Directing stories with heart and vision

Clay Dealy is a commercial and music video director from New York, born and raised, the oldest of four boys, and a keen storyteller. Film can act as a gateway into what’s buried inside us. It can turn emotions we don’t have words for into a tangible feeling we can see and share. 

Clay studied at Binghamton University, where he laid the foundation for crafting and telling visual stories. Photography became his first real tool for exploring the world. Projects like Prattle taught him how to shape a narrative through sequencing, detail, and fleeting moments. That practice sharpened his instincts and carries directly into how he directs today. 

Performance training further informs his approach. Clay studied improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade and acting at The Acting Studio. This background enables him to work with actors in a way that feels collaborative and genuine, eliciting performances that resonate with truth rather than artifice. 

His production foundation was built as a Production Resident at WK, where he worked on campaigns for Ford, McDonald’s, and FanDuel. Immersed in the machinery of large-scale sets, he learned how budgets, timelines, and crews shape the creative process. Those lessons remain active; Clay continues to produce and AD.