Bio
For the past twenty years Clay Walker has produced, directed, photographed, edited, programmed and designed a variety of independent short and feature films, corporate identity pieces, trade show videos, music videos, television commercials, television programs, interactive CD-ROMs and DVDs.
Walker's early film career began while he lived in Brooklyn in the late 1980's where he studied commercial photography at Laguardia Community College in Queens. He also worked for several newspapers in Manhattan becoming a skilled street photographer and writer during this time.
Walker then moved to Los Angeles where he developed associations with independent filmmaking legends Jon Jost, Raoul Ruiz, Nina Menkes, Greg Araki and Jean Pierre Gorin. In addition to writing, directing & photographing numerous experimental short films, Walker also worked as an editor on Gorin's "Mi Vida Loca," aka "My Crasy Life," as well as working on the post-production of the feature "Highlander II - The Quickening." Walker also worked as a scriptwriter and reader for several Hollywood production companies.
In 1992, at age 24, Walker produced, directed, photographed and edited the acclaimed PBS documentary "Post No Bills" on Los Angeles "guerilla" satirical political poster artist Robbie Conal. "Post No Bills" received first place at the 1992 Chicago International Film Festival and was exhibited at Sundance, the New York Film Festival, the San Francisco Film Festival, numerous other festivals worldwide and qualified and was submitted to the 66th Academy Awards. "Post No Bills" was exhibited on PBS from 1993 – 1996 and was the first completed broadcast-hour ITVS-funded project in history.
In the mid-90's, Walker worked as an interactive designer and programmer for the creatively acclaimed Melia Design Group. Considered to be one of the most creatively diverse and ingenious design firms in the United States, Walker worked on numerous award-winning interactive CD-ROM projects and video productions.
In the late 1990's, Walker's ground-breaking film and multi-media work with acclaimed North Carolina swing band "The Squirrel Nut Zippers" earned him international acclaim and one platinum and two gold records for his efforts from the Recording Industry of America. "Perennial Favorites" has the distinction of being one of the first three enhanced CDs to ever attain Platinum status.
Walker's interactive documentary extravaganza on the Zippers' enhanced audio CD "Perennial Favorites" was considered by many critics to be the most elaborate Enhanced Audio CD ever created. CNN endearingly praised "Perennial Favorites" as "Clay Walker's Sistine Chapel..."
Walker's most recent film "The Cole Nobody Knows," a documentary film on jazz legend Freddy Cole, has received numerous awards, been featured in almost 40 international film festivals, was officially submitted to the 79th Academy Awards and competed on the 2007 Grammy Ballot.
Walker invented the breakthrough product "The AspectCorrect" that has assisted cinematographers worldwide.
Walker has a degree in Film & TV Production from the School of Cinema & Television at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Walker founded and currently runs Plan B Productions® and is a member of the Film Arts Foundation (FAF) in San Francisco.
Walker has lectured to audiences regarding film and multimedia projects he has created at various colleges, numerous museums and film festivals including South by Southwest, the Smithsonian, Sundance, the Director's Guild of America and the American Film Institute.