Leanna Creel embarked on a television career, initially appearing in series such as Parent Trap III in 1989 and Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Fashion in 1991. Her most notable role was that of Tori Scott in the popular television show Saved by the Bell, which she began in 1989. Creel's academic pursuits led her to graduate from UCLA in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, honours in History, and later, in 1996, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film & Television.
In 1997, Creel shifted her focus from acting to film production, making her directorial debut with the movie Mixed Signals, starring Jason London. Her subsequent productions included Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 in 1998 and Get Over It in 2001. In 2001, Creel also wrote and directed her short film Offside, a poignant tale of the Christmas Truce of 1914, where British and German soldiers momentarily put aside their hostilities to engage in a game of soccer in no man's land.
In 1997, Creel co-founded the production company Ignite Entertainment, and later, in 1999, she resigned to establish her own independent production company, Anomaly Productions.
