Brandon C. Lay
Brandon C. Lay is an award winning filmmaker and founder of Living Proof Pictures, known for character and dialogue driven dramas featuring dynamic female leads at their center. His early work in film goes back as far as 2006 however it wasn't until 2014 with the debut of the micro budget feature Macie on a Good Day that Brandon began creating the films for which he and his production company are known.
The following year he started his first collaboration with Valynn Turkovich who went on to star in the next three films which launched Living Proof Pictures rise on the festival circuit. A Hole to China (2016) was created in twenty four hours for the annual 24hr Film Race held by the Marietta International Film Festival (now the Cobb International Film Festival). The film was named a finalist and was the first of Brandon's films to screen at a film festival, where it won Valynn a Best Actress award and took home fourth place in the race. The film went on to festivals across the county and around the world opening the door for the following submissions of the forty minute short, Binge ∞ Purge (2016) and the feature film The Ground that Sinks (2017).
In 2017 Brandon and his team returned to Marietta for The Ground that Sinks where it was up for Best Domestic Feature. Also premiering was their second entry in the 24 Hour Film Race, Make it Pink starring Marcy Repp, which won first place, Best Supporting Actress: Syd Stauffer, Best Score: James Mason and Brandon's first award for Best Directing.
2017 into 2018 saw the completion of the feature film The Worry Doll as well as the continued success at film festivals for The Ground that Sinks and Binge ∞ Purge which saw a combined twenty nominations between the two films including three noms for directing for Brandon and a win for Editing for Binge ∞ Purge and a Best No Budget Spirit award for The Ground that Sinks.
In 2019 Brandon would release his two largest undertakings up to that point, both starring Jenna McBreen and Syd Stauffer: The ten episode limited series Price of Faerie Tales and the feature film The Worry Doll. The Worry Doll became Living Proof Pictures most recognized film with awards and nominations for it's cast, score, Brandon's direction and the film itself. That year also brought with it a much needed upgrade to Living Proof Pictures equipment leading to the next exciting phase in Brandon's career. Despite the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
Brandon produced three short films which garnered over twenty official selections throughout the year. Among those selecting Cueball (2020) was St. Louis International Film Festival which marked Brandon's first acceptance to an Academy Award qualifying festival. He additionally picked up a Best Cinematography Award for Full Stop Fallacy and two additional nominations for Best Director for his work on The Worry Doll.
The year of the pandemic also led to five PSAs with NAMI-LV and the creation of Rose the Sunflower for Soltech Solutions. This creative venture brought about the advertising branch of the production company's journey earning Brandon and his Living Proof Pictures team a Silver Addy Award for Best Internet Commercial.
Also in 2020 Brandon filmed the long held over Bitter Taste of Ginger starring Cueball's Sarah Cugini and Marcy Repp which travelled the festival circuit from September 2021, through all of 2022 and still in 2024 with over 30 Official Selections-- a new record for Living Proof Pictures.
Brandon and Sarah spent much of 2021 & 2022 traveling to film festivals on the circuit for Bitter Taste of Ginger. During that time the only films completed were the shorts Twice for No and Things My Sister Said and at the end Summer 2022 the feature film Finger Laced Crown began production.
