About Cause Celebre

Cinema Five Films presents a limited series

Cause Célèbre

Or, A Scandalous Incident Arousing

Widespread Controversy

Each episode will reveal a twisty tale of celebrity and fame run amok, uncovering the crafty and conniving manipulations of the rich and famous — and those who desperately want to join the club.

Taking place in an established universe, each episode will interconnect with others, revisiting characters and themes to depict the alternate-reality “bubble world” of today’s celebrity scene — where there are no moral boundaries, no guilt and absolutelyno shame.

The audience will recognize characters and situations inspired by real life, but they will never guess where the stories will take them.

Patrick Donnelly entered the film business after graduating from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Cinema studies. His first break came when he obtained a staff position at Rick Levine Productions, one of the most prestigious commercial production companies at the time. He moved on to work as a Key Grip, Gaffer, Camera Operator, Director of Photography and and now as a Writer/ Producer/Director.

Patrick has worked on a wide range of projects including "GirlFight" as second unit DP, which won Best Picture at the Sundance Film Festival. "A-Alike" which won the Academy Award for best student short in 2004. He has shot 155 live performances for MTV/VH1 from some of the music industries biggest acts. He wrote, directed and shot his feature film debut with his independent movie "Divergence", which won Best Picture in 5 film festivals and is currently on Netflix.

He was Director/DP on the MTV "Rhapsody Cross Channel" commercial which won a Promax BDA Award. His "Geico/New New Years Eve" spot won Honorable Mention at the Creativity International Awards. He also won an EMMY as DP for the MTV daytime commercial, "Mio, The Seven". Patrick recently won a TELLY award as Director/Cinematographer for "James Arthur , Say you won't Let Go, VMA's" performance commercial.

Director:

Patrick Donnelly

A veteran journalist — The Hollywood Reporter, Details, Geek Magazine — he is the publisher of American Cinematographer magazine. He later served as an executive producer on the stylish HBO/Cinemax crime-noir anthology series Femme Fatales, which was sold internationally in more than a dozen territories worldwide by eOne.

Executive Producer:

David E. Williams

Meg Sudlik is currently VP Head of Production at Paramount Brand Studio, the Branded Content arm of Paramount Global. Prior to the merger with CBS, Meg was a VP Executive Producer with MTV Promos for over 15 years. Meg has worked in commercial and music video production in New York for decades and Executive Produced the film "Divergence" with Patrick Donnelly, which won Best Picture in 5 film festivals and was distributed on Netflix.

Co-Producer:

Meg Sudlik

Meet The Cast

Jacob A. Ware

Eccentric Photographer

Jacob A. Ware is an actor and screenwriter. Stars in the SHUDDER horror, An Unquiet Grave, as well as in the surreal comedy, You Wouldn't Understand (Sundance Film Festival). He can be seen in the monster thriller Flesh & Blood (2024). Instagram: @ajacobaware

Piper Verbrick

Child Star Actress

Piper Lyric Verbrick, originally from Minneapolis, completed her BFA in Drama from NYU in 2022. That being said, half of her schooling was via zoom so jury is still out on whether or not that counts. Piper now splits her time between NYC, ATL, and wherever else the work takes her. When not on set, Piper can be found co-writing/producing/acting in her own comedy content. Or sipping a frozen margarita.

Cali Scolari

Child Star Actress

Cali Scolari is a NYC Native who grew up into a family of actors, and found her own personal love for acting very early in life. She attended the Professional Performing Arts School in NYC for Middle school and High school, and went on to graduate from the full time Stella Adler Professional Conservatory in 2021. Since then, she has done numerous short films, student films, and a few pilots. She just wrapped her feature film debut- and is set to film another feature in 2024. She bounces back and forth from NYC and LA, while mainly based in NYC. Cali is very excited to continue to pursue a career in Film and Television.

Megan Owen Parker

Child Actress Agent

Megan Owen Parker is a lifelong performer whose passion for storytelling was evident at a young age when she and her brother would serenade their parents with weekly song and dance routines. Experiencing productions like RENT, Les Miserables and Angels in America instilled a deep appreciation for the power of live theatre and sparked her personal desire to take to the stage where she performed in productions of Steel Magnolias and Sabrina Fair before seamlessly transitioning to film and television. Her recent credits include lead and supporting roles in two pilot productions, two feature films, and a forthcoming short film. Beyond the spotlight, she's an ambitious entrepreneur known for fostering tight-knit communities and impactful collaborations both on and off set.

Tiana Walsh

Photographers Girlfriend

Tiana Walsh is an actress, model and author. She was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica and currently resides in New York city, United states. She graduated from Miami International University of Art and Design with a Bachelor's Degree in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics in Miami. In 2021 Tiana Walsh accomplished her first big acting debut playing a critical role in an Oscar nominated experimental short film, "to the girl that looks like me." Ms. Walsh continued excelling in the performing arts by being featured on vogue italia’s website.

Leo Gibbs

Mike The Boyfriend

Leo is an excellent Graphics and visual fx artist. He is a stuntman & and an actor & likes cookies and tequila for lunch. And cigarettes.