Awkwardness and Lyons draw large audiences to the web

     Early this week it was reported that Issa Rae of the web series Awkward Black Girl had inked a deal to bring her edgy brand of comedy to HBO. This is an excellent turn of events for many of the great shows and series that live on the web. This could possibly open the doors for many new filmmakers and writers that have taken the initiative to get things done on their own terms. One such production based in Augusta, Georgia is a series called The Lyons Den.

      The Lyons Den is the creation of Karlton T. Clay. Karlton began writing at a very young age, however it wasn’t until his time at Davidson Fine Arts School in Augusta, GA that he began to get involved in productions. At the age of 16, Clay was diagnosed with acute lymphoma leukemia. During his time in recovery VICTORY PRODUCTIONS was born. Clay credits his close relationship to his family and his continued faith in God for strengthening him during his battle with the disease. Karlton graduated from Davidson Fine Arts School in 2004, he went on to graduate from Georgia State University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in film and television production. Now at 26 years old and in remission, Karlton produces family-oriented stage plays, films, and television programs. Karlton also written, produced, directed, and starred in College Daze, an internet drama which began in September 2007. He also wrote and produced two shorts films - Surrender (2011) and 20something (2012). Both were accepted into the Poison Peach Film Festival in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Currently Karlton is in production for his second web series entitled, The Lyons Den. The show is airing its 4th seasons season finale Friday night at midnight. It has been accepted into 3 festivals: 2013 ATL Web Fest, 2013 Urban Media-makers Film Festival, and the 2013 L.A. Web Fest - there it won 5 awards (Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Producing, Outstanding Ensemble Cast, and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Reishal Monique and Victoria Wilson).

 The main cast (Season 4): 

•  Victoria Wilson as Raven Lyons Taylor 
•  Shantelle Wheeler as Keysha Lyons Monroe 
•  Reishal Monique as Sherri Lyons 
•  Sam Evans as J.C. Lyons 
•  DJ Jackson as Ryan Lyons
•  Torrence White as Malcolm Lyons
•  Antrinese Snell as Crystal Kingston/Aisha Lyons 
•  Kendra Clay as Shayquan Turner 
•  Stacy Camille as Ashley Murphy 
•  Altina Menefee as Tammi Covington 
•  Matt Calcutt as Charles Covington 
•  Kwashane Dijaire as Eric Patterson 
•  Shatareia Stokes as Bobbi Ward 
•  Karlton T. Clay as Jay Sean Turner 

        The web-series has made great strides since its first episode, and there is plenty of drama to be had for all. While in some of the previous seasons the episodes were a little lengthy; it seems that Clay and his crew have found the formula for infusing the most drama into a shorter amount of time, making it well worth your time. In this new frontier we are able to watch new artists grow and come into their own right in front of our eyes. It is clear with such determination and a willingness to grow and embrace the possibilities of the platform shows such as The Lyons Den and Awkward Black Girl are here to stay. So since you have been living under a rock and have not seen either of these wonderful series I have posted both for your viewing pleasure, you can thank me later.

Season finale of season 4 airs on Friday. Season 5 will premiere either late February or early March.