Tracie Laymon

Tracie Laymon is an American screenwriter, producer, and film director. Raised in Houston, Texas, she studied film at the University of Texas at Austin. Laymon began her film career in Texas, where she created music videos and short films recognized at various film festivals.

After college, Laymon moved to California, working as a production assistant on the 2007 film *Blades of Glory*. Her short film *Inside* premiered in 2009 at the Milan International Film Festival, winning the Best Short Film award from the Women’s Image Network.

She directed *Goodnight Burbank*, recognized as the first half-hour comedy series for the internet, which premiered on Hulu in April 2011 and was acquired by Mark Cuban for HDNet later that year. Her short film *A Hidden Agender* premiered at the Dallas International Film Festival and won the Jury Award for Best Dark Comedy at WorldFest Houston.

Laymon was named to the Independent Film Channel's list of emerging "Icons" and "Film Innovators." She has worked on various projects, including a segment of the women’s anthology film *Girls!Girls!Girls!*, which starred Elaine Hendrix and Octavia Spencer. Her scripted material has received multiple accolades, including Best Screenplay at the LA Comedy Festival and Best TV Pilot at HollyShorts.

Her 2018 short film *Mixed Signals* premiered at the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts and won several awards for Best Director at various festivals. Laymon has also directed a proof-of-concept pilot for Tess Allen's *Matched* and served as an observing director on Showtime's *Shameless*. She has taught animation and live-action filmmaking at organizations like Ghetto Film School and on Stanford and Berkeley campuses.

Her latest short film, *Ghosted*, has received multiple awards, including Best Director at the Big Bear Film Summit and Best Short Film at the Seattle Film Festival.