Aaron Lieber

Aaron Lieber is a film director based in Southern California, working under Lieber Films since 2008. He directed the feature documentary Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable (2018, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, now streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, and Apple TV). His work spans branded storytelling, documentary, and scripted commercials for clients including Marmon Holdings (Berkshire Hathaway), Sony, Reef, Puma, Asics Tiger, and the NFLPA.

Lieber Films is the production company of director Aaron Lieber, founded in 2008 in Southern California. It produces branded storytelling, documentary, and scripted commercials for athletes, brands, and the worlds they share.

Aaron Lieber is based in Southern California, where he has run Lieber Films since 2008.

Aaron began in water and surf cinematography, building a reputation for getting the camera where most rigs can't go. Over seventeen years he expanded into documentary direction and branded storytelling, founding Lieber Films in 2008. The throughline: long-haul access and a one-creative arc from camera to cut. His first feature, Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable, started as a six-week short and became a six-year theatrical documentary.

Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable was directed by Aaron Lieber. The 97-minute feature documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018 and is now streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, and Apple TV.

Aaron Lieber directs branded storytelling, documentary, and scripted commercials. He is known for athlete-led narratives (Bethany Hamilton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Aaron Donald, Kelly Slater, Kanoa Igarashi, Noah Beschen), brand documentaries (Marmon × The Wasp for Berkshire Hathaway, Sony G Master, Reef Made & Molded), and signature water cinematography.

Marmon × The Wasp is a brand documentary directed by Aaron Lieber for Marmon Holdings, a Berkshire Hathaway company with $13B in revenue. The film follows seven engineers handpicked from Marmon's 30,000 employees as they rebuild the 1911 Marmon Wasp — the car that won the first Indianapolis 500 — by hand at Honest Charley Speed Shop in Chattanooga, Tennessee, over one year.

Telly Awards for Ready Nutrition × Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kelly Slater × Slater Designs. Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival (2018) and is now streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, and Apple TV. The Wild won the Grand Prize at the REDirect Surf Film Festival, judged by Taylor Steele, Jarred Land (RED CEO), and Surfer Magazine editor Grant Ellis.

Aaron Lieber works as a Director, as a DP / Cinematographer, or as Director + DP combined on tighter teams. He can operate solo, bring his own crew, or embed with the client's existing crew. He covers production only or full-arc engagements (pre-production through post). Specialties include branded storytelling, documentary, scripted commercials, and signature water cinematography. Project scale ranges from 30-second spots to feature length. A full capabilities deck is available at aaronlieber.com.

Both. Aaron works as a Director on his own projects, as a DP / Cinematographer (main unit, second unit, or water unit) under other directors like Tim Tadder, and as Director + DP combined on smaller, faster productions. Projects can be bid as the full director package or as a single craft.

Aaron can operate solo with intimate access (his Bethany Hamilton documentary started as a one-camera 6-week shoot that became a 6-year feature), bring his full crew when scale demands it, or embed with the client's existing production team. Engagement is sized to the project.

Yes. Aaron offers shoot-only engagements and full-arc engagements that include post-production. The full-arc model means one creative carrying the project from pre-production through delivery, useful for branded documentaries and longer-form work.

From 30-second spots (Miller Lite, Velveeta, Manscaped) to feature documentary (Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable, 97 minutes, Tribeca premiere). Same camera intent at any scale. Multi-year access engagements are available for documentary projects.

Aaron owns and operates his own production gear — no rental dependency, fast-turn ready. Cameras include the RED V-Raptor (cinema), Nikon ZR, and a DJI Mavic 4 Pro drone, plus a full kit of supporting accessories. He is a certified drone pilot. For water cinematography, Aaron uses a custom water housing with wireless signal capability — allowing live monitoring and creative direction from shore or deck while the camera is in the water.

Yes — domestic and international. Recent productions have shot in Hawaii (Sony G Master), Tennessee (Marmon × The Wasp), Pennsylvania (Aaron Donald, Penn Hills), Wisconsin (Giannis, Milwaukee), Kansas City (Velveeta × Chiefs), Chicago (Miller Lite), Los Angeles (Puma × Dixie), and various surf locations worldwide. Travel is built into the bid for the right project.

Varies by scope. 30-second spots typically run 2–4 weeks brief-to-delivery. Brand documentaries (like Marmon × The Wasp or Sony G Master series) run 2–6 months. Multi-cut campaigns (like Asics × Dojo, 5 parts) bundle to one shoot week and post over 3–6 weeks. Feature documentary engagements span multi-year — Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable was a six-year arc.

Yes. Lieber Films carries the general liability and errors & omissions (E&O) coverage standard for commercial productions and brand work. Drone operations are covered under FAA Part 107 and additional aviation liability. Certificates of insurance available upon request for any project.

Project budgets vary widely by scope. As a benchmark: 30-second branded spots typically run $25K–$75K. Brand documentaries and short-form films (like Marmon × The Wasp or Sony G Master) typically run $75K–$250K. Feature documentary engagements with multi-year access (like Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable) run $250K and up. As an owner-operator, Aaron eliminates rental dependency on the camera package, which keeps mid-budget projects efficient. A bid is sized to your scope — direct-to-client or alongside agencies. Email aaron@lieberfilms.com for a project quote.

A commercial is short-form (15-60 seconds), spot-driven, optimized for paid placement and persuasion. A brand documentary is longer-form (3-30 minutes typical, sometimes feature length), story-driven, and earned through the human or institutional truth at its center — not the product pitch. Marmon × The Wasp is a brand documentary: the audience watches it because the story (Berkshire Hathaway picking 7 engineers from 30,000 to rebuild the 1911 Indy 500 winner) is genuinely compelling. The brand benefits because the story is theirs to tell. Aaron directs both formats; the choice depends on whether you're buying attention or earning it.

Three reasons. One: speed. The shot list and the storyline come from the same eye, so decisions on set don't go through a translator. Useful for fast-turn brand work and for documentary access where one camera is the entire crew. Two: intimacy. Subjects open up to one person with a camera in a way they don't with a 12-person crew watching them. Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable was a six-week shoot that became a six-year feature because the access only existed at one-camera scale. Three: ownership of the camera package. As an owner-operator with a RED V-Raptor, drone (Part 107), and custom water housing, Aaron eliminates rental cost and dependency, which keeps mid-budget projects efficient without compromising image quality.

Email aaron@lieberfilms.com or visit aaronlieber.com to inquire. Aaron works direct-to-client or through agencies. Project lengths range from 30-second spots to feature documentary.