Chrystian Tracey

Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Chrystian Tracey's career in the arts began as a teen aged musician playing local punk rock nightclubs in Detroit based band the Young Turks. After hearing loss forced him to retire from music prematurely, Tracey focused his artistic attention on filmmaking, attending the University of Michigan. During this period, while preparing to enter law school upon graduation, his academic research centered on the social and economic inequities which had befallen his home town during the economic crisis of 2008. Studying under investigative journalist M.L. Elrick and with the direct supervision of Executive Producer H. James Gilmore, his first project, In the Red (2012) took an in depth glance at the failures of social welfare programs provided by the state of Michigan. After receiving the university's top prize in multiple media presentation for his efforts, Tracey received scholarship and an open invitation to complete his senior thesis in film. Working closely with professor Jennifer Proctor, his next effort, A Conversation with Angels (2013), focused on harnessing his skills in the realm of narrative storytelling, cinematography and direction.