said the 19th.

I was so happy that I thought it was the 9th.

I'm gonna figure out how I wanna surprise, you know what I'm saying, who I want to surprise.

[gentle music] [gentle music continues] [gentle music continues] - Mom was telling me that we were gonna go do something, and then we were thinking that that was gonna happen earlier.

So I'm just very confused.

Because I thought what we're doing right now was gonna be at the conference.

- We about to go over here and meet my boy.

We about to surprise my son, Keith Griffith III.

I waited for this day for a long time, man, yeah, a lot, a real long time, man.

- Put your mask in your, put your mask in your... - I'm gonna call her and see, 'cause I've been confused.

- [Griff] Go all the way to the light?

- [Stephanie] We're walking up.

- Oh, are you here?

Are you here?

Are you at the Walmart?

Where are you at?

[gentle music] - [Stephanie] We're walking.

Where are y'all?

Are y'all behind the Walmart, I mean behind the McDonalds?

- All right.

All right.

Okay.

She completely did not answer my question, so I'm more confused.

So she says she's across the street.

Oh, I don't know.

I've been confused the whole day.

- Oh my gosh.

This is happening.

- If he looks around and see, man, I'm talking about.

- Make sure you do not have Keith facing, you know, just distract him.

- Is that him over there?

I think he's over there right now.

- [Cameraman] We'll be behind you.

- [Keith] Oh, there she is.

Where'd you come from?

- Hi.

- [Keith] Where did you come from?

- Hey, what's going on?

How are you?

[gentle music] Come here.

- What?

What?

What?

No way.

[Griff laughing] [gentle music] [gentle music continues] - [Griff] How you doing, man?

I love you.

- I was not expecting that.

- [Griff] I love you.

- [Keith] I love you too.

- [Griff] I love you.

- [Keith] I was not expecting that.

That was the last thing I expected.

- Man, it was so hard to keep the secret from you, man.

- Finally, huh?

Give me my hugs.

Give me my big hugs, mommy hugs.

I love you.

- I love you too.

- I love you.

I'm super excited.

Are you excited?

- Yeah.

- Come here, Keith, you get right here.

- All right, all right.

[cameraman speaks indistinctly off camera] [gentle music continues] [group chatting] [gentle music continues] [gentle music continues] [gentle music fades] - [Griff] So you know something about directing and producing, huh?

- [Keith] I guess.

- Yeah, I'm daddy.

I can do that.

All right.

- What is it called?

- [Facilitator] Interview take three.

- All right.

Interview take three.

[clapperboard clapping] What are we doing over there?

I always knew.

I was like, I always knew I have a daddy.

I'm getting calls from him and stuff.

I'm talking to him, having a great time talking to him.

I know he's gonna come home at some point.

So I'll just wait and just make the best times out of it I can until he gets back, and just be able to get new better memories and stuff.

I mean, you know, I always knew that you was there because I always got stories told, people always saying, "Oh, dude, you look just like him," or, "You like your mama," or something.

I'm like uh, all right.

- She really did, man.

Like, she really kept you in my life.

You know what I'm saying?

Like, every visit, this woman would drive five or six hours with you in diapers, I'm talking about in the snow, I'm talking about in the ice and the blizzards and tsunamis, to come visit me and deal with whatever she had to deal with, financially, dealing with work, taking out, putting in vacation days, or missing work or getting rental cars or whatever it was.

And because she understood the importance of being together.

But I know that that was the key, you know what I'm saying, to us having the relationship that we have right now.

You know, she's going to make the best decisions for the family and stuff like that, but she still let you know too that, you know what I'm saying, like, there is a man, there is somebody called dad, there is a father.

None of that would've been possible without your mom keeping you in my life.

- I don't never want you to not realize what type of mother you have.

You do.

You got a special mom.

[serene music] - Everybody goes through challenges.

Everybody has a story.

You know what I'm saying?

But we can only speak on our story.

[gentle music] All right, I feel like a beekeeper now, y'all.

I'm gonna be like you.

You know what I'm saying?

You the son and I'm the dad, but you know, sometimes we can reverse roles, you know what I'm saying?

Not as far as son and dad, but, you know, as far as how most people look at it like the son wanna be like the dad, you know what I'm saying?

You know, you inspire me, you encourage me, you motivate me, so, you know, I wanna be like you too.

Anybody that know me knows Little Muddies, you know what I'm saying?

They know Keith the III.

They know about these bees.

They know about our family.

They know about Beeing2Gether, and they know that it's bigger than Beeing2Gether.

[gentle music] - I love it.

I love it.

I love my son, my grandson, suiting up.

[gentle music continues] - [Keith] All right, so how do you feel that my dad is home?

- I am so grateful and so happy that your dad is home.

And just seeing you, all three of you all together, you, your uncle, and your dad together, and it's like, yep, being together, that's what we about, that's what we do.

[gentle music fades] - [Keith] My dad proposed to my mom as soon as he got home, and now I have a baby brother on the way.

You know, bees have to rely on each other just like us.

Bees also have to depend on each other just like us.

Bees thrive together when they are together.

And I feel like that's what happens when family are together too.

- [Stephanie] Is that a wrap?

[clapperboard clapping] [Stephanie laughing] I love it.

I love it.

I love it.

- [Keith] Ow.

- [Stephanie] Okay.

[gentle piano music] [gentle piano music continues] [gentle piano music continues] [gentle piano music continues] [gentle piano music continues] [gentle piano music continues] [gentle piano music continues] [gentle piano music continues] [gentle piano music continues] - [Advertiser] Major funding for this program is provided by... [upbeat music] Additional funding by... [upbeat music continues] [upbeat music continues] For more information on Films Bykids, visit thirteen.org/filmsbykids.

[upbeat music continues] [upbeat music continues]