Amanda Michaels is the award-winning producer and co-director of the short film Leading Man, which premiered at Tribeca 2024 and won Most Moving Narrative Short Film.

Leading Man then went on to screen at four more Oscar-qualifying festivals, including HollyShorts London, DeadCenter, Palm Springs International ShortFest, and Out on Film where it won the jury award Runner-up for Best Drama Short.

Before becoming a producer and director, Amanda was a professional writer and photographer whose work has been featured by LA Yoga Magazine, Well.org, well+GOOD, Yoga Magazine, Om Magazine, Turtle Bay Resort, The Modern Honolulu, VibeWest, Yoganonymous, Wanderlust Yoga + Music Festival, Celestival Wellness Retreats, Sagrada Retreat Center, InsightLA Meditation Center, Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, The Palisadian Post Newspaper, Resilient Palisades, Max Alexander / Couture to the Max, Kidsave, and Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services among others.

Formerly an actor, Amanda has appeared in leading roles in over two dozen stage plays and independent films, many of which were admitted to festivals including HBO'S International Film Festival, SHRIEKFEST, Newport Beach Film Festival and others. See the International Movie Database for details.

Amanda earned her BA from UCLA in Study of World Religions with a concentration on Buddhism, Buddhist Meditation Traditions, Historical Christianity, and World Arts and Cultures.