Traci Hays is a DGA award–nominated director known for crafting female-centric, genre-blending stories with a strong visual edge. With nearly two decades of experience in film and television, she has directed features for A&E, FOX Entertainment, Tubi, and Roku across the United States, Mexico, and the UK.
Traci is currently in post-production on her seventh feature, the Roku Original rom-com Cowboy Hearts, starring Kristin Cavallari. Most recently, she directed the Lifetime Original Kidnapped in Her Own Home: The Martha Carelli Story, starring Stana Katic and based on the work of New York Times bestselling author Ann Rule. Additional directing credits include the FOX Entertainment-produced Tubi Original On the Run, winner of four Telly Awards; the international dark comedy My Bloody Galentine; and the psychological thriller Blood, Sweat and Cheer, named one of Tubi’s Top 10 Originals by Vulture and Screen Rant.
Traci’s bold visual style is rooted in over a decade of production design experience across more than 30 film and television projects with A-list talent including Michael Shannon, Kate Hudson, and Josh Duhamel. A cum laude graduate of Chapman University, she honed her craft under the mentorship of filmmakers Randal Kleiser (Grease), Martha Coolidge (Valley Girl), and Oscar-nominated production designer Lawrence G. Paull (Back to the Future). Her design background deeply informs her directing through meticulous attention to detail, cinematic scope, and immersive world-building that elevate the storytelling.
Born with a rare congenital heart condition and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Traci is deeply committed to giving back. She serves as the LA Region Leader for the Children’s Heart Foundation and Board President of Moonshot Initiative, a female-focused nonprofit supporting underrepresented voices in media.