We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cory B. Clay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cory below.

Cory, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Everyday is what you make of it, somedays will feel like a blessing and some will not. The key is to keep going if it is in your heart and mind to do so. You’ve got to have self discipline and motivation, make sure to keep these two allies close wherever and however you may find them. The tools are at your fingertips. As the cinematographer John Seale once told me, “put the blinders on and go straight the f*ck forward.” Stay focused, eliminate anything that doesn’t nurture your creative soul.

Cory , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a Director-Cinematographer-Photographer, I enjoy visualizing and creating fresh new work for documentaries, narrative film, music videos, socially and environmentally conscious brands.

My passion for the fine arts began in grammar school as I thoroughly engaged myself in illustration, painting, music, literature, film and photography. I was very fortunate to be accepted to both Webster University and UCLA for film studies, and my professional career began during undergraduate second semester when I was hired as a Camera Assistant and Co-Producer for WGBH to film a documentary series focusing on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In Los Angeles and Saint Louis I worked on multiple feature films and commercials, and I joined the International Cinematographer’s Guild directly after receiving my undergraduate degree and a student Emmy Award for Music Video Cinematography.

In 2005 a short film I lensed “Persona”, received multiple Best Cinematography awards within the domestic U.S. Festival network. In 2008 I was one of three Directors of Photography contributing work to “We Live in Public”, which won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature Film at Sundance in 2009.

Beginning in 2010 and continuing through 2011 I was the lead Director of Photography for the social media and commercial marketing of the Nissan Leaf, and this included touring the United States to educate consumers, ultimately leading to the success of this EV and influencing the creation of others electric vehicles.

In 2013, I founded a production agency, The Jukebox Romeos. Our slogan was “We See Music”. On YouTube alone, the content my team and I produced exceeds 150,000,000 views. Currently, the Jukebox Romeos are rebranding and launching again in Los Angeles, Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, CA.

In 2019 I collaborated with The Russo Brothers, Profile Studios and Marvel Entertainment as a VFX Camera Operator for “Avengers: Endgame” in Los Angeles; this incredible experience provided me with a new opportunity to continue my collaboration with the Russo Brothers on a new Global Spy-Action Story Universe for Amazon Studios.

Beginning in 2020 and continuing through 2022, I served as the Lead Creative Director for a new Tier One Amazon Prime Series, “Citadel”. I worked daily with the lead creator, Josh Applebaum, his team at Midnight Radio, Director Brian Kirk and Cinematographer Tom Sigel to create all of the publicity and marketing for the show; sparing no expense to match the tone and visual sophistication of the series. I had the pleasure of working closely with our main unit talent as well; including Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra, Stanley Tucci, Ashleigh Cummings and Roland Møller.

When I am not creating visual media I am writing and performing music with my Americana Rock n’ Soul band, The Twains.

Whatever the creative means, my purpose is to contribute a verse to the grand chorus of the human condition. Stories of love, sorrow, joy, pain, freedom, suffering, alchemy, fascination, determination, acceptance, despair and hope.  I believe in the wisdom of Woody Guthrie, “about all a human being is, anyway, is just a hoping machine.”

“Thunderstorm in your eyes, wiser, on the run.  Take all the happy days and ball them into one. There’s a light that shines our way and I’m gonna save you some, to cut through the darkness”   ~ from “With Me All the While” by Cory Brandon Clay.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Love and empathy.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was in a major car accident on my way to one of my first major commercial jobs as a Cameraman. The job had been offered to me during my undergraduate studies, although there was a line producer on the job that had told the client I was incapable of handling the work. The Director of Photography informed me that the line producer was making an attempt to have me replaced so another young local cameraman might assume the position.

The pavement was wet and two cars ahead of me someone swerved into the lane I was traveling in, causing brake lights directly in front of me to instantly glowed red on a gray morning in Saint Louis. I lost control of my vehicle and it went into a full roll, finally landing up down. The driver side seat belt had failed, which was fortunate since the steering wheel crushed, and I only noticed this because I found myself miraculously upside down in the passenger seat.

I closed my eyes and waited for another rush hour vehicle to strike my heavily bruised red Ford Ranger pickup. When that didn’t happen, I ejected the cassette tape and crawled out from the twisted wreck. The paramedics arrived as did a parade of police vehicles. My vitals were checked and I didn’t seem to have a scrape nor a broken bone, which baffled the medics, media and police. I told the police to dispose of my vehicle and asked for a ride to the studio. I arrived 5 minutes early before my call time and very successfully performed the necessary work.

The cassette tape I rescued from the incident was Prince’s Greatest Hits II.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.corybclaydp.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbclaydp/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cory.b.clay
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-brandon-clay-6860122/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBClayDP
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@corybclayfilmmaker
• Other: www.cbclayphotographer.com www.thetwains.com

Image Credits
Cory B. Clay