| Nick Leisure | |
| Birth Name: | Nicholas Lee |
| Birth Place: | Sacramento, California |
| Occupation: | Film director and producer |
| Years Active: | 2006-present |
Nick Leisure (born 1977) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his feature films A Clear Shot (2019) starring Mario Van Peebles,[1] and Last the Night (2022) starring Brian Austin Green.[2] He is also the CEO and founder of the production company Leisure Films.
Leisure was born in Sacramento, California.[3] He was raised by his Chinese mother and grandmother, and attended high school in South Sacramento.[4]
Leisure began his career as a director and cinematographer for commercials and music videos, working with clients such as Toyota, Ray-Ban, the NBA and the NFL. He has also shot promotional content for local professional athletes, including Jason Thompson, Ruthie Bolton, Vernon Davis and Stephen Curry.
Leisure co-directed the 2011 comedy film The Lot, alongside Dawn Dais. In 2013, Leisure directed the short film The Root of All Evil, for which he won an award at the Sacramento International Film Festival. Leisure made his solo feature debut in 2016 with the comedy film Janitors.[5]
Since 2018, Leisure has partnered with Baja Studios in Rosarito, Mexico to shoot his feature films.[6]
In 2019, Leisure directed A Clear Shot, starring Mario van Peebles as a detective negotiating a hostage situation during an electronics store robbery, based on a 1991 true story.[7] [8]
Leisure next directed Last the Night (2022), a pandemic-thriller starring Brian Austin Green as a teacher who seeks revenge against his cruel students.[9]
Leisure is a founding member of the Hollywood North Film Studio Project, an investor group advocating to build a film studio in Sacramento.[10] In 2024, Leisure called for the resignation of Sacramento's film and media commissioner Jennifer West, citing her failure to attract film productions to the city.[11]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Lot | |||
| 2016 | Janitors | |||
| 2019 | A Clear Shot[12] | |||
| 2021 | Lance Woods: Undeniable | |||
| One and the Same | ||||
| 2022 | Last the Night | |||
| 2024 | Golden[13] | |||
| New Year’s Absolution[14] |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Root of All Evil | ||||
| 2014 | 11 Minutes | ||||
| 2015 | A Cry for Vengeance |