Laura Gaines serves as the Director, Development & Programming at Hallmark Media. She works on original RomComs, Mysteries and Drama projects through every stage of production, working across all networks linear and non, including Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Movies Now. She brings diverse new talent, writers and creatives to Hallmark Media, focused on the expansion of the company's reach and representation. Gaines helped to launch Hallmark Media's first director mentorship program, "Make Her Mark," which strives to increase representation of women behind the camera.

Prior to Hallmark Media, Gaines worked in Series Development at FX Networks and FX Productions in Original Programming on titles such as AMERICAN HORROR STORY, THE AMERICANS, FARGO, ARCHER and TABOO. Upon leaving the cable network, she served as Director of Development at Skybound Entertainment where she sold genre television projects to Amazon Studios, Netflix, FX, HBO and USA. She started her career in Toronto, working on "Degrassi: The Next Generation" and worked as an assistant in creative development at DreamWorks Animation and WBTV.

Laura Gaines is a member of the Hollywood Radio & Television Society, where she previously served on the Executive Board for the NextGen Membership. She received her BA in Television from Pepperdine University and holds an MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management. She is based in sunny Los Angeles where she resides with her full-grown husband and toddler son.

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