Leilani was a pre-med student at UC Berkeley when she realized the power of cinema to heal. She subsequently went on to receive her MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she first met Dean and collaborated on numerous productions with him. In addition to her work as a screenwriter and script doctor, Leilani freelances as a consulting editor. Dean calls her the film whisperer because of her ability to transform films in post-production.