Victory Productions is making waves, broadcast waves, that is by producing content that’s fresh, entertaining, and exciting! We had an opportunity to speak with him about his latest projects. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Karlton! Thank you for reaching out to us, and sharing the wonderful projects Victory Productions Network is doing. Tell us more about the company.
Victory Productions is an independent production company that focuses on producing for the web. The vision for the company was given to me by God at the age of 16 after my initial diagnosis with leukemia in 2002. Even as a teen, I knew that there was a lot of talent here in Augusta, but there wasn’t a lot of avenues for creatives to display their talent. So Victory Productions is a beacon for those of us who need a place to release the gifts ad talents that God has given us.
Victory Productions officially began October 31, 2003 when I produced and directed the stage play Speak To My Heart written by Angela Griffin. I produced and directed my first theater production that I wrote entitled Leukemia & Me on May 2014.
In total, I have written, produced, and directed 7 stage play productions with the last one being Turn Around High School, in 2011. I began doing web series while I was in college at Georgia State University in Atlanta. My first web series entitled College Daze began September 2007. I produced two seasons in Atlanta, and produced the last three seasons in Augusta when I moved back home after graduation. College Daze ended in 2011.
As of now, I have created, written, produced, and directed 7 web series: College Daze (2006-2011), The Lyons Den (2012-present), KARMA (2014-2017), Lovers Lane (2015-present), Color Blind (2015-present), EX-Factor (2016-present), and BrothAhood (2017-present).
Do you feel your network will add a different take on programming, since technology has finally caught up to our imagination?
I got my start in web series before I even knew that it was called web series. The only reason I got involved was because the college director of our college TV station gave me the run around about producing content for the station. So my friend Lamont Johnson said he would design a website for me to put my episodes on. So that’s how I got my start.
Back then, YouTube was just really getting started, and back then, you could only upload like no more than 5 minutes at a time. Now, with YouTube, you can upload hours and hours of content. Even though, we were unknown at the time, I believe that Victory Productions was definitely on the ground floor of the evaluation of web series.
Audiences are getting majority of their content online. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, the Playstation Network . . . they’re all upscale versions of web content. Working on the web gives independent content creators to get their feet wet and allow the “big wigs” to see what they can do. Look at Issa Rae. She’s such an inspiration. She started out just like me with her webseries, and now she has a development deal with HBO and nominations for her show Insecure. This is just an exciting time because the internet gives a voice to those of us who have a desire to tell a story or several stories. It’s a great way to connect with people who are looking for meaningful content that they may not be getting from regular television.
Your company has received numerous accolades. Congrats! At this stage in your career, what do you consider the ultimate achievement?
Thank you so much. It’s indeed a blessing that all the hard work that we as a team put in is being recognized. It’s indeed a blessing. It all began with the LA Web Fest. I must say that being a part of the very first web series festival in the world really change my life. Just being selected to have my show screened was a privilege, but to have won awards as well was indeed an honor. I have been a part of the LA Web Fest since 2013, and I have received Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Producing, and other awards for the several shows that have been selected to be a part of the festival.
I have also had the privilege to be an award winner with the Rome Web Awards. In 2014, The Lyons Den was nominated for Best Web Soap. Even though we did not win, it was such a rewarding experience because the awards was actually located in Rome, Italy, and I had the opportunity for the first time to travel out of the country. Since then, I have been a part of the Rome Web Awards even though the awards show is online-based now, it is still an honor to be recognized internationally. I have won awards for Best Directing and Best Writing in the romance, action, and drama categories since 2015.
I have also won awards for Best Inspirational Play in 2012, Best Director in 2015, and Best Web Series in 2016 with the DPI Playwright’s Gala, Best in the Arts in 2015 and 2016 with the Down East Awards, Producer of the Year and Web Series of the Year with the Featured Highlights Awards.
Just recently, our show Lovers Lane received Best Web Series with the American Black Webseries and Filmmakers this year. I also received Best Directing in a Drama for KARMA with the Rome Web Awards and Outstanding Writing in a Drama for KARMA and Outstanding Series Premise in a Comedy for EX-Factor with the LA Web Fest.
My biggest awards I would say is I will be an honoree this year at the Featured Highlights Awards. That’s a big honor because it’s nice being recognized for all of the hard work that you put in. I appreciate Angel and the Featured Highlights committee for choosing me. It’s very humbling.
Another big award just happened during our time at the LA Web Fest this year. Our webseries KARMA won an international award at the LA Web Fest which means that our show was chosen to be a part of an international festival that is connected with LA Web Fest. The festival that we will be going to is the Rio Web Fest which is in Rio, Brazil. I’m super excited because this because not only will our show be shown to international audiences in another country, but this is another opportunity to go out the country, experience another culture, and have new adventures.
You mentioned in your introduction that you are a cancer survivor. Has the experience inspired you to start the company?
Yes, I am a cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with leukemia my sophomore year of high school March 18, 2002. It was a scary time because as a kid, when I heard the word cancer, my mind automatically went to death. However, I am grateful that I have a relationship with Christ and that I have a strong foundation in my family that I had the strength to fight. This battle brought me closer to my faith and to my family, and at the same time, it gave what my life mostly consists of now – Victory Productions. The name victory came from what I believed. I knew that I would have the victory over this cancer. It was not going to beat me. So the name of the company means a lot to me. There was a point where I wanted to change it especially when I started venturing into more mature content, but my mom said no. It’s your foundation. You can’t change it. So there you have it. Victory Productions all day.
You have worked on several successful webseries. Do you believe this is the future of entertainment, considering YouTube has launched its own streaming service?
