The COOL Cooperative

09/03/2026

THANK YOU!
We've sold 31 plates! Only 139 more to go!

Support the next generation of filmmakers by letting us fill your plate.

Our goal: Raise $1,500 for our Cohort students films this year.
🍽️ Plate: $15
🥤 Plate + Drink: $17.50

Want to make an extra impact? Donate your plate to a student in need!

📅 September 12 | 12:00PM–3:00 PM
📍 COOL Studio
2624 Burgundy St.
New Orleans, LA 70117

Grab a plate. Support a filmmaker. Help us reach $1,500!

👉 Order yours today!
https://www.thecoolcooperative.org/palte-fundraiser

08/31/2026

On Saturday, August 22nd, Ms. Robinson of Phillis Wheatley Community School and Mr. Hill and Ms. Harris of Louisiana Academy of Production (LAAP) gathered for a COOL Academy Professional Development session.

Our Education Coordinator, Erika Dickerson-Despenza, introduced COOL Academy's pedagogical principles and led teachers through accessing lesson plans via the Canvas platform.

After lunch, COOL fellows provided hands-on camera and lighting training. At the close of the training, teachers shared that they felt excited and prepared to implement the new COOL Academy curriculum.

Interested in bringing our Academy program to your school? Email: [email protected]

08/26/2026

Our filmmakers need your support—and we’re serving it by the plate! 🍽️

Help the COOL Cooperative raise $1,500 for our Cohort students and their creative work this year.

🍽️ Plate: $15
🥤 Plate + Drink: $17.50

Want to make an extra impact? Donate your plate to a student in need!

📅 September 12 | 12:00 PM –3:00 PM
📍 COOL Studio
2624 Burgundy St.
New Orleans, LA 70117

Grab a plate. Support a filmmaker. Help us reach $1,500!

👉 Order yours today!
https://www.thecoolcooperative.org/palte-fundraiser

08/20/2026

FREE MONTHLY TUESDAY WORKSHOPS ARE BACK!

Juniors and Seniors! Join us, Tuesday, August 25th for our College Prep workshop.

🕕5:30PM-7:30PM
📍2624 Burgundy Street, New Orleans, LA 70117
Click here to register: https://www.thecoolcooperative.org/event-details/college-prep

What are film schools looking for? How can my COOL Cooperative classes help me if I’m not going into film? We cover these questions and more for our Junior and Senior students.

And if you aren’t going into film, how do you turn your creative storytelling skills into a massive advantage for college and career applications?

Join us for this specialized workshop series just for upperclassmen. We are answering your biggest questions about film programs, portfolio building, and leveraging your COOL Cooperative experience for whatever comes next.

08/17/2026

On Saturday, August 8th we held our Fall 2026.

A message from our Cohort Leader: Samantha Rohr

"It was phenomenal! We welcomed 20 new students to the Cohort from 6th-12th grade. Meeting our new students and learning about their talents and interests always gets me pumped for classes to begin. We have some amazing films on the docket for this year and I know our new students will help make them a success!"

Registration for our Fall 2026 Cohort is closed.

BUT, you don't have to wait until the Spring to get your film education.

Join us at our once a month FREE Tuesday workshops.

Expand your horizons during our monthly Tuesday workshops from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. These sessions are open to all interested students and rotate topics based on the specific interests expressed by our cohort, ensuring you get deep-dive training in the areas you care about most.

Click here to view our calendar:
https://www.thecoolcooperative.org/cohort

If you have any questions, email us at [email protected]

08/13/2026

Our COOL Academy will be in three schools for the Fall 2026 semester!

COOL Academy is an innovative enrichment program designed to engage scholars through creativity, storytelling, and hands-on learning. By combining arts, media production, and project-based education, scholars explore new ideas, develop critical thinking and literacy skills, and express themselves in meaningful ways. COOL Academy creates a learning environment that values curiosity and empowers scholars to become confident creators, collaborators, problem-solvers, and communicators.

Interested in bringing the COOL Academy to your school?

Email our Erika, our Education Coordinator: [email protected]

08/03/2026

Our Cohort Fall 2026 orientation is this Saturday, August 8th from 10:30am-12:30pm

Hosted at our COOL Studio:
St Paul Lutheran Church, 2624 Burgundy St, New Orleans, LA 70117

Come join the COOL cohort and start your filmmaking journey with us by experiencing hands-on classes led by industry professionals. Make new friends and find your creative team at the Cool Cooperative.

Want to see what The COOL is about before registering?

12:30pm-4:00pm-Stop by our open house and check us out first. All returning students are welcome to come and get prepared for the new school year, update paperwork, sign up 16 and older students for payment, and learn how parents can get involved! New students who missed the formal orientation can drop by to learn more about our programing and sign up.

Click this link for more info:
https://www.thecoolcooperative.org/schedule/cohort-fall-2026-new-student-orientation

07/31/2026

What a fun week the COOL had with the Stem Library Lab!

On Tuesday, our Education Coordinator, Erika Dickerson-Despenza attended the annual Stemmy Awards. We were nominated in the Outstanding Provider category. Even though we didn't win that night, all the free resources the Stem Library Lab provides our educators is the best prize!

Yesterday, they hosted their 4th Annual New School Year's Eve party and The COOL set up a table to chat with all the educators about our COOL Academy.

The COOