Leanne Melissa Bishop

Leanne is a Nova Scotian award-winning writer / director / producer / actress and CPA, who trained at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. Through her company Penguin Pictures, she has written, produced, directed, and starred in numerous award-winning films including, The Weight of Perfection (Best Actress), Tell Me Something (Best Actress and Screenwriting), Reservations For Three? (Best Short), Candice & Peter’s Smokin’ Hot Date (Best Short), and In Search Of (Best Short). Leanne has several feature films in development including, WHAT IF, starring Lea Thompson and Kevin Pollak, the supernatural thriller CLEOPATRA’S NEEDLE (top 10% of Academy Nicholl Fellowship, 2nd Round of Austin Film Festival), the inspirational sports drama STRENGTH, and KILL EASY with Stone Cold Productions. Leanne is also developing numerous TV series, including a series starring NYC’s own film icon Radioman, and the comedy, Possum, with showrunner Anthony Q. Farrell. She is the proud winner of the Mary Austin Award for Excellence in Producing.

Penguin Pictures was formed by Leanne Bishop & Michael Mason with the mandate of producing life-changing film and television projects with distinctive, diverse, under- represented creatives and talent. Leanne is a CPA who trained at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in NYC, and has written, produced, and starred in award-winning films, including The Weight of Perfection, and Reservations For Three?. Michael is a graduate of Norman Jewison’s Canadian Film Centre. He produced and edited A BUG AND A BAG OF WEED as well as numerous shorts, including Burgeon And Fade, which starred Sarah Gadon and premiered at TIFF.