Welcome to Desert Penguin Pictures
Desert Penguin Pictures is headed by Cathleen O’Connell,
an independent documentary producer based in Boston.
In Production
Nancy Drew: The Case of the American Icon explores
the history and cultural influence of America’s favorite
"girl" detective, who for nearly 100 years, has inspired generations to be brave, curious and bold.
Produced in association with
The Center for Independent Documentary
Nancy Drew: The Case of the American Icon has been made possible in part by a major grant from
the National Endowment for the Humanities:
Democracy demands wisdom.
Who We Are
About Cathleen
Cathleen O’Connell is an independent documentary producer based in Boston. Her films shine a light on lesser known but important facets of American culture – stories found when you exit the interstate and pull onto blue highways and back roads. Her broadcast credits include non-fiction programming for PBS, Animal Planet, The History Channel and Discovery Channel.
About Desert Penguins
We love deserts and we love penguins, hence Desert Penguin Pictures. (Someone once said it sounded like a Zen kōan, and we like that as an origin story as well.) Team Desert Penguin is a pool of talented collaborators - a flock of rare birds, although we don't wear tuxedos very often. (Above is a Scottish penguin at the Edinburgh Zoo. When traveling, Desert Penguins seek out their brothers and sisters around the world.)
Previous work - broadcast
The shocking story of Leopold and Loeb and the "Crime of the Century"
Producer/Director
Biography of Robert "Believe It Or Not" Ripley
Producer/Director/Writer
Orson Welles' infamous 1938 radio broadcast
Producer/Director
A documentary about contemporary and historical Native American marching bands. A co-production with Vision Maker Media and produced in association with the Center for Independent Documentary
Producer/Director/Writer
Time Capsule: Message In A Bottle
The past, present, and future of time capsules
Producer/Director/Writer/Editor
Previous work - festival shorts
- New England Online Film Festival, 2020 (*Jury Prize - Runner Up Short Docs)
- Boston GlobeDocs, 2019
- IFFBoston, 2019
- Femme Film Fest Lowell, 2019
- Waltham Film Factory Shorts Fest, 2018* (*Film Factory Pick Award)
The Beautiful Worlds of David Riley
Find out more about David and his work at www.davidrileyartist.com
- Newburyport Documentary Film Festival, 2022 (*Special Jury Award)
- GlobeDocs Film Festival, 2022