Mary L. Cancassi

MARY L. CANCASSI, Vice PresidentMary Cancassi's multi-diverse talents include producing (both film and television), hosting and fundraising for non-profits.In addition to serving as Vice President of Cinewomen, she also serves as the Chair of the Entertainment Industry Council co-hosted by the Beverly Hills and Century City Chambers.Recently she was the Sponsorship Development Director and Host for the International Film and Music Festival in Temecula, the Host for the International Foundation for Education & Performing Arts, Inc."Music For Kids" event, the Host and producer for a non-profit organization that helps special needs children and Sponsorship Director for the Starlight Children's Foundation Venetian Ball event.She created the advertising and marketing at Women In Film and ran it successfully for four and half years, simultaneously chairing for three years the very popular Women In Film Paramount Networking Breakfast.Prior to that she served as Special Events Chair and Host for the non-profit organization Dress For Success Los Angeles.Part of the success of the Paramount Breakfast for Women In Film was the fact she asked participants to share how they can be of service to others, which she also highlights in her current projects and previously as Executive Director for the Media Access Disability Awareness Awards.

Building her career in sales and marketing, Mary developed solid skills and an impressive track record becoming the number one sales person in the country for two major media companies, CBS Radio and AMC Theater's National Cinema Network in Hollywood.She also served as Director of Sales and Marketing at Planet Central Television, a startup cable network consisting of programming focused on the environment, alternative health and the New Age/Spiritually movement.

Mary prides herself on being a New Age comedienne inspired to entertain her audiences by "channeling" five characters in her current "Five Women/One Women Show" where she performs regularly around town and at Retirement Homes.She feels a calling to support others on their journey of enlightenment using comedy as a platform to help individuals along the way.Mary has studied under the tutelage of Flip Wilson, Lisa Kudrow and Kathy Griffin and has performed at such venues as: The Improv, The LA Connection, Upfront Comedy and the Comedy Store just to name a few.

Vice President of Cinewomen, Mary Cancassi, kept the audience well entertained with her own spontaneous laughter as she accepted the awards on behalf on the absentee winners as well as the absent film clips. Joining Cancassi in keeping up good humor as one of the presenters for the evening was C. Thomas Howell, who starred as as Sgt.