Today we’d like to introduce you to Karlton T. Clay.
Karlton, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia. I have been writing ever since I was a kid. At the age of 16, I was diagnosed with leukemia, and during that time, God gave me the vision and inspiration to begin Victory Productions. I produced and directed my first theatrical production “Speak To My Heart” written by Angela Griffin on October 2003. In May 2004, I produced and directed my first theatrical production which I wrote entitled “Leukemia & Me”, and since then, I have been writing, producing, and directing my own content.
I graduated from John S. Davidson Fine Arts School in 2004. On September 2006, I produced my first web series “College Daze” while attending Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in film and television in 2008. After “College Daze” ended in 2011, I went on to produce several web series. In total, I have written, produced, and directed 15 original web series with a total of 377 episodes: College Daze (2006-2011), The Lyons Den (2012-present), KARMA (2014-2017), Lovers Lane (2015-2019), Color Blind (2015-2017), EX-Factor (2016-present), Bondage (2017-present), Sweet Mahogany (2018), My Best Friend (2018-present), In The Nick Of Time (2018-present), Peace Be Steel (2019-present), SistAhood (2019), The MAINE Way (2020-present), and My Life (2020-present).
Several Victory Productions’ shows have screened and won awards at festivals across the country and in other countries. In 2017, I was named one of Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals; in 2018, I was named Georgia Trend’s Top 40 Under 40. Just recently in 2020, I was named the Greater Augusta Arts Council’s Artist Of The Year.
In 2020, I signed a distribution deal with Maverick Movies. My series “Sweet Mahogany” transitioned into a feature film and was released February 2020. Our next film “Reindeer Games” will be released this Winter. Our next feature films “Sweet Mahogany 2”, “SistAhood” (another web series transitioning into a film), and “My Brother’s Keeper” will be released in 2021.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This has not been an easy or smooth road. I mean, just as I mentioned, it started off rocky with me being diagnosed with cancer. However, it definitely pushed and propelled me into my destiny. Throughout the way, I have met people who I thought were for me and wanted to support my vision, but at the end of the day, they were just using me for what I had or who I was connected to and abandoned me after they got what they needed.
The biggest challenge recently was losing the Victory Productions YouTube page. We were on the momentum of building our subscribers, and we were getting ready to celebrate a major milestone of hitting 10,000 subscribers, but on March of this year, I woke up to our YouTube page being terminated. They claim we violated policies, but also come to find out former actors and actresses who worked in VPN projects had purposely flagged the page which put a target on our backs and our content – even though there has been much worse content plastered on YouTube but hasn’t been deleted or cause for those pages to be terminated. So, it was an unfortunate situation that put me in a space of being done with producing content.
However, it was a blessing in disguise. It actually propelled me to push to where I am now and really see the film and television industry as a business. Yes, I enjoy making content; it is my life’s purpose. However, I had to get in that mindset of how can I make my art make money for me and those who I am associated with. So, we are growing, and I am grateful that things are getting better for Victory Productions as a whole. Even though people are no longer with me, I see that as God’s way of showing me the people who are meant to be with me on this journey of life.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Victory Productions Network – what should we know?
Victory Productions specializes in producing original content: theatrical productions, web series, television series, and feature-length films. I am proud of our growth throughout the years since our inception in 2003. I think what sets us apart is that we were in the beginning of the web series era. We were doing web series before they became popular on YouTube. I remember when you could only upload 2 minutes’ worth of material up on the site. Now it has grown into a place where content creators can have their work seen; and even now, it has exploded into more independent streaming services for content creators. I am grateful that we stuck with it, and that we are a part of the history of independent content creating and streaming.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I would like to thank my parents, Kenneth and Sonya Clay, for the years upon years of encouragement and love. They have always pushed me to find my purpose and live in that. I would like to thank my siblings, who constantly support me endlessly. I also have to give special thanks to my aunts, Barbara and Carlyn; they are my early investors who helped financially support me after I left my full-time job to pursue indie filmmaking and storytelling. Last but not least, I have to thank the actors and actresses of Victory Productions. Without them, it would all just be words on a page. They make the stories I write and the characters I create come alive and visible for the world to see. I am just extremely grateful for everyone who had a positive hand in my life journey.
Pricing:
- Ebbs & Flows Poetry Book – $9.99
- Ebbs & Flows EP (physical copies) – $7.99
- VPN Magazines (Physical) – $10
- VPN Magazines (Digital) – $5
- Ebbs & Flows Book & EP Combo – $15
Contact Info:
- Website: thevpntv.com
- Email: thevictoryproductionsllc@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/vpnpresents
- Facebook: facebook.com/vpnetworkpresents
- Twitter: twitter.com/vpnpresents
Image Credit:
JP The Artist (all black group photo)
Maria Williams (professional photos)
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