Talmage Cooley

Talmage Cooley was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. Received BA in Foreign Affairs and MBA from the University of Virginia and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School of Government Studied Acting and Directing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/ Playwright's Horizons Theater School in New York with theater directors Anne Bogart (Siti Company), Kevin Kulke (NYU Experimental Theater Wing) and Brian Jucha (Via Theater). Also studied film and photography at The New School/Parsons School of Design. First effort as writer/director was the satirical short film Pol Pot's Birthday (2004). The film quickly became a short film standout known for its sharply awkward style of comedy often compared to the BBC version of The Office. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received numerous Best Film, Best Screenplay and Audience Awards. Pol Pot's Birthday was featured in American Cinematographer for its visual accomplishment in art direction and digital cinematography. Cooley's second film, Dimmer (2005), was a documentary short produced in collaboration with the band Interpol and the principles of Partners & Spade in New York. Dimmer follows a gang of blind teenage boys as they roam the broken down neighborhoods and factories of Buffalo, NY, in search of trouble and girlfriends. Dimmer premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, won numerous Best Film, Jury Prize and Audience Awards and was short-listed for the 2006 Academy Awards. Pol Pot's Birthday and Dimmer have been included in the Sundance Film Collections at the New York Museum of Modern Art and the Hammer Museum. Cooley's first feature, Patriotville (2009), a low-budget comedy/drama starring Justin Long, Rob Corddry, Emmanuelle Chriqui and KeirO'Donnell, premiered at the CineVegas Film Festival and was released by Lionsgate Entertainment (who renamed it Taking Chances). Cooley has been profiled in magazines such as Create, Fader and Hotdog (UK), and was named by RES Magazine as one of "Ten Most Innovative Talents", and by Screen International as one of "10 Emerging Talents to Watch". His films have won over 20 Best Film and other awards at festivals worldwide. His feature script Squirt was a finalist for the 2009 Cinequest Mavericks screenplay competition. He and Andy Spade co-authored a photo and essay book titled Public Love, which was published by Chronicle Books. In addition to his creative career in film, is known for his work as a social activist, co-founding the national anti-gun violence organization PAX/The Center to Prevent Youth Violence, now the largest non-lobbying organization dedicated to the gun violence issue. He is now the Founder and CEO of Democracy.com, the first social network for politics. Cooley resides in Brooklyn, NY.