CREATIVE WORK

I am a filmmaker and social justice strategist/founder with a record of building impact-focused ideas from inception to national scale. My creative work is a mix of professional and personal projects often inspired by social justice themes.

Reach me at talmage@talmagecooley.com

1. FILM

Short Documentary: Dimmer

A documentary look into the lives of a semi-tough gang of blind teenage boys as they roam the worst neighborhoods of Buffalo, New York, looking for trouble and girlfriends. Music by Interpol. Academy Awards Shortlist.

Directed by: Talmage Cooley
Produced by: Andy Spade, Anthony Sperduti & Talmage Cooley
Cinematography by: Jim Wall
Edited by: Crandall Miller
Music by: Interpol

Sundance Film Festival - Premiere
Academy Awards - Short Documentary Shortlist
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - Special Exhibition
Worldwide Short Film Festival (Toronto) - Best Film
RiverRun Festival - Best Documentary Short
NY Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) - Special Exhibition
NY Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) - Sundance Collection
Vila Do Cordo (Portugal) - Best Film
Hammer Museum LA - Special Exhibition
Aspen Film Festival - Silver Prize
Nashville Film Festival - Special Mention
Seattle One Reel Festival - Best Film
ResFest - Best Film
ResFest - Special Jury Prize

Short Narrative: Pol Pot’s Birthday

A comedic examination of the humbling of a ruthless tyrant, as the office staff of the Cambodian dictator Pol Pot attempts to throw a surprise birthday party for their boss. Over 500,000 views on YouTube.

Directed by: Talmage Cooley
Written by: Talmage Cooley & Anthony Sperduti
Produced by: Talmage Cooley
Production Design by: Shane Valentino
Cinematography by: Todd Somodevilla
Edited by: Kirk Baxter & Akiko Iwakawa-Grieve

Sundance Film Festival - Premiere
Newport Beach Film Festival - Best Screenplay
NY Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) - Sundance Collection
Dubrovnik Film Festival (Croatia) - Best Film
Filmstock Festival (UK) - Best Concept
Filmstock Festival (UK) - Best Film
Grenada Film Festival (Spain) - Best Cinematography
Silverlake Film Festival - Festival Director’s Prize
St Louis Film Festival - Best Film
Asian American Film Festival - Best Film
ResFest - Special Jury Prize

2. WEB

Democracy.com

CEO & Creative Director: Talmage Cooley
UX Designer: Justin Luke

Democracy.com was the first online marketplace platform for civic and political engagement, connecting any citizen, candidate and civic organization. Recognizing that the civic and political space presented a classic innovation opportunity, the Democracy.com product vision was driven by the insight that 90% of all candidates and civic/political organizations in the US remain unserved by existing online organizing products because they were designed for the high end of the market and are too complicated and expensive for smaller state and local organizations.

Launched at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Innovation Lab, Democracy.com operated from 2013 until its acquisition in 2019. The company raised $5 million and achieved 30% month-on-month user growth with more than one million users. Democracy.com’s rapid growth was supported by strategic partnerships with hundreds of civic/political organizations from the national to local level, representing over 30 political parties in all 50 states. Company was sold in 2019.

Democracy.com received prominent industry awards, including:

• American Association of Political Consultants Award for Best Technology Innovation
• Campaigns & Elections Award for Best Online Fundraising Platform
• Campaign Workshop Award for Best Organizing Tool.

4. SPOTS

SPEAK UP Campaign - Josh

Strategy and Creative Direction: Talmage Cooley
Directed by: Talmage Cooley
Cinematography by: Wyatt Troll

The Speak Up Campaign was created by the Center to Prevent Youth Violence/PAX and provided the first ever anonymous hotline for young people to report weapon threats in their schools and neighborhoods. Launched in 2002 and operated continuously until 2019, the Speak Up Hotline was promoted by over 400 national and local partners in all 50 states and received over 50,000 calls, many of which led to community and law enforcement intervention before tragedies could occur. The campaign’s documentary-style television/internet spots and school posters featured actual students who either experienced or prevented mass shootings at their schools.

SPEAK UP Campaign - Michelle

Strategy and Creative Direction: Talmage Cooley
Directed by: Talmage Cooley
Cinematography by: Wyatt Troll

The ASK Campaign - Neighbors

Strategy and Creative Direction: Talmage Cooley
Directed by: Joe Pytka
Cinematography by: Joe Pytka
Editorial & Voiceover Direction by: Talmage Cooley
Voiceover by: Julianne Moore

The ASK campaign (Asking Saves Kids), created by the Center to Prevent Youth Violence/PAX, is the only gun violence prevention program ever proven to be effective, according to a 2017 Harvard/GAO study. Launched in 2000 at the Million Mom March on the Washington Mall and still active in 2020, the ASK Campaign partners with the American Academy of Pediatrics and over 400 other national organizations focused on gun violence prevention. The campaign is based on the simple fact that 40% of homes with children have a gun, and almost half those guns are either unlocked or loaded. The message to parents is simple: ASK your neighbors about guns before you send your kids over to play. To date, over 20 million parents have signed the ASK Pledge and over 31 million parents now say they ask about guns in the homes where their children play (from baseline of 3 million when campaign launched).

The Creative Coalition - Schoolyard

Written & Directed by: Talmage Cooley
Cinematography by: Glenn Mordeci
Voiceover by: Alec Baldwin

Schoolyard was a collaboration between The Creative Coalition and The Gun Violence Project, focused on the insight that over 100,000 children take a gun to school every day in America.

Little Ceasars Spec Spot

Directed by: Talmage Cooley
Written by: Andy Spade and Talmage Cooley
Cinematography by: Tim Ives

4. PRINT

SPEAK UP - School Poster (Josh)

Strategy and Creative Direction: Talmage Cooley
Photography: Wyatt Troll
Designer: Ian Toombs/Pentagram Design

The Speak Up Campaign was created by the Center to Prevent Youth Violence/PAX and provided the first ever anonymous hotline for young people to report weapon threats in their schools and neighborhoods. Launched in 2002 and operated continuously until 2019, the Speak Up Hotline was promoted by over 400 national and local partners in all 50 states. The hotline received over 50,000 calls, many of which led to community and law enforcement intervention before tragedies could occur. The documentary-style television and internet spots for the Speak Up Campaign featured actual students who either experienced or prevented mass shootings at their school.

SPEAK UP - School Poster (Michelle)

Strategy and Creative Direction: Talmage Cooley
Photography: Wyatt Troll
Designer: Ian Toombs/Pentagram Design

5. PRESS

Screen International: Ten Short Filmmakers to Watch
American Cinematographer: An Uneasy Celebration
Variety: AMPAS Kisses Short Docs
Fader: Idea Man
Hotdog Magazine: Underground Shorts
RES Magazine: RES 10
IFC: Interview with Talmage Cooley
Create Magazine: RES Fest Announces Audience Choice and Jury Prize
Indiewire: Sundance Short Top Ten
BBC: RESFest at the Showroom
TechPresident: Democracy.com Shines Searchlight on Candidates and Elected Officials
CNN Politics: One Stop Shopping for Candidates Online
TechPresident: Democracy.com Hopes to Level Campaign Playing Field with Social Network for Politics
TechCrunch: Democracy.com Launches Plug-and-Play Website for Political Campaigns