Gunther’s People - Who We Are…

Abby Dees & Traci Samczyk

Abby Dees is an attorney, writer, and radio journalist with over 35 years’ experience advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and social justice. She’s a Beatles fanatic, old-school soul music hound, cyclist, photographer (on real film!), ham radio operator, singer, guitarist, spontaneous commentator, and failed rock star (at least for now). She is non-stop curious about any shiny thing in her path—often to the frustration and concern of her loved ones. Of late she has taken up the art of lock-picking but vows to use her skills lawfully and only for good. Abby has traveled up, down, and around the world only to discover that people really are people, however different they might seem at first. Lately, though, this Los Angeles native is happiest back in her hometown, on the sofa with her partner, Traci, and their four cats - a cup of tea in hand, and a British crime drama on TV.

As a small-town Michigan gal with an unquenchable desire to explore, Traci Samczyk first set off to Nashville, where she began her career in entertainment. She started out managing recording studios and soon she was shepherding recording and video projects at Arista Records and Warner Bros. Records. She worked with artists like Green Day, Madonna, Alan Jackson, and Brad Paisley. When she moved to Los Angeles she switched to film (of course!) and became an accomplished creative and management professional at Warner Bros. Pictures, specializing in the creation of award-winning content for blockbusters like the Harry Potter films, The Dark Knight, Sex In The City, A Star Is Born, Wonder Woman, IT, and The Conjuring. Traci is as passionate (well, obsessed) about travel as ever. She’s visited over 60 countries and maintains a list of places she hasn’t been to yet. She’s always excited to learn about other cultures, taste new food, meet new people, and nurture the creative spirit. Above all that, though, Traci’s greatest love is animals. She’s traveled to some of the world’s most remote places to see a particular species in its habitat. And every so often she can even lure her partner, Abby, off the sofa with the promise of a penguin sighting or a big cat encounter somewhere very far from L.A.