Nekisa Cooper
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCollege of William & Mary (BA), Clark Atlanta University (MBA)
Notable workPariah
Titlefilm producer

Nekisa Cooper (born 1977 or 1978) is an American film producer. Cooper is best known for producing the 2011 film Pariah, directed by Dee Rees, and for her work as the vice president of Content at MasterClass.[1][2][3]

Education

Cooper received a BA from College of William & Mary and an MBA from Clark Atlanta University.[4]

Career

Following graduation, Cooper began her career as an assistant women's basketball coach at Christopher Newport University and the University of Richmond, and after receiving her MBA, she transitioned to marketing for notable companies, including Colgate-Palmolive, L'Oréal, and General Electric before becoming a film producer.[3][5][6]

In 2009, Cooper and Rees won the Iris Prize to produce a short film in Cardiff, Wales called Colonial Gods, which was critical to developing Pariah's visual aesthetic.[7]

Nekisa supplemented her independent producing efforts by participating in multiple programs, such as Sundance Institute Creative Producing Lab, Film Independent’s Project Involve, The Rotterdam/Cinemart Producing Lab, The Gotham Film and Media Institutes (FKA IFP) IFP Market, The Transatlantic Producing Partners Progam, and The Tribeca Film Institute’s All Access Program.[8][9]

In 2011, Cooper produced Pariah, which centers on an African-American lesbian woman, and was marketed to a wider audience and branded as a coming-of-age tale with broad appeal.[10] On June 29, 2021, Pariah became part of the Criterion Collection and earned a release of a special edition of the film on Blu-ray and includes behind the scenes on the making of the film.[11][12] In 2022, the Library of Congress selected Pariah to the American National Film Registry, recognizing its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.[13]

In 2014 Cooper joined MasterClass as lead freelance executive producer and in 2016, she became their first vice president of production then she served as the vice president of Content until 2023 where she oversaw the creation of the library with such instructors as Shonda Rhimes, Martin Scorsese, Sara Blakely, Neil Gaiman, Roxane Gay, Stephen Curry, Amy Tan, Walter Mosley, St. Vincent, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Malala Yousafzai, Tony Hawk and more.[3][14]

In 2021, Cooper joined the Board of Directors of Chicken & Egg Pictures and served as vice president since January 2023.[15] In December 2023, Cooper was appointed as the President of the Board of Directors for Chicken & Egg Pictures, a non-profit organization which provides funding and support to women and non-binary documentary filmmakers.[16]

Filmography

Year Film Notes
2005 Orange Bow short - co-producer
2007 Pariah short - producer
2008 Eventual Salvation documentary - producer
2009 Ma cité, mon histoire short - co-producer
Colonial Gods short - producer
2011 Pariah producer
2014 Futurestates TV series, 1 episode - producer
2016 The Ugly Doll (La muñeca fea) documentary - producer

Awards and recognitions

Year Work Award/Association Category Result Refs
2007 Pariah (2007) Chicago Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival Best Narrative Short Won
Pariah (2007) Iris Prize Festival Iris Prize Won
Pariah (2007) Los Angeles Film Festival Audience Award – Best Short Film Won
Pariah (2007) Palm Springs International ShortFest Future Filmmaker Award Won
Pariah (2007) Best Live Action Over 15 Minutes Won
Pariah (2007) San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Audience Award – Best Short Won
Pariah (2007) Urbanworld Film Festival Best Narrative Short Won
2012 Pariah (2011) Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award best feature made under $500,000 Won [17][18]
Pariah (2011) NAACP Outstanding Motion Picture Won [19]
Pariah (2011) GLAAD Outstanding Feature Film Won
Chicken & Egg Pictures Award I BELIEVE IN YOU Creative Producing Award Won [20]
2013 Fox Film Grant Project Involve Fellowship Won [21]
2015 Clyde's New York New York Emmy Awards Nostalgia Program Won [22]

References

  1. ↑ "Nekisa Cooper". IMDb. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Nekisa Cooper". BFI. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Berk, Nancy. "Content VP Nekisa Cooper Reveals Why MasterClass Is More Than Hollywood High Gloss". Forbes. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Nekisa Cooper: From the basketball court to Hollywood". www.wm.edu. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Coming Out, Coming Of Age As A Teen 'Pariah'". Npr.
  6. ↑ "Nekisa Cooper: From the basketball court to Hollywood". William & Mary. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Colonial Gods". Iris Prize. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Nekisa Cooper". Film Independent. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Tribeca Film Institute". www.tfiny.org. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  10. ↑ Tillet, Salamishah (January 2, 2012). "20 Years of Black Lesbian Cinema". The Root. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  11. ↑ Jackson, Angelique (July 2, 2021). "Dee Rees on Becoming the First Black American Woman Featured in the Criterion Collection With 'Pariah'". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  12. ↑ Nast, Condé (June 11, 2021). ""This Precious, Precious Thing": Dee Rees on Pariah's Historic Criterion Release". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  13. ↑ Raup, Jordan (December 14, 2022). "Carrie, Titicut Follies, Tongues Untied, Pariah & More Added to National Film Registry". Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  14. ↑ Friend, Tad (October 18, 2021). "Can MasterClass Teach You Everything?". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  15. ↑ Caldwell, Tess (December 14, 2023). "Announcing Nekisa Cooper as our Board President!". Chicken & Egg Pictures. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Chicken & Egg Pictures announces board presidency transition". Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  17. ↑ Martinez, Vanessa (February 26, 2012). "Independent Spirit Awards '12: "Pariah" Wins John Cassavetes Award; "The Interrupters" Wins Best Documentary". IndieWire. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Independent Spirit Awards 2012: Winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. March 23, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  19. ↑ "GLAAD Toasts to Smash Producers Pariah Lady Gaga and Advocate". www.advocate.com. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  20. ↑ Team, Indiewire (February 10, 2012). "Chicken & Egg Announces Grant Recipients, Including a Sundance Winner and an Oscar Nominee". IndieWire. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  21. ↑ Team, The Deadline (March 14, 2013). "'Pariah' Producer Nekisa Cooper Awarded Inaugural $10,000 Fox Film Grant". Deadline. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  22. ↑ "THE 59TH ANNUAL NEW YORK EMMY® AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED THIS MORNING!" (PDF).
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