About Us
"Mantel was formed when three transcontinental nerds decided to push their metaphorical glasses up and create a production house that develops and co-finances films for genre lovers everywhere.
Our vision is to push the boundaries of what it means to be a horror, sci-fi, and fantasy film, while still creating that sense of escapism genre fans crave and enjoy. Unique and powerful storytelling will always stand the test of time and our goal is make narratives that will keep people talking and listening around the fireplace. Or at least watching their TV above the Mantel.
The Team
The People of MANTEL
Michael Marchand
Producer
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Michael has been passionate about storytelling since childhood, beginning as an actor and later studying film at Burlington College, where he honed his craft on 16mm and 35mm cameras. Starting his career in sound, he learned how audio shapes emotion and narrative. His background as a snowboard coach fostered a collaborative, team oriented approach on set. Michael transitioned to producing to be involved in every stage of storytelling, and during the pandemic, he went all in teaming up with director Z. W. Amundson to produce two short films and several commercial projects.
David van der Meijde
Director/DP
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David van der Meijde was born in 1991 in The Netherlands in a very creative environment; his father is a successful photographer and his mother was a famous hat designer.
The real magic happened when he went to the movies and saw Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings on the big screen. The worlds on the big screen captivated him and he
knew he wanted to make movies. One of his most recent films “Koers”, was a runner up against “I’m not a robot” at the NFF (Netherlands Film Festival), which has won an oscar in 2025 for best short film.
Zachary Amundson
Writer/Director
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Growing up in central Ohio, Zach didn’t discover his passion for filmmaking until the end of his Business and Communications degree at The Ohio State University. It wasn’t until seeing the first Hobbit live-action film that something clicked—and soon after, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in film. ​ Since landing in NYC in 2013, Zach has written and produced the feature film Dwarves of Demrel which saw distribution in more than a dozen territories and was bought by Amazon. Since then, Zach has co-written and shot numerous short films. His directorial debut, “First Date”, was nominated for Best International Short Film at the Paris Arts & Movie Awards and his second short film “Don’t Vanish“ was a quarter finalists for best short at film the Golden International Film Festival while also picking up an award for best cinematography at the Florence Film Awards.