Cast and Crew

Key Personnel:

Producer/Co-Writer: Chris Lieber has produced a diverse offering of narrative works including the award winning shorts Hood Bruthas and Siren. Other projects include Easy and the original Hangman short movie. Chris has also directed several projects including The Box and the Hangman Lives proof of concept television pilot. He is currently developing a number of projects including Monstrocity, a Horror feature, Hood, a feature based on the Hood Bruthas short, and The Orbis Report a Sci-Fi Graphic Novel..

Producer: Matthew Lehman is a businessman, raised in the Eastern Sierra with a passion for local history. Matthew earned a Secretary of Navy appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; later receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate from Marylhurst University in Oregon. As a former Mayor and Councilman for Mammoth Lakes (2010-2014), Matthew has a proven love for the Eastern Sierra. One of Matthew’s goals is to transmute his knowledge of the area and preserve our fading history of the old west through film.

Producer: Mark Moore is a cinematographer, producer, and visual effects specialist with over 40 years of Hollywood experience. After earning his MFA from Washington State University, Moore joined the founding team of Digital Domain—co-founded by James Cameron, Stan Winston, and Scott Ross—where he oversaw physical production on landmark films including Titanic, Apollo 13, True Lies, and The Fifth Element. He later served as head of Physical Production for Visual Effects at Walt Disney Studios, working on films including Armageddon. Moore has collaborated with directors including James Cameron, Michael Bay, Tony Scott, Spike Lee, Kathryn Bigelow, Ron Howard, and David Fincher. He currently teaches film production at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

Producer: Debra Mitchell is the principal of Baja Posse Movies LLC and a Certified Public Accountant with a background in financial structuring and independent film development. Mitchell brings industry networking, investor relations, and producing support to the Death in Convict Canyon team across all phases of development and production. 

Co-Writer: Michael David MacBride is a writer and researcher who received his doctorate in 19th century American Literature and focused his studies on lynching and vigilante violence. He has published scholarly work in that area of study, with additional publications about the life and work of Mark Twain. His most recent non-fiction project was a biography of Merton Clivette (1868-1931) that he wrote in collaboration with the surviving family members of the Clivette estate. Michael has also researched and published about the 1960s/1970s gay rights movement, and has published several novels. He lives just outside of the Twin Cities with his family.

Author: Jim S. Reed wrote the book Fatal Affair in Convict Canyon, the book that inspired the Death in Convict Canyon feature film concept. Raised in McGill and later a Carson City resident, Jim specialized in environmental law and had a distinguished public service career, including helping write the iconic California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and serving on the Board of Governors of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. Jim passed away in late 2025, and we are proud to honor his legacy through this adaptation of his work.

The Producing Team: Death in Convict Canyon is helmed by an experienced team of five equal producers bringing complementary expertise across creative development, production, finance, and location. The team has been developing this project from the ground up — from acquiring the source material to building the production infrastructure now in place.

Director: A seasoned DGA director with more than 200 credits across 27 states and 15 countries has formally joined the project. With deep experience in large-scale adventure and period production, the director brings a clear cinematic vision: grounded, gritty, and real — in the tradition of Deadwood and Unforgiven rather than the polished Hollywood western.

Cast: The producing team and director are actively pursuing established name talent for the two lead roles. Our targets are proven performers with strong international pre-sale value whose careers align with the prestige western genre. Supporting roles will draw from the same high-caliber pool, with an eye toward authentic physical types who can inhabit this world convincingly.

Below the Line: Key crew positions are being assembled through the producing team's established industry networks, including Motion Picture Academy members, experienced department heads in cinematography, production design, costume, sound, and post-production. The team is also working closely with Nevada's regional film infrastructure to maximize local crew hiring in the production corridor.