He moved to the United States in 1990 and studied various aspects of filmmaking at Los Angeles City College, ranging from directing,[1] and screenwriting to editing.
He joined a film production firm and honed his skills as a producer.
His commercial directorial debut was in 2001 with A Tale of a Desert Island (Mujintō Monogatari).
The movies Chiba directed include, Ganryu Island (Ganryūjima), Toho's 2003 period film starring Masahiro Motoki.
Chiba established North CKY, Inc., his own production outfit, in December 2006 and has been the CEO of the company since its inception.