Rom-coms are popular during the holiday season, and one produced by a local filmmaker was recently added to NBC TV’s Peacock streaming platform.
Karlton Clay’s “Reindeer Games” wasn’t originally set during the holidays, but after discussions with his distributor Maverick Entertainment, he tweaked the script and made it a Christmas film. The release on Peacock came as a surprise to him.
“I didn’t know about the Peacock deal until I got an email,” he said. “I had to reread it.”
The romantic comedy was released during the holidays last year and was available on several streaming platforms including Fox Network’s Tubi, Amazon and Crackle.
Clay said he’s excited that the film is gaining steam in its second holiday season, especially now that it has a unique award attached to it. The 2021 Hollywood And African Prestigious Awards (HAPA) in Los Angeles awarded Kiara C. Bennett the Best Comedic Actress In A Film/TV Series/Mini Series for her role in “Reindeer Games.”
Clay has another holiday film on the heels of “Reindeer Games” called “A Very Merry New Year,” which is being released this month.
It has been a busy year for the Augusta-based filmmaker who created his first web-based series while still a college student in 2006. “College Daze” was his first attempt at a series.
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Clay grew up watching daytime soaps with his grandmother and has always had a dream of having his own drama series.
Over the years, he’s cultivated his scripts, created characters and hit the pavement to make his dreams a reality.
He’s filmed more than 400 episodes of his multiple series. He’s been winding down most of them so that he can tackle new projects, he said, but he wants to make sure they don’t have loose ends.
“I get very dissatisfied with a show that doesn’t have a proper ending. I want to tie them up so the audience is satisfied,” he said.
Among the series facing finales are “The Lyons’ Den,” his longest-running series; “X-Factor,” “My Best Friend,” “Peace Be Steel” and “My Life.”
In all, Clay has created 15 web-based series and eight feature films distributed in conjunction with Maverick Entertainment.
Also in 2021 Clay explored a different facet of his creativity by producing an EP called RAW-N-UNKUT and under the name of Kaycee Thee Poet, he’s writing his second book of poems called “Ebbs and Flows.”
As 2021 comes to an end, Clay said he’s taking a breather for a couple of weeks before diving into his new projects for 2022.
To find out more about Clay’s productions, visit thevpntv.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
