Team
Meet the Digital Gym Cinema Team
Glenn Heath, Artistic Director, brings years of experience in film and media arts to his role, overseeing operations, volunteer recruitment, and internships. Concurrently with his role at the cinema, he is the Managing Director of Pacific Arts Movement, which produces the San Diego Asian Film Festival. He is also a lecturer of Film Studies in the Television, Film, and New Media Department at San Diego State University, and a former film critic whose work has appeared in San Diego Citybeat, Slant Magazine, Cineaste, Mubi’s The Notebook, Little White Lies, RogerEbert.com, Sense of Cinema, and The Film Stage. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from UC Santa Barbara and Master of Arts from San Diego State University.
Mark Madero, Cinema Manager, has over 23 years of managing movie theatres both here in San Diego and Los Angeles. He has a long history with the former Mann Theatre chain which managed the world famous Grauman’s Chinese Théâtre in Hollywood. Mark was also the Area Manager for the onetime CinemaStar Theatres in San Diego and Riverside County. Mark has a 12-year history with San Diego Theatres, Inc., beginning as the Assistant Front of House Manager and then shortly promoted to a new department in Programming as Contract & Client Service Manager. Mark’s responsibilities include the day-to-day management of the cinema and concessions, including the cinema staff and patron services. A University of Redlands graduate, with a BA in Business Management.
Kristian Perez-Franco, Exhibitions Sr. Manager, has nearly a decade of experience in various cinema roles and an unwavering love for film. Kristian is passionate about curating exceptional cinematic experiences and contributing to the growth and development of the Digital Gym Cinema and future editions of the renowned San Diego Latino Film Festival. Kristian’s extensive background in theater operations includes several years of dedicated service with the San Diego Asian Film Festival, where they’ve played a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth operation of screenings and events. Their expertise in this area has been instrumental in creating memorable and seamless experiences for festival attendees. In addition to their operations experience, Kristian has further enriched the film community by teaching a DCP (Digital Cinema Package) distribution course during the Summer of 2023. This course was intended to empower aspiring filmmakers and industry professionals with valuable knowledge about the technical aspects of film distribution, further cementing Kristian’s reputation as a dedicated educator and advocate for the art of cinema. Under their leadership, the organization continues to thrive as a hub for diverse and innovative programming, bringing unique stories and voices to audiences in San Diego and beyond. Kristian’s dedication to the art of filmmaking, their commitment to fostering cultural appreciation through cinema, and their expertise in theater operations and film distribution make them an invaluable asset to the Media Arts Center San Diego team.
Laurie Piña, Exhibitions & Marketing Coordinator, manages social media, co-operates print traffic, designs promotional materials, curates supplementary programming, and spearheads outreach efforts to develop community partnerships and collaborations. Since joining the team in 2023, she has curated several one-off repertory screenings, launched partnership screenings, developed & designed “Wired Nightmares”—a Japanese horror series—and co-curated a Science on Screen® Grant series. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Double BA in English and Film & Media Studies in 2011. Before joining MACSD/DGC, she worked in special needs education and spent five cherished years at the Ken Cinema, one of San Diego’s oldest, now-defunct single screen cinemas. She joined the San Diego Latino Film Festival’s selection committee in the summer of 2023.
Lucia Wallin, Cinema Associate, is a recent graduate from Columbia College Chicago and earned a BFA in Film/Television Production Design. Throughout her career working in the art department, Lucia’s visual style has been guided by her love of maximalist aesthetics, body horror, and vintage curation. Her artistic specialties include set decoration, prop fabrication, and miniature model-making.