"What I love about this business is collaboration, story-telling and problem solving. Our role as a department is to help bring together a dynamic visual story in collaboration with every other creator behind the scenes, we are part of a whole with a shared vision.  My continuing pursuit is to find the harmony between the visions of the collective and my own creative inspiration " 

Tracey Henton is an expressive visual storyteller across film, commercial, television and editorial, with an impeccable skill-set that spans beauty, spfx, period and contemporary work. She is a thoughtful department head with well-honed instincts for creating nuanced characters, nurturing a flow of creativity between departments, and establishing a calm, happy trailer where talent can relax into their role prep.

Her passion and drive come from a deep study of art and design, coupled with a belief in the power of make-up craft to tell the story of a character in a very real yet unseen way. Tracey’s secret weapons on set are her free-spirited nature, egalitarian attitude and pragmatism, combined with an ability for finding unique solutions and managing resources.  

Her top five Clifton Strengths are - Maximizer, Intellection, Strategic, Adaptability, Empathy.

Tracey’s passion and expertise best intersect where she is able to lead a team that is telling a complete story, whether it be a 90 minute independent feature or a 30 second commercial. Her skills truly come to the fore when she can invest in collaborative story-telling with an interesting arc and unique characters, feeding off the passion of creative contemporaries and really flexing her design muscles. Independent films and well crafted dramas offer the ripest ground for this, and leading an independent and passionate make-up/hair crew is Tracey’s happy place.

Between film gigs, Tracey enjoys the thrill of the challenge of micro-storytelling, observing that brands offer some of the most cutting-edge ways for storytellers to do their best work. It’s also where many of the best crew cut their teeth and continue to practice their craft, and commercial directors that Tracey has had the privilege to work for include Wayne McClammy, Tom Kuntz, The Pelorian Brothers and Craig Gilespie.

Tracey distinguished herself as one of New Zealands most respected make-up department heads before moving to Los Angeles in 2005. After training in Sydney, Australia with BBC alumnus Dawn Swane, she began her career in the early years of NZ’s long-running weeknight series Shortland Street. She soon became known in NZ’s screen industry for her design leadership on high-concept local primetime shows, and for her symbiotic 2IC relationships on feature films and international TV series. Since moving to Los Angeles, Tracey has built an impressive list of credits across many screens, on work filmed everywhere from the Pacific Islands to Texas to India.

When not on set or spending time with family in New Zealand, Tracey can be found illustrating, working on "my never ending art education", up-skilling others through teaching and and collecting textiles in India.

Tracey is a member of IATSE Local 706 Make-Up Artists and Hairstylist Guild.