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.
Career
Texas
Tracie Laymon was born and raised in Houston, Texas.[1][2] She pursued film studies at the University of Texas at Austin.[3] Laymon served as assistant director on the music video "Frijolero" by the Mexico-based band Molotov, which won a Latin Grammy Award.[4] In 2004, she received recognition for her work on the music video "better?" for the group 54 Seconds,[5] which won the SXSW Jury Award that same year.[4] She spent time in Austin, Texas, creating short films and worked on the production staff of The Real World: Austin.[4]
California
Tracie Laymon worked as a production assistant on the 2007 film Blades of Glory[1] and served as office manager for the 2008 film U2 3D.[2] By 2009, she was based in Los Angeles as a filmmaker.[3] In May 2009, her music video "Falling From Mars," featuring musician Alyssa Campbell, won the Music Video Award at the on Location: Memphis International Film Festival.[4] Laymon directed the short film Inside, which premiered at the Milan International Film Festival in May 2009 and was nominated for Best Short Film at the festival.[5] Additionally, she was featured as part of the Independent Film Channel's "IFC Icons," highlighting her contributions to film and video.[6]
