ABOUT US, Cinema Salem

ABOUT US

Cinema Salem is an independent four-screen movie theater in Salem, Mass.
 
Cinema Salem first opened in 2006. Prior to that, a succession of other cinemas occupied the same space. Many North Shore folks recall seeing movies here over the years -- from blockbusters to arthouse fare to cheapo dollar-a-ticket shows.
 
In March 2020 Cinema Salem closed its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fourteen months later, the cinema repoened on Friday, June 4, 2021, under new leadership.

ABOUT OUR CORPORATION

Cinema Salem is a registered tradename of Gerdine-Strauss LLC.

We are working to create a flourishing arts and culture center for Salem and nearby communities. Film will always be at our core but, as we are already demonstrating, we are deeply committed to other art forms including live performances of comedy, Shakespeare, burlesque, music, and the presentation of the visual arts. We are also delighted to support community service organizations and have made our space available at little or no cost to numerous nonprofits such as The House of the Seven Gables, the YMCA, The Salem Pantry, NAGLY, Mental Makeover, and Lifebridge.

Eventually, we will hand off operations to a new 501(c)(3) public charity.  For now, as we operate through an LLC, the owners (see below for more on Marshall and Elaine) do not and will not receive compensation of any kind for their services.  All funds, whether contributed by the owners or others, will stay with Cinema Salem and be used to improve the physical plant, cover operating deficits, and allow new creative ventures with others in the community.

OUR TEAM 

Peter Horne

Peter started working at Cinema Salem when it first opened in 2006, and he's been around ever since. Peter grew up in this area and saw movies here when the place was part of the Patriot Cinemas chain. After studying film in college, he was happy to land a job at his old haunt and worked his way up to general manager. We're grateful he remains with us.

Peter studied film at Keene State College and has pursued interests in screenwriting and production. He now serves on the selection committee for Salem Film Fest.

Jessa Keddy

Jessa joined our team in 2023. She offers this background on herself: "I came to Cinema Salem with many years of experience in the hospitality industry, including restaurants, hotels and specialty markets. Another thing I love, besides making sure people are having a good time, are movies. I decided to combine the two. I have a fondness especially for horror films and old Hollywood classics. I am a nerd for independent theaters and try to visit as many as possible, even on my travels. I believe that physical media is very important and we should keep that alive. If I am not watching movies, I am usually trying to consume a different art form in one way or another. If I am not doing any of that, I am usually just staring into nothing like Jack Nicholson in The Shining."

Shanna Langevin

Shanna managed Cinema Salem for a number of years prior to its 2020 closing. Fortunately, she returned after the hiatus to make sure the cinema's many moving parts keep moving. We are grateful for her creativity and her cheerful personality and her attention to detail and her guidance on how to deal with Hollywood studios and for her general weirdness.

When asked for a brief bio, Shanna responded with this: "Shanna was once considered to be an infant, but over time she proved them wrong. When she was 6, she rode a ferris wheel but never came down. Seventeen months later she emerged from a sewer fully grown and spoke in a language that no one could decipher, not even herself. We don't speak of those times. After being blessed by a priest at Coachella she was able to move forward with her studies which she now finds completely useless. Shanna enjoys the darkness the Cinema provides and snacks."

We have nothing to add.

Sean Lynch

Sean Lynch is, well, Sean Lynch.  A nationally known comedian/writer/actor who is known in other countries too, Sean has performed repeatedly across the US, the UK and even in Russia.  After kind of growing up in Lynn and Salem, Sean moved to NYC to study (a little) and join that city's comedy scene. A member of the Friars Club, for 10 years a writer at MTV, co-creator of and perfomer on Celebrity Death Match, Sean has entertained audiences at The Hollywood Improv, New York's Gotham Comedy Club and West Side Comedy Club, The Carlton Theater in Edinburgh, The Comedy Store in London, Funny Feckers in Dublin, and many other venues.  

He has opened for Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Lenny Clarke and others. He continues to act and write screenplays in addition to his stand-up. Sean returned to Salem in 2024 and launched Cinema Salem's open mic in June which by summer's end had attracted dozens of the region's best young (sometimes sort of young) comics.  He is now organizing a series of live shows at Cinema Salem involving NYC and LA based comics.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

John Andrews

John is the founder of Creative Collective, Creative North Shore, and John Andrews Photography. A leader in innovative approaches to economic development, John is a community treasure. The Essex Media Group named him 2020 Person of the Year, recognizing his tireless efforts supporting and connecting the creative workforce and small businesses during the pandemic. 

John is no stranger to Cinema Salem. He has produced and programmed dozens of live performances in the space and supported many film festivals and specialty programs. As leader of the Creative Collective, John plays a key leadership role in organizing Salem's extraordinary Haunted Happenings which, in many ways, consume the city and its residents throughout October each year.  We forgive him. 

Richard Guérin

Richard's principal occupation is running Philip Glass’ record label Orange Mountain Music.  He is also director of Zarathustra Music, a company that represents the recording and publishing interests for Academy Award-winning composer Elliot Goldenthal and is the founder of the Salem Classical music series and Supertrain Records.
 
Guérin believes that artists on all levels of accomplishment deserve not only thoughtful advocacy but also practical implementation of their visions.  While the majority of his projects are recordings, he has arranged and produced live events such as “Philip Glass – Live from Soho;” “Dracula-live to Film” with pianist Michael Riesman, and chamber concerts at the Metropolitan Museum and the Morgan Library in New York and the ongoing concert series Salem Classical.Together with Elaine (see below), Richard launched Cinema Salem's Cinema Sounds which presents classic films with a substantive introduction of their celebrated scores.

OWNERS

Marshall Strauss and Elaine Gerdine

Marshall and Elaine (yes, we're married) have lived in Salem since 2001, arriving from Washington DC and many points beyond. Admitted rookies in the cinema business, they bring business and creative experience in an array of other fields. They also confess a love of learning curves and the desire to sustain and expand a beloved community asset.
 
Before becoming a cinema mogul, Marshall spent his working years in the worlds of nonprofits, politics, and human rights advocacy (find details here). Until stepping down in early 2020, he was CEO of the Workplace Giving Alliance, a Salem-based nonprofit that helps the U.S. government administer its employee workplace fund drive. He remains involved as board chair. He is a former board member and chair of Plummer Youth Promise, a former board member and treasurer of Historic Salem, and a former board member and treasurer of The Salem Pantry. Earlier professional activities included nonprofit fundraising, political speechwriting, and trying to bring democracy to China and Russia. (Some of these efforts have been more successful than others.) Along the way, he organized a 1991 Congressional human rights delegation to China led by Nancy Pelosi. He also was CEO of an organization that produced 20 human rights documentaries broadcast nationwide in Russia in the 1990s.
 
Elaine worked with Marshall at the Workplace Giving Alliance for five years. Her earlier professional life included web content management, corporate communications for a DC beltway bandit, church organ gigs, piano teaching, arts journalism, freelance editing, children’s-opera and musical-theater writing (words, not music), theatrical musical direction, consulting for the New York State Council on the Arts, and playing keyboard with a South Texas bar mitzvah band. Lately her musical interests have skewed more toward the classical, but she still loves rock and roll.