Today we’d like to introduce you to Omar McClinton.
Hi Omar, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born on the south side of Chicago, Illinois in the summer of 1970. I started my entertainment career when I was 13 as a local commercial and industrial film actor. I won my first award for writing from the NAACP at 16.
At 25 I wrote, produced, directed, and starred in my first independently funded film from working three jobs. This afforded him the opportunity to begin negotiations at Universal Studios to reshoot that film with a larger budget and talent attached. Soon after I arrived in Los Angeles to pursue my dream, Universal was sold and that deal fell through. Not wanting to give up, I worked my way up from the Universal Studios mailroom, delivering mail to the office that would have been mine, and started over.
From the mailroom, I moved into VFX where I became a coordinator and eventually co-owner of my own VFX company. This experience afforded me the opportunity to join 20th Century Fox and guide VFX projects for their successful Fox Kids lineup.
I returned to my first love of production by working on various films, one-hour dramas, and tv specials for The CW, Sony, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, Disney, ABC, and yes, Universal Studios.
Wanting to spend more time with my wife and kids, I moved my family back to Chicago. My years of production experience, on both big-budget tent pole projects to small low-budget non-union films proved to be a valuable asset as I continued to produce these types of projects as well as live events, and the formation of a live internet web streaming network.
In my continued endeavor to spend more time with my family, I bought a home in Florida where I now live and my son goes to college. I produce commercials and events from my home office.
Wanting the knowledge and information I’ve gathered throughout my 30+ year career to benefit as many artists as possible, especially the ones that don’t have the money or resources to pursue their dreams, I created my own independently financed production company and streaming service VA Viewz.com and I operate a yearly film festival, the Various Artists independent Flim festival (VAiFF) that gifts short film production grants and educational opportunities for its submitters.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’m embarrassed and ashamed to say not only has it been a difficult road for me, but my youthful arrogance and maverick nature made it even more difficult for me than it would have been if I’d just humbled out. I had no mentor. No role model I could talk to. I did everything the hard way. I’d made a lot of mistakes. I did what I thought I should do. Instead of listening to the people that had done it before me. I thought I knew better and tried to take the easier roads, but that only ended with me taking a long way around everything and constant pitfalls, false starts, and dead-ends in my career where I had to often start over. Now, having matured, I know what I should have done. I know what works and what doesn’t. I now try to be the mentor to others that I didn’t have so they can benefit from my triumphs and avoid my mistakes. I want to enrich the lives and careers of as many Floridians as I can.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
This is a little difficult to answer. I started my career as an actor I was a teenager working in local Chicago productions for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Chicago HMO, and McDonald’s TV back then they were called industrial films. Since then, I moved into writing because I wasn’t very happy with the film and TV roles, I was auditioning for. They always wanted a certain type of black teenager and I was more interested in playing the next evolutionary step for black teenagers, well that did not meet their expectations, so I started writing roles for myself.
I fell in love with writing, and I’ve been writing ever since. Although there is a direct correlation between writing and producing. I started my first film working two jobs during the week one job on the weekend and then directed myself in a film that I wrote and produced that did very well for me and really jumpstarted my career. Although the end result of that film did not work out how I expected, it did afford being an opportunity to go out to LA which, by way of the mailroom, eventually lead me to working into the visual effects industry as a coordinator. I eventually moved up to co-ownership of my own VFX company. This is where I became a member of the Visual Effects Society.
After a brief stint at Disney / ABC Studios as a post-production accountant, I’d eventually moved back into physical production. Restarting my career as a production coordinator to eventually producing films, television, PPV specials, commercials and eventually moved up to being the head of production at various studios throughout many locations, etc. this is where I became a member of the Producer’s Guild of America.
I mention all of this because I’ve done a lot. I’ve enjoyed them all. I often miss each position I’ve held in the industry at various times. However, the one I enjoy the most is the one I do now. I run a film festival and production company. Helping others and using the information and knowledge I’ve gained over the years, throughout all of these positions held, makes me know enough about everything to make sure others don’t do anything incorrectly. Being a mentor.
I think what helps set me apart from others is that I truly enjoy helping the people that want help. Guiding people as they navigate through this industry, through my production company and film festival is what I enjoy best.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Like everything else, if you do your best work and no one is around to see it, did you really do anything at all? I fund a lot of what I do on my own. Especially through the pandemic, I was forced to give up or dig deep. I chose to fund the festival and streaming service through the pandemic in the hopes the next generation will benefit from it. I need help in spreading the word. What I chose to do with this festival and the opportunities we provide are unlike any other festival and I need help in spreading the word and getting awareness out there so more people can take advantage of these opportunities. We have a Patreon where funds go towards education initiatives for content creators. We have online festival events and workshops. We have mentorship programs as well as short film production grants. They can support our artists through paid film submissions, advertising, and marketing with us at our events, Patreon, and tax-deductible donations. Not to mention other nonfinancial ways of supporting just by following, liking, and sharing our social media content to as many people as you can. FB: @VAiFF, Instagram: official_VAiFF and TikTok: everythingvariousartists. Everything helps.
I’m absolutely open to collaboration. I’d love to hear from anyone interested in getting things done. If not through my website vaiff.com or reaching out to me via a quick phone call at (833) VAiFF-4-U. There are always new, inventive ways we can figure out a way to make a way for people that really deserve it.
Contact Info:
- Email: omc@variousartists.tv
- Website: www.vaiff.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/official_vaiff/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VAiFF
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCudHCgdiEFddUkxgAS-I6Lw
- Other: https://anchor.fm/omar-mcclinton
