Portrait of Paul Cassarly

Hi, I’m Paul

I built this website because I have a lot going on, and it’s easier to put it all in one place, honestly.

On one side, I’m a business guy. I run Cassus Media, a veteran-owned digital marketing company, and I’m building a few more companies and software products alongside it.

On the other side, I’m a musician. I’ve played the trumpet for 25 years, served as a bugler in the Marine Corps, make LoFi music as the LoFi Trumpet Guy, and learned to build trumpets by hand.

I’m a straight shooter, I think like a blue-collar business owner, and I’d rather tell you the truth than tell you what you want to hear.

How I Got Here

The highlights, in order.

  1. 2001

    A Trumpet in Third Grade

    I started playing at nine years old in Altoona, PA, learning from Dennis Moses in the Altoona Elementary Jazz Band. In 2004 I earned one of the only Elementary Soloist Awards given in almost ten years.

  2. 2008

    Serious About Music

    I studied privately with Joshua Hillard from seventh grade on and played in every PMEA festival I could, including three straight years in the PMEA State Orchestra. In 2009 I was picked for the All-Star Trumpet Ensemble at the International Trumpet Guild Conference, which opened for jazz trumpeter Nicholas Payton.

  3. 2011

    Penn State School of Music

    Two years at University Park studying Music Education, then Music Composition, with trumpet lessons from Dr. Langston Fitzgerald III.

  4. 2013

    “The Commandant’s Own”

    In my third semester I auditioned for the U.S. Marine Corps and was selected for “The Commandant’s Own” U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps. Boot camp at Parris Island, combat training at Camp Geiger, then bugler duty at Marine Barracks 8th & I in Washington, D.C. until April 2015.

  5. 2015

    Finding My Footing

    Like a lot of veterans, the transition back to civilian life was rough. I hopped between jobs, moved to Virginia and back, and studied Music Production online through Berklee. Building my own website is where I found out I loved design, marketing and making things happen for people.

  6. 2017

    Cassus Media Is Born

    On August 14, 2017 I filed Cassus Media LLC with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A group of veteran entrepreneurs called the Vetpreneur Tribe gave me the push. I made a few rookie mistakes, learned the ropes, and kept going.

  7. 2019

    Berklee Graduate and Apprentice

    I earned my bachelor’s degree in Music Production from Berklee College of Music, with a focus on business and marketing. That December I met David Maller of Maller Brass at an Altoona Symphony concert. I traded him a website for a trumpet, and it turned into a full apprenticeship making brass instruments by hand.

  8. 2021

    Civil War Brass

    I joined the 46th Pennsylvania Regiment Band, playing original instruments from the 1860s. That’s also where I met my wife, Suellen.

  9. 2025

    Chester County and a Wedding

    Suellen and I moved to Devon, PA in April and got married on November 1, 2025.

  10. Today

    Still Building

    Cassus Media keeps growing, I’m launching AI customer service for small businesses, and I run my day with a team of AI agents I built myself. I’m also back in lessons with Dr. Jean-Christophe Dobrzelewski of West Chester University. You never stop learning.

What I Believe

Three ideas that show up in everything I do.

Human First, AI Second

AI is the best employee I’ve ever had, but it doesn’t replace people. It frees them up to do the work that actually matters.

Life Is a Game

Treat life like an open-world game: learn the rules, pick your missions, and play on purpose instead of just getting by.

Read the article

Make Things Happen

Looking good is nice. Getting results is better. I’d rather be the guy who makes it work than the guy who makes it pretty.

Want the Full Story?

There’s a lot more where that came from. Ask me anything, I’ll tell you.

Send Me a Message