Director
Corinna Thuss
Corinna Thuss is the Managing Director, continuing to lead FilmOneFest in its second decade of celebrating the super short film format and its growing impact on storytelling and image making around the globe.
Since 2009, Corinna has offered her expertise to FilmOneFest as an event planner and fundraiser. With her inclusive leadership style and extensive networks, she helped to professionalize the event, most notably in helping to secure a high definition screen and sound system. During her nearly 10-year tenure, working with former Co-Directors Julie Gartenburg and Robert O’Connor, audience size at the event has more than tripled due to the higher quality films submitted from more than 60 countries.
She has a Bachelor’s degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College and honed her event and meeting planning skills over 20 years in the corporate world at PaineWebber in New York City. Currently, she manages several annual community events through her event planning business, Brightwork Events.
Since moving to Atlantic Highlands with her husband, Robert, she has freely shared her expertise in the community. She volunteered for two years as the event planner for TEDx Navesink as it grew and transitioned to a larger venue at Monmouth University. She currently volunteers for the Atlantic Highlands Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Corinna has been an education advocate for the past 12 years, volunteering at her daughter’s schools, leading PTOs and serving on the Board of Education in Atlantic Highlands.
In 2014 she teamed up with Sarah Kroon-Chiles to found the Henry Hudson Tri-District Education Foundation as a way of enhancing STEAM programs and athletics in the Tri-District schools (Atlantic Highlands and Highlands Elementary Schools, and Henry Hudson Regional School). Corinna has served as President of the foundation since January 2016. In its short existence the Foundation has raised and donated nearly $100,000 for innovative programs and projects in the Tri-District.
Prior to volunteering for the Foundation, Corinna served for six years as PTO President of Atlantic Highlands Elementary. Her legacy is seen by every person who passes through the doors—the beautiful landscaping, playground equipment, and state of the art sound and lighting systems for the theater program, to name a few.
Submissions Curator
David Salowe
David Salowe is a filmmaker and educator. He has 16 years of experience teaching Filmmaking and Digital Video at the Communications High School in Wall, NJ. His students have produced hundreds of award winning films and gone on to work successfully in the film and television industry. In addition to teaching he is a writer/director/editor of some award winning short films. Most importantly he is married to his wife Meghan and is a father to his two amazing kids, Brody & Abby.
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.
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.
Susan Littenberg
Susan Littenberg has edited over 20 feature films including 13 GOING ON 30, CHARLOTTE’S WEB, and A LOT LIKE LOVE. She was nominated for Best Edited Comedy for EASY A at the 2010 ACE Awards. As First Assistant Editor she worked with Jim Jarmusch, Hal Hartley, and with Ang Lee on SENSE AND SENSIBILITY and THE ICE STORM.
Susan most recently was a producer on the award winning documentary BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY, and has been consulting on several independent Feature Films. She teaches editing at AFI and the graduate school at UCLA.
Johnny Grasso
Johnny Grasso first fell in love with film and television after his stint as a child actor on Nickelodeon, and has been studying film/acting since the late 90s, mostly at the Actors Training Institute. Trained in the teachings of Stella Adler, Sandy Meisner, and Stanislavsky’s Method, Johnny appreciates the nuances of all acting performances, especially in film. Johnny is currently a proud educator who frequently draws from the arts to enhance his current teachings and is honored to be a small part of this amazing festival.
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.
Holland Farkas
Holland Farkas is a Producer, focusing mostly on Post Production, who has worked in both TV and Digital. She has worked with major networks such as Disney (Parker Plays, Quizney) and Legendary (Geek & Sundry, Amy Poehler's Smart Girls), as well as YouTube channels with sizable followings (Escape the Night with Joey Graceffa, RocketJump, Loot Crate).
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