Grays attended Occidental College where he studied philosophy: a discipline offering a unique and comprehensive way to think about his queer identity, and how, as a queer person, one moves through the world. During his time at Oxy, Grays started the Oxy Film Studio, a student production club meant to bring more resources and opportunities to student filmmakers. As president, Grays hosted numerous camera workshops with local production companies and established an ongoing educational partnership with SLAMDANCE Film Festival. While at school he also spent his time interning at production companies such as The Arlook Group and HBO.
Growing up in Colorado greatly influenced Grays’ work, experiencing the integration of the meditative but enlivening pace of nature with the frenetic energy of a city, as well as the marked contrast between the loneliness of the city with that of the mountains. His work centers around queer subjects and the queer experience, informed by philosophical thought and the poetics of difference. He sees the camera as a way forward through change and representation and, especially, a device to connect to each viewer through their experiences.