Polita Glynn: Project Director and filmmaker/producer/director

Polita Cohen Glynn a writer and filmmaker who focuses on history, cultural diversity and the environment.  Her projects have been funded by the State of Florida, the National Endowment for the Arts, Sundance Institute, Florida Humanities, St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, the City of St. Petersburg and Creative Pinellas.

Her non-profit organization, Merfolk Media Alliance recently produced ‘Underground History,’ a documentary and a series of spoken word film/poems which explore stories of erased communities in St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay region. In 2026, she produced ‘Brick Roads of St. Pete,’ a short film about this iconic historic feature of the city.

Glynn is currently working on ‘Maximo Hernandez and the Fishing Ranchos of Tampa Bay,’ an AI generated film and public humanities project about the fishing rancho history in 1800’s Florida.

From 2005 - 2021, Glynn served as Director of the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation, an international program which supports scientists and experts to advance knowledge and innovation in ocean protection. Prior to her role with Pew, Glynn worked as a freelance writer/producer and media educator in Boston and Miami.  

She received her B.A. in American Studies from Bennington College, Ed.M. from Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and studied film and television production at the University of Miami School of Communication. Currently, she divides her time between St. Petersburg, FL and Rifton, NY.