ABOUT US

Hello! My name is Clark Gaines, and I want to welcome you to Gaines Productions. I am happily married to my lovely wife, Kaytlin, and we currently live in Northeast Georgia. Kaytlin is an elementary school teacher and one of the biggest supporters of me and my business. Without her and many other people, I simply would not have been able to turn this dream into a reality. I encourage you to read more about me and this business below - if you’d like!

My Story

In 2013, God absolutely changed my life. Two major things happened that made me the man I am today. I lost something, and I found something.

On November 10, 2013, I lost something. One of my very best friends, Matt Walters, died in a car accident. The pain I endured was unfathomable, and I still hurt to this day. We grew up building forts together, skateboarding, playing football and just being kids. But the thing I remember most about Matt was the conversations I had with him.

Matt and I talked a lot about life, especially during football practice. We discussed our future goals & dreams and where we hoped we would end up together in college. I often think back about some of the things I told him… like how I was going to be a landscape architect! Man, was I wrong about that.

If I’m being honest though, I was upset with God for taking Matt from this Earth. There was so much life he had left to live. However, as time goes on I see that this situation has actually brought more positive than negative effects in my life. I miss Matt tremendously, but a short time after he died I found something.

I found a way to express my emotions, tell my stories, and share my experiences with other people.

I found videography.

Instead of bottling up my emotions from the heartache of losing Matt and moving away from my hometown, I began to make a video. I didn’t know what I was doing at the time, but it felt good. It felt really good to cry after watching this a few hundred times while editing it. This video is a glimpse of what life was like when Matt was around.

Though I look back on this video and cringe at some of the cheesy acting and shaky camera movements, I can assure you that this came straight from my heart. And with each project I have worked on since then, I add some of my heart to everything I do - because it feels so good to create.

After my high school days, I carried this newfound love of cameras to the University of Georgia. There, God opened the door for me to work for the Georgia Bulldogs as a Student Video Manager. As a manager, I had the privilege of filming Kirby Smart’s defensive end-zone shot everyday at practice and during game-days. That’s something you don’t want to screw up! This job allowed me to travel the United States and meet new people who I now call friends. Each day I learned a little something about accountability, communication, professionalism and hard work.

This job also gave me another opportunity to do something I could have only dreamt of doing - proposing to my high school sweetheart in Sanford Stadium. At the end of my four years as a Dawg, I had finally completed a three-year project that I would use to ask Kaytlin to marry me. This video took a lot of time, but it paid off when she said yes!

After graduating college with a degree in Health & Physical Education, God opened yet another door. My alma mater, Franklin County High School, had just started an Audio/Video Tech & Film class in 2019 and was looking for a new teacher. I have a major passion for teaching and coaching, so applying for the job was a no-brainer. I ended up taking the teaching position and enjoying every second of it. Quickly, I started to see high school students gravitate not only to my class, but to filmmaking and photography. They began applying knowledge and skills that they were learning in my class. Learning truly is a beautiful process.

Which brings me to the year 2020.

After a lot of learning about myself, praying, reading God’s Word, self-reflecting and seeking wise counsel I decided to begin a business - this business. Gaines Productions manifested from a dream that I had years ago to reality. Though the year 2020 probably has a 0.2/5.0 stars on Amazon, it was a very important year in my life. I grew exponentially.

God has called me and abundantly blessed me to start this business. However, he doesn’t want me to just offer media services as a part time job but as a full-time gig. Though it was a difficult decision to give up a great teaching job and take a total leap of faith, I am confident that God will lead and guide me in this endeavor. He will provide. Anytime I ever have doubt about this decision (which I do a lot), I am always reminded of Proverbs 3:5.

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. - Proverbs 3:5

Had I settled on my own understanding in 2013, I would not be in this position today. There is nothing awesome about me, but I sure do have an awesome Savior in Jesus.

The rest of this story is yet to be written. I know there will be some highs and lows, rising and falling actions, and a lot of plot twists, but in the end God will be glorified.