With his American ancestry orginating in Bourbon County, Kentucky, Banning Kent Lary is a prolific creative artist in many media. He has published hundreds of stories, articles and photographs, and has worked as editor or art director for several magazines. He was written, ghost written, edited, designed a dozen books and has consulted on many more. He has written, produced, directed and/or edited over 100 video documentaries that have been seen by millions of people around the world and won many awards for content and production excellence. His rare paintings are prized by collectors from Palm Beach to Beverly Hills – Oscar winners, physicians, lawyers, businessmen, and others such as the late actor Richard Burton. He one was of the first to incorporate digital imagery into mixed media works and founded the style of Cathartic Aestheticism and UltraRealism.
His many awards include: Telly Award; Award of Excellence, The Communicator; Outstanding People of the 20th Century; Austin Community Access Center Community Service Award; Bronze Apple – National Educational Media Festival; Crystal Award of Excellence – Communicator; Pegasus Award; Gold Award – Flagstaff International Film Festival; Top 100 Multi-media Producers in America; Certificate of Creative Excellence – International Film & Video Festival; U.S. Patents; Worldfest Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards; Listed in many volumes of Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America; IABC Best of Austin; Bronze Award Charleston; Best of ACTV Video Programming: Comedy and Community Service; Screenplay Awards; First Place USA Hometown Video Festival; Prize Stories The O. Henry Awards; Distinguished ASIS Film Competition; Security Film of the Year; PEN American Center – fiction co-winner; Bachelor of Journalism – University of Texas; Sigma Chi; Mensa; many others.