CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME FOR STAR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER LUKE PERRY IN THE TIMELY, TOUCHING UP PREMIERE MOVIE "WELCOME HOME"
Script by Jonathan Zeichner, executive director of
L.A.'s Non-Profit Youth Center "A Place Called Home"
Drama Premieres Exclusively on Sunday, September 13 at
7 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. PDT
LOS ANGELES / Television Critics Association - July 30, 2015 - Starring and executive produced by Luke Perry, the UP Premiere Movie Welcome Home tells the story of a writer who returns from vacation to find that a homeless mother and her two children have been squatting in his house, with nowhere to go. The script was written by Jonathan Zeichner, executive director of L.A.'s A Place Called Home (APCH, www.apch.org), a dynamic, non-profit youth center. Directed by James Head ("R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour," "The Dead Zone"), Welcome Home premieres exclusively on UP on Sunday, September 13 at 7 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. PDT.
Welcome Home was executive produced by Perry, Ira Pincus, John Morayniss and John Ritchie, and produced by Entertainment One Television. The film's ensemble cast includes Camille Sullivan (The Butterfly Effect, "Shattered"), Will Verchere-Gopaulsingh ("When Calls the Heart," "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce"), Kayden Magnuson ("The Whispers"), Erica Cerra ("The 100," "Eureka") and Susan Hogan (CAT. 8, The Christmas Secret).
After a hugely successful debut novel, Stewart Paylor (Luke Perry) is supposed to be delivering chapters of his new book. Unbeknownst to everyone around him, including Cynthia (Erica Cerra) his literary agent/girlfriend, Stewart has writer's block and has not written a word. His life goes even further astray when he returns home from a vacation to find a homeless mother at her breaking point, Cassandra (Camille Sullivan), and her two children, 12-year old Jake (Will Verchere-Gopaulsingh) and 9-year old Vera (Kayden Magnuson) have been squatting in his house, with nowhere to go.
Barbara Fisher, senior vice president, original programming, UP, said, "Welcome Home is one of those scripts that we knew we had to make as soon as we read it. It's a riveting and relatable story about how one crisis can change everything for a family. And how one person's help, no matter how begrudgingly given, can make a profound impact on their lives and ultimately his own."
Screenwriter Zeichner has worked for more than two decades to improve and expand the lives of underserved, homeless and mentally ill youth, families, veterans, incarcerated young men and victims of violence. At APCH, Zeichner heads up a dedicated staff providing programs and services in education, college and vocational support, music, dance, visual, performing and digital arts instruction, fitness, nutrition, gardening, counseling and a comprehensive array of additional programs to support inner-city youth 8-21 years old and their families. Prior to his leadership at APCH, Zeichner co-founded and helmed the nationally acclaimed Inside Out Community Arts, a nonprofit serving youth throughout Los Angeles via arts-based after school programming; was artistic director of the Imagination Workshop at UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Institute; and wrote, directed and acted for film, television and the theater. In 2009, Zeichner received the Southern California Center for Nonprofit Management's Award for Excellence in Leadership and Innovation.
UP presents Welcome Home, an Entertainment One Television production. Starring Luke Perry, Camille Sullivan, Will Verchere-Gopaulsingh, Kayden Magnuson, Erica Cerra and Susan Hogan. Executive Produced by Luke Perry, Ira Pincus, John Morayniss and John Ritchie. Produced by Jonathan Schwartz and Robert Lee. Directed by James Head. Casting by Candice Elzinga. Director of Photography is Ronald Richard. Edited by Mark Shearer. Screenplay by Jonathan Zeichner.
Follow the cast online at:
· www.UPtv.com
· Camille Sullivan on Twitter @CamilleSully
· Kayden Magnuson on Twitter @KaydenMagnuson
· Erica Cerra on Twitter @AirikahChaira
· www.apch.org
About UP
UP is television's trusted entertainment brand dedicated to providing viewers with "feel good TV for you and your family." UP uplifts viewers every day with premiere movies, original reality, dramatic and comedy series filled with compelling stories and characters with character. In keeping with its brand promise, UP's pro-social initiative, "Uplift Someone," inspires people to do simple, everyday acts of kindness. UP can be seen in 70 million homes on cable
systems and satellite providers across the United States. Based in Atlanta, UP is a division of UP Entertainment, LLC which also operates gMovies, the first faith-friendly streaming movie service and provides sales and operations services to the ASPiRE network.
Follow UP on the Web at www.UPtv.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UPtv, Twitter on @UPtv and Instagram at UP_TV.
About Entertainment One (eOne) Television
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is an international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company's comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea. Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 35,000 film and television titles, 2,800 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.
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