Directors
Corinna Thuss
Corinna is the Managing-Director of the successful FilmOneFest with over 2000 in attendance and spearheads their fundraising efforts.
She has a Bachelor’s degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College and honed her event and meeting planning skills as a meeting planner in the corporate world. She has over twenty years’ experience in event planning. Her career includes working at PaineWebber organizing mutual fund broker training programs and working as an internal wholesaler, supporting the National Sales Managers coordinating the mutual fund sales force.
Currently, she is the special events manager for TEDxNavesink 2015 with over 700 attendees being held at Monmouth University.
She and her husband moved to the jewel by the sea, Atlantic Highlands in 1998, after years of visiting the area. A huge advocate for the town and for public education, Corinna served as PTO President for the Atlantic Highlands Elementary School for six years and is currently serving on the Board of Education for that school. She is also the vice-president of the Henry Hudson Tri-District Education Foundation formed in 2014 to support innovations in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math programs (STEAM) and athletics at the tri-district schools of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands.
In 2013, Corinna started her own event planning business, Brightwork Events. Corinna directs the high-level big-picture while placing equal importance on the finishing details. Her motto, is “the power of organization and the art of detail”. The term brightwork refers to the varnished woodwork that is kept bright on a vessel. Well-cared-for brightwork makes the difference in the overall positive appearance.
She is married and has a 13 year old daughter.
Robert O'Connor
Robert O’Connor is the founder and Artistic Director of FilmOneFest. He is a practicing artist and musician whose work has been exhibited internationally, most notably at New York Studio Gallery where he had two solo exhibitions of his paintings, prints and videos.
He holds an MFA degree from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a bachelors and masters degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. He also studied at the Art Students League of NY where he received the prestigious Edward McDowell Grant. He has participated in several film festivals including the Chicago Underground Film Festival and the Provincetown International Film Festival. His videos have been shown at Jersey City Museum, the Monmouth Museum, Arizona State University Art Museum, and at Mass MoCA. On the music side, he has been studying composition and orchestration at the Juilliard Evening Division since 2014 and attended the European American Musical Alliance at the Schola Cantorum in Paris in July of 2016.
Robert is very proud of his community arts work, and in particular, FilmOneFest. When he moved to the beautiful Bayshore town of Atlantic Highlands in 2006, he quickly got involved with the Atlantic Highlands Arts Council (AHAC) and suggested the idea of a one-minute film festival. He worked closely with his Co-Director Julie Gartenberg, whose organizational skills were a perfect match to his creative skills. They worked hand-in-hand to assemble the strong team of professionals that form the core of today’s festival. Sadly, Julie passed away in 2015. We believe, she would be proud that the festival is still thriving and happy to know that all the work and love she poured into it continues to bring art and joy into the world.
Judges
Jon Crowley
Jon Crowley has been a founding member, judge and M.C. of the FilmOneFest for all of the festival's ten years. In addition to having served as a vice president at the FOOD and Syfy networks, Crowley was an executive at truTV where he co-created and executive produced the hit comedy series, The Impractical Jokers. He also writes, produces and directs for popular shows such as House Hunters International, Growing Up Hip-Hop and Marriage Bootcamp. This last year, Crowley won two Television Academy Emmy Awards-- most notably for a live, two-hour town hall about the opioid crisis. In November, Crowley was elected to the town council. He lives in Atlantic Highlands with his Wife (who serves on the Board of Education) and teenage son.
Susan Littenberg
Susan Littenberg has worked in the editing room with filmmakers Ang Lee, Hal Hartley, Gary Winick, and Jim Jarmusch. She produced and directed Visions, a jazz documentary and edited documentaries The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack, and the Spalding Gray monologues Gray's Anatomy and And Everything Is Going Fine, both directed by Steven Soderbergh. Her fiction work as Editor can be seen in 13 Going On 30, Charlotte's Web, Easy A, and this year's Nina. Susan is currently producing The Industrial Musicals Movie, a fun cultural documentary featuring the unknown genre of Corporate Musicals from the 50s-80s.
Gedney Webb
Gedney has been working in the music side of the film industry for more than 25 years. He has collaborated with top Hollywood talents, including Ron Howard, Robert De Niro, Malcolm D. Lee, Wes Anderson, Jodie Foster, Lasse Hallstrom, and Ang Lee. Most notably, Gedney received a Golden Reel for his work on the Oscar winning film “Chicago.” Recently he’s worked on the award winning films "The Hundred Foot Journey,” “Girls Trip”, “A Dog’s Purpose”, and “Warrior”. Gedney is currently working on the highly anticipated film “The Nutcracker And The Four Realms” for Walt Disney Pictures, which will be released on November 2, 2018.
Victor Zak
He’s an award-winning journalist specializing in movies and travel and a contributing editor to the Arts & Leisure News Service, a national syndicate based in Manhattan. He has written extensively about films and filmmakers for New Jersey publications, including the Asbury Park Press. Zak also hosts film series at New Jersey libraries.
James Gregg
James Gregg is a film and television educator at Henry Hudson Regional School. He went to Hofstra University and William Paterson University. His students have produced thousands of videos and in the process, have been recognized with distinction in a variety of competitions and festivals around the world.
FilmOneFest 2018 Volunteer Staff
FilmOneFest gratefully acknowledges the dedication and passion of our Volunteer Staff!
Alex Nicholas – Submissions, Website, Video Production
Anne Milling – Volunteers Chair, Benefit Dinner
Anthony Varlese – Public Relations, Internship
Bill Howard – Steering, Chair Music, Website, Video Production
Brenda Hodgkiss – Submissions, Benefit Dinner, Vendors co-chair
Brian Murphy – Project Manager
Carmen Craner - Hospitality Tent, Benefit Dinner
Caroline Margolick – Sponsor Coordinator Graphics Event Program
Cierra Giehl – Submissions, Social Media, Day of Volunteer
Corinna Thuss - Managing Director, Fundraising
Donna Steinhorn – Public Relations, Intern Coordinator
Elyse Rosati – Website
Frank Allsman – Fundraising
Gedney Webb – Submissions Committee, Judge
Heather Halzcli – Public Relations, Internship
James Gregg - Judge
Janice Miller - Hospitality Tent
John Warden – Video Production, Day of Volunteer
Jon Crowley - Steering, Co-MC
Karyn Merrill - Launch Party, Movie Premiere Coordinator
Katie Gehlhaus – Launch Party, Hospitality
Leah Chapman - Steering, Video production Chair
Lisa Sanders – Business Administrator, Day of Volunteer
Lori Montana – Submissions, Vendors committee
Marie Jackson – Co-MC
Marianne Largey – Sponsorship, Benefit Dinner
Mark DeYoung – Submissions, Video Production
Mary Lynn Hughes - Day of Volunteer, Benefit Dinner
Matthew Leddin - Stage Manager, Tech support
Mike Scherfen- Graphic Design, Event Program, Submissions
Olga Mackin - Benefit dinner, Vendors Co-chair
Randi LeGrice - Hospitality Tent, Benefit Dinner
Robert O’Connor - Founding & Creative Dir., Submissions, Video
Sally Stopper – AHAC President, Photographer
Stephanie Ladiana - Steering, Treasurer, Day of Volunteer
Susan Littenberg – Submissions Committee, Judge
Suzanne Guenther – Hospitality Chair, VIP Seating
Tom Churak – Submissions, Graphic Designer Event Program
Victor Zak – Food Pantry & Non-Profit Org. Coordinator, Judge