Meet Our Team 2024
Pearl Gluck, Co-Founder, Artistic Director
Pearl Gluck is the co-founder and artistic director of the Centre Film Festival. Gluck’s work has been part of the Sundance Lab, Cannes, PBS, and won prizes such as Best Actor, Best Film, Best Debut Feature and Best LGBT Short at festivals worldwide. Her first documentary feature, Divan (2004) opened theatrically at the Film Forum in NYC and premiered on the Sundance Channel. Her award-winning fiction feature, The Turn Out, (2018) as well as her short films, Castles in the Sky (2023), Summer (2018) and Write Me (2020) are screening at festivals and available on platforms such as Amazon, ChaiFlix, and Netflix. She continues to make both doc and narrative films that explore themes of faith, class, and gender. She teaches Screenwriting and Directing at Penn State University.
Paul Cassarly, President & CEO of Cassus Media
Paul Cassarly is the President & CEO of Cassus Media | Digital Marketing Solutions™ headquartered in Altoona, Pennsylvania. His company provides in-house media production, website services, and other digital services to small businesses and government agencies. You can learn more about Cassus Media by visiting www.CassusMedia.com.
Owen Pohlkotte, Intern, First-Year PSU Student
Owen Pohlkotte is a first-year student at PSU. After joining the Centre Film family as a student in his first-year seminar class, he became an intern to gain valuable skills and knowledge in his field. With a few years of film and broadcasting experience in high school, and now his future major in telecommunications, he plans to become a T.V news producer. Fittingly, his favorite movie is, “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”. Owen has received multiple awards from the Student Television Network, an honorable mention in the silent film competition and his high school news team received a broadcast excellence award: outstanding achievement for the daily show – “CCHS Today” for which he was a co-producer. His other hobbies involve acting in local theatre productions around his community, singing in both choirs and musicals and cuddling with his dog and two cats. Lastly, he hopes to have a great first year at Penn State!
Anh (Paul) Nguyen, Social Media Intern, Senior PSU Student
Anh (Paul) Nguyen is a senior majoring public relations and international politics at Penn State. He was born and raised in Vietnam, and he is living in Williamsport, Pennsylvania right now. He is the Vice President of Happy Valley Communications and also works as Student Manager of Officials’ Development for Penn State Competitive Sports. After college, he is planning on going to graduate school. He is very excited to learn more about social media planning and have more real-world experience in the communications field through this internship with Centre Film Festival.
Connor LaTour, Multimedia Artist, Senior PSU Student
Hi, I’m Connor! I am currently a senior at Pennsylvania State University working for my Fine Arts degree with a focus in New Media. I consider myself a multimedia artist, as I would like to be well-versed in all types of art. Whether that be through traditional mediums like graphite, pen, and textiles, or digital mediums working in a technological atmosphere, I want to learn them all! My dream is to be involved in character design and concept art, but I have a lot of passion towards other forms of creativity like graphic design and traditional materials like embroidery! My art is inspired through personal experience and the types of media (mainly music) that I consume, with current inspirations being older European art and medieval armor. I want my art to be able to invoke ideas and emotions in people, as well as encourage others to make their own art, no matter the skill level!
May Salama, Application Developer & Designer, Senior IST Major
May, a senior majoring in Information Sciences and Technology, is currently thriving in her role as an application developer and designer at the Centre Film Festival. In this multifaceted position, she seamlessly blends her coding expertise with her creative design skills, contributing significantly to the festival’s digital presence and user engagement strategies. Aspiring to become a UI/UX designer, May sees her work with the Centre Film Festival as a crucial stepping stone. She’s gaining valuable experience in research and design, all while working with a diverse audience in a dynamic, creative environment. Outside of her professional pursuits, May likes to do graphic design as well as building prototype and gadgets for fun. May is excited about leveraging her unique blend of technical and creative skills to drive innovation in UI/UX design. She views each project as an opportunity to grow and push the boundaries of digital interaction in the film festival space.
Sophia Alexander, Lead Graphic Designer
Sophia is the Lead Graphic Designer for the Centre Film Festival. While leading her design team, she created and coordinated CFF’s 2024 style, social media posts, motion pieces, digital and print advertising, and merchandise designs. A graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Graphic Design, Sophia values the experience and challenges that come with every new project. When she isn’t working, she can be found drawing, animating, and writing for her growing fanbase online. Other hobbies include crochet, poetry, and nature photography. Her other latest design adventure is at 1st Team Advertising in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She aspires to one day create her own animated series, and with her mixed bag of interests she hopes to work with many fun clients that want to make their dreams a reality.
Rayna Shea, Social Media Intern, Senior PSU Student
Rayna is a dedicated fourth-year student at Penn State University, majoring in communications, with a minor in Psychology. She is thrilled to take on the role of Social Media Intern. Rayna is very excited to have this opportunity, seeing it as a chance to apply her academic knowledge and creativity to enhance the organization’s online presence. With a strong passion for social media marketing, she aims to develop engaging content that resonates with audiences across various platforms. In addition to her social media responsibilities, Rayna is looking forward to the upcoming film festival, from November 11th to the 17th. Outside of her studies and internship, Rayna enjoys exploring new trends in digital marketing and staying updated with the latest social media strategies. She eagerly anticipates collaborating with the team and contributing to meaningful projects.
