After years of making full-length feature films, producing several award-winning web series and publishing a magazine, Karlton Clay called it quits.
“I was tired, burned out, extremely burned out. There were other things I wanted to do, but I didn’t have time to do them,” said Clay who has refocused and likes where he sees his career path heading. His work on his talk show, The KULTURE, recently received a 2026 Telly Award.
He’d worked at WJBF Channel 6 several years ago before diving full time into his indie TV/film career. On a visit back to the TV studio after hanging up his indie camera, Clay ended up with a new opportunity on the digital spectrum creating content and that lined up with his interests.
While most of his WJBF content was local, Clay branched out when he asked if he could do a segment about a Power Ranger event he was attending in Atlanta. A longtime fan of the show, Clay is friends with a couple of the actors who’ve portrayed Power Rangers over the years. That segment turned out to be a hit.
The KULTURE focuses on the Black community, which has been at the center of his films and his VPN magazine. While many of the features are local, Clay has a broad range of subjects who appeal to a national audience such as Karan Ashley, from “Soul Food” and “Space Jam” Brandon Hammond, and The Curtis Family from “America’s Got Talent”.
His show has been syndicated to three other markets – Albany, Georgia; Austin, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina.
During his break from indie filming, Clay returned to writing in his personal time. He created a comic book series called “Chosen”.
“I’m a writer at heart,” said Clay who has also published two books of poetry.
And his break has brought him full circle.
Clay launched his TV/film career more than two decades ago while still in college. He began producing web series, inspired by his grandmother’s favorite daytime programming. He grew up watching “The Young and the Restless”, and that led to programs such as “The Lyons Den”, “SistAHood” and “BrothAHood” which he’d later enter into web awards.
His work not only garnered awards but landed him a distribution deal, but there was a catch. His works needed to be longer. He shifted from his short, serialized stories to full length features that are available on Peacock, Tubi, the CW, the Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video.
It was the grind of producing the long form films that eventually wore on him, he said.
“I think films are harder because you‘ve got to tell the story in a certain amount of time,” he said. “I love being able to tell a full-fledged story over time.”
When a story follows a character, viewers can see the character grow and the storyline mature over time.
His most recent foray into the soap genre is “The Loved and the Heartless” which he began producing in 2025.
The series highlights a story about how love and heartbreak connects a group of individuals, according to its IMdB page.
And he said he’s enjoying creating the short stories once again.
While he’s happy in his current state, Clay said he would love to have the opportunity to be part of the groundbreaking soap “Beyond the Gates”.
“I would love to write on that show,” he said. “I would like to have a little part on that show…I don’t need a lot of lines.”
Another project of Clay’s is a platform to bring all of his content together in one place. It’s been four years in the making, but he hopes to launch it by the end of the year. Some of his series are available here.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named best local writer by readers of Augusta Magazine in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
