COOL in the News

"Samantha Rohr is the Cohort Leader, and Alaina Dunn is the Program Director of The COOL Cooperative, a nonprofit equipping New Orleans youth with filmmaking and workforce skills that extend far beyond the camera 🎬. We talk with them about how Cool Cooperative provides free, hands-on film education to middle and high school students through year-round cohorts, summer camp, in-school programs, and industry-informed training 🎥. Their students don’t just learn how to operate cameras or design sets—they build leadership, communication, project management, and teamwork skills that translate into any career path 💼."

"Alaina Dunn is the Program Director at The COOL Cooperative 🎬, a nonprofit dedicated to giving young people a voice through film education. We dig into her path from New Orleans to LSU to New York acting (yes, Law & Order and an Ice-T story), why she stepped behind the camera, and how COOL equips youth with real film skills and a strong creative voice. We talk curriculum that blends film history with hands-on production, the value of learning analog fundamentals, and how New Orleans’ film and music legacy shapes the next generation."

The COOL's Cohort Leader, Sam Rohr and Board Chair, Marcus Brown joined WBOK's Front Porch to discuss the Cohort and share the impact our programs have made on students in New Orleans.

"The COOL Cooperative has had about 1,000 kids come through its programs since it started, and some have gone on to work full-time in the film industry, though others have taken their skills in other areas. Kirby Voss, the program's first executive director, for example, is now a second-year law school student at the University of Chicago.

While some students don't necessarily go into the film industry after
they leave the COOL Cooperative, they all leave the program with
problem solving skills, job-hunting skills and the experience of
collaboration at a young age. No matter what industry they go into
next, those skills extend beyond the doors of COOL Cooperative."

"On the last day of the festival, it was time to give back to the community by engaging and educating 300 students from underserved communities around New Orleans and the River Parishes.

The nonprofit COOL cooperative ("Creating Outstanding Opportunities Locally") is dedicated to creating opportunities in the film community for middle and high school students."

"This week on Locally Louisiana: we'll learn how local kids are getting some cool, hands-on film-making experience via the COOL Cooperative." Watch the full Video for more on the COOL starting at 11 minutes in!

“Technical training on cutting-edge equipment, together with mentorship from master storytellers, provides Louisiana’s young people a meaningful pathway into the entertainment industry, where production skills and artistry are valued and needed,” said Josh Fleig, Chief Innovation Officer at LED. “LED is extremely excited to continue our partnership with The COOL Cooperative to educate and train the next generation of film industry professionals in Louisiana.”

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"...the camp offers students the opportunity to make a short film alongside professional mentors in a department of their choosing. Departments include set decoration and props, hair, makeup, and costume, grip and electric, sound, camera, assistant director, and post-production. The camp culminates in a screening of student work. "

" You're giving kids a path to actually take part in the film industry and really create their own films..."

“We are thrilled to showcase the next generation of New Orleans filmmakers,” said Beth Burvant, executive director of the Cool Cooperative, in a press release. “It’s a huge accomplishment to complete a film for the first time, and some of these shorts are truly wonderful, showcasing a wide array of unique creative voices.”

"The COOL Cooperative offers interactive educational programs and
first-hand experiences in the local film scene, and in the process, it
also helps the teens hone their creative talents and foster
relationships with professionals and their peers.

“You see kids these days consuming entertainment on their
smartphones and tablets,” said John Swider, COOL Cooperative's
executive director. “We teach our students how to be creators and not
just consumers of the digital content.”"

"Kids bounce off a school bus for a play date with the future. The Event and Film Studios is the site of their next big feature.

The kids are working on a horror film featuring zombies. Lessons on makeup and scary lighting are all included.

"The generation now is the YouTube generation. Everyone wants to make something, but no one is going to a film making class to learn," said instructor Mike 5ive - his DJ name."