Laura Seay

Laura grew up an expat kid and found theater early, first onstage with the Seattle Shakespeare Company. Acting became a profession, and over the years the work took different forms: stage, film, television, comedy clubs, and, eventually, directing. She’s worked with filmmakers including Steven Soderbergh and Judd Apatow, appeared across network television, and performed stand-up at The Comedy Store and the New York Comedy Festival.

Then she started making films.

The Coupon, a Kafkaesque comedy in which she also stars, played top genre festivals including Fantastic Fest, FilmQuest, Telluride Horror Show, and Vienna’s Slash. The Baldwin Archives was named one of Awards Daily’s “25 Best Shorts at HollyShorts” and played Outfest, NewFest, and many others. Her first short, Speak, premiered at the Nantucket Film Festival and later screened as a benefit for Good Shepherd Shelter, a Los Angeles transitional home for mothers and children affected by domestic violence.

Laura was selected for the Ryan Murphy Half Initiative and Sundance Collab’s Directing for Television Intensive with Dan Attias. She shadowed Monica Raymund on FBI and was a semifinalist for the Shondaland/SeriesFest Women Directing Mentorship. Her latest film, Good Evening Marshall, Good Evening Geraldine, is in post-production; its screenplay was recognized by the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition, and the project is supported by Film Independent’s fiscal sponsorship program.

The physics of a good story don’t change much. Specificity works. Vulnerability works. Something funny can hurt a little. These things seem to hold, no matter which side of the work she’s on. She finds that reassuring.

Selections & Accolades
- Ryan Murphy Half Initiative Fellow - SeriesFest Shondaland Directing Mentorship – Semi-finalist- Sundance Collab: Directing for Television Selectee - Alliance of Women Directors Member- The Coupon: Best Fantastic Short Fiends Award (Fantastic Fest), Best Short (Tohorror) Best Comedy Short & Best Short (Big Apple Film Festival) Best Comedy Short (Atlanta Underground) Finalist for Best Short (Telluride Horror Show) (FilmQuest)- Speak: Best New Filmmaker (South Dakota), Storyteller’s 1st Prize & Excellence in Narrative Storytelling (Destiny City), Curator‘s Choice Award (Walla Walla MovieCrush) - Baldwin Archives: Awards Daily’s “25 Best Shorts at Hollyshorts”
Press

“Escalating with superb satirical bite.” — Fantastic Fest (The Coupon)

“Seay has excellent command over cinematic storytelling.” — Film Threat (The Coupon)
“Highlights from the Crested Butte shorts program included LauraSeay’s deeply personal and darkly poetic narrative Speak.” — MovieMaker Magazine