LEONARDO WARNER

WRITER | PRODUCER | DIRECTOR

Leonardo Michael Warner was born on June 28th, 1984 in the Spanish region of Andalusia. He shares dual citizenship with the United States and Italy. Growing up, he was fascinated by blockbusters such as the 1975 classic (Jaws) and 1993’s (Jurassic Park). After his mother introduced him to the Italian neorealism movement of the 50’s and 60’s, He was determined to pursue a career in filmmaking. He cites Steven Spielberg, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Darren Aranofsky as his biggest influences. Warner went on to receive formal production training in Winter Park FL, graduating in 2004 with an (AS) degree in film and television production.
 
Leonardo got his start on film sets as a production assistant and as a grip in the electrical departments. His first job out of film school was on the indie film (Southern Belles) 2004, starring Anna Faris (Scary Movie) and Justin Chambers (Grey’s Anatomy). In 2009 Leonardo wrote and directed his first short film, a bio-drama based on the artist Michelangelo’s discovery by the Medici family in Renaissance Florence.
 
In 2016 Leonardo wrote, directed and produced his first full-length feature, (Madhouse Mecca). The film was produced entirely in the Virginia Beach area where he currently lives. It was made on a shoestring budget and shot in only three weeks.

"I wanted to create something relatablE to multiple generations but also deeply personal and I felt the only way to accomplish that was to show these characters as deeply flawed individuals with the same worries and insecurities most of us deal with on a daily basis. I wanted the characters in this film to be human."

ELIZABETH AYERS

PRODUCER

Elizabeth Ayers is an American film producer, director, screenwriter and actor. She is the CEO of Jane & June Entertainment, a film production company in Los Angeles.
 
Ayers has acted in several films and television series including, Redemption Road (Director, Mario Van Peebles), Nashville (ABC Series), Three’s A Pain (Amazon Prime) and countless short films.

In 2015, Ayers produced the award winning short film, Circumvent, alongside Strong Will Entertainment. She went on to write and produce, Southbound starring Scott Evans. She is the writer, producer and director of mini-series, I Just Can’t Life Right Now and short films, Intuition and L’oranger. Ayers is currently producing feature films, Sam & Lizzie and In Still Water. 

OWEN PALMIOTTI

CO-WRITER | PRODUCER | EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

​Owen Palmiotti is a novelist and a screenwriter. His resume includes the young adult fiction trilogy "The Adventures of Benjamin Manry", and the award-winning short film, (Icebox), where he met actor/producer Tony Denman. Palmiotti is originally from New York and is a former U.S. Naval Reservist and Merchant Marine.
 
He currently lives in Northern Virginia and works full time dealing in seafarer and vessel documentation. Owen has also published two ‘flash fiction’ pieces and is currently working on various film projects in the development and pre-production stages. "Madhouse Mecca" is his first full-length feature film.

TONY DENMAN

ACTOR | PRODUCER

Tony Denman started in the industry at age ten with acting parts in Grumpy Old Men, Little Big League, and Beautiful Girls. At fourteen he played Scotty Lundegaard in the Coen Brother's 1996 critically acclaimed film, (Fargo). Since then he has worked steadily through the years as an actor starring in movies such as (Sorority Boys) and (National Lampoon's Dorm Daze) trilogy.
 
He began work as a writer and producer with the short film, Little Larry, which was shortlisted for the Virgin Media Awards in 2012 and since then has written and produced several short films including, Ukulele Lessons, Icebox and more.
 
Madhouse Mecca is Denman's first feature-length project as co-producer. 

HUNTER CHAPMAN

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Hunter Chapman is an American Cinematographer, Director and Editor. He is the CEO of Carolina Moonlight Productions, a film production company headquartered in North Carolina.
 
He has worked on 50+ music videos, short films and feature films as a Director of Photography,
 
Camera Operator and Editor for names such as, Willie Nelson and Andy Morahan.
 
His recent works include feature films, Madhouse Mecca and The Possession Experiment and short film, Southbound starring Scott Evans.