Clay Ayers

A distinct voice in the film industry, Clay Ayers is known for his highly refined and iconoclastic sense of story and structure. Taking on projects ranging from biopics to psychological thrillers to inspiring urban dramas, he infuses his stories with a rich sense of character and human fallibility. It was at Portland State University that Ayers first discovered his talent for writing. Following a successful stint as a copywriter, he was recognized for his creative vision when he wrote the stage play "Kicking", and subsequently was invited to join a Portland-based film group to develop the project "Netherland". Ayers was eventually lured to Hollywood with encouragement from Warner Brothers Studios for his early scripts, "Going Straight" and "The Closer." While continuing to hone his skills on character-driven screenplays like "Corporate Raiders," Ayers' background with motorcycles led him to Paisano Publications where (as a writer/Associate Editor) he became known for his recognizable style in magazines like Easyriders, Biker, In the Wind, and VQ. After helping launch Quick Throttle, a magazine that caters to street-racing, Ayers became the show-runner for Easyriders around the country. It was during this time that Ayers's script, "No Cops With Wedding Rings", caught the attention of A Band Apart (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill) who hired Ayers to write on multiple, consecutive feature projects for A Band Apart/Miramax. Ayers then loaned his pen to Universal Studios #1 box office thriller "The Watcher" (Keanu Reeves, James Spader, Marisa Tomei), and went on to be a commissioned writer for 20th Century Fox. Ayers's unique background and advocacy work with at-risk youth led to his distinguished role as the keynote speaker for all of Los Angeles County Correctional facilities and, more recently, he was honored to write "What I Got" - the story of Sublime's Bradley Nowell.