Absolutely. People are watching majority of their content on the web. People are using their smart phones and their computers to watch what they want to see. I think the music industry is starting to get on board with this because a lot of people are now streaming their music, i.e. Spotify, Tidal, iTunes. It’s the same thing with movies and TV. With all of this technology, the internet is not the future; it’s now.
After a successful websries run, what’s next for you?
What’s next for me? I’m definitely going to continue to work in webseries. I love doing webseries. There is a freedom in it. I feel like this is where I need to be at this moment. I feel like I’m a part of a shift that’s happening in entertainment so I want to continue to ride the wave until God tells me what’s next.
As far as projects, we are getting ready to go into production for season 8 of The Lyons Den. We will also be going into production for season 5 of Lovers Lane. This summer I am finally pursuing two projects that I am excited about. One is a superhuman/super-powered short film entitled CHOSEN. I have been working on this for 2 years. I feel like we finally have the right cast, crew, and training personnel to make this a great film. My co-director Brandon Dawson is making sure that everything is in place. We have Danny Bussey, who has worked with me before as the lead, and this is his first lead role and first action project. So, this is an experience for him. And we have Ricky Bell, who is joining us in his first Victory Productions project. And I have to give a big shout out to Aaron Hensley of Premier Martial Arts in North Augusta, SC, who stepped in to choreograph and train the actors for the fight sequences.
The second project that I am super passionate about is our new adult erotica series BONDAGE, which is starring Nelson J. Davis, who is also executive producing the project with me. The show focuses on Bond (Nelson’s character) and his addiction to sex. There are also other characters who have different addictions, and we tackle all of those in the series. It’s a very complex show. It’ll be VP’s first Paid-Per-View show. So we’ll see how that goes.
We will also be preparing for season 3 of EX-Factor, season 2 of BrothAhood, and the final season of Color Blind.
You’re an avid writer and filmmaker, who continuously hones his craft. What keeps you inspired?
Life. Life keeps me inspired. And I know that’s a clique answer, but it’s an honest answer. I am 31 years old now, and I believe that the older I get, the more experience I have. And I am blessed to be able to use what I have learned in this life and apply to the stories that I want to tell.
I listen. I’m always observant. I’m always paying attention to what’s going on around me. I’m inspired by my friends, my family, my fears, my frustrations . . . the good times, the bad times . . . I try to stay in tune with what’s happening in my life because let’s be honest, our lives are just scripts waiting to be written.
Thus far, what has been the best experience working in the industry?
The best experience has been the people that I have had the opportunity to work with. I’ve worked with a range of people who are known in the industry to people who have never stepped foot in front of a camera or on stage. I really enjoy working with the first-timers especially the ones who have so much potential and they are open and willing to learn. You can see their evolution especially when they act more with me and with other directors and producers. It’s encouraging to me when an actor comes up to me or writes me and says, “Thank you for giving me my first opportunity. It really has opened doors for me.” Or “Because of the role you gave me, I was able to book more roles.” It’s great to be a part of someone’s journey. It’s a blessing and a privilege that I do not take lightly at all.
Another experience that I have to mention is going to Rome, Italy. Again, my first time out of the country, and to be able to experience the culture. It was breath-taking. It’s an experience I’ll never forget. And of course, the food was EVERYTHING! I can’t wait to go back.
Do you have any upcoming projects that we haven’t mentioned?
Yes, I have two upcoming projects coming up. The exciting thing about this is that I’m not handling the production aspect of it. Victory Productions is still producing and I’m still writing the scripts, but I have two production companies that I’m partnering with that will be handling the production.
In The Nick Of Time is a drama about an actor named Nick who gets the surprise of his life when a guest appears on his doorstep and he has to make several adjustments while trying to advance his career. That show is starring Rege C. Lewis, and he serves as the executive producer. Rege has guest starred on Chicago P.D. and Boardwalk Empire, and he had a role in the film The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete starring Jennifer Hudson. The exciting part about this show is that it is begin filmed in New York. So I’m super stoked about that. I love New York, and this show fits the theme of concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
The second is Blind Fury which is a spin-off of Color Blind. If you watch CB, I introduced a character named Evan Lancaster, who was the rival martial arts teacher in town. He was very cocky and arrogant, and I really liked the character. I felt like there was more story to this character. The actor playing him is Michael Anthony Coleman. Michael is a good friend of mine; we went to Davidson Fine Arts together. I told him what I want to do, and he signed up for it, and the cool part about it is that Michael lives in Suwon, South Korea. So, the show will be filmed over there. So, Blind Fury will focus on Evan going back to where he was raised, and he is caught in a tough situation that will keep him overseas longer than he expected.
In The Nick of Time and Blind Fury are in pre-production.
Complete this sentence, if I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would do ___________.
If I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would officially announce the premiere of the national network VICTORY PRODUCTIONS NETWORK also known as VPN. It is my dream to have my own network on television. Oprah Winfrey really created the framework I believe when she started OWN, and I absolutely want to follow in her footsteps. I think it’s important that we have channels that authentically tell our stories. We can’t get lost. We have to continue to be present. We’re not just a stereotype. We have a culture, a language, a history, a heritage . . . it’s important that we continue to see ourselves on the screen: big and small. So, my ultimate dream is to OWN and operate my own network.
For now, you can watch The Lyons Den, KARMA, Lovers Lane, Color Blind, EX-Factor, BrothAhood, and even College Daze on the Victory Productions Network at vpnpresents.com.
Connect with Victory Productions:
Web: http://vpnpresents.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/victoryproductions
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