Centron Corporation Films

The Centron Corporation was founded in Lawrence, Kansas in the late 1940s by two University of Kansas (KU) graduates, Russell Mosser and Art Wolf. From 1947 to 1981, Centron was engaged in the production of films, filmstrips, multi-media presentations, and social etiquette films. Their first film, “Sewing Simple Seams,” was completed in 1947. Centron often hired locally, leading to many films including Lawrence residents as actors in Centron productions. Centron’s productions included independent films and contracted films, with clientele spanning across several industries.

Centron earned an Academy Award nomination for their work with “Leo Beuerman,” a documentary film about a Lawrence resident with physical disabilities. Centron won over 485 film awards from 35 different U.S. film festivals and 23 foreign film festivals. In 1981, Wolf and Mosser sold Centron to Coronet films. Robert Kohl assumed leadership of Centron during this time, and Centron continued producing films until 1994, when the Centron Corporation dissolved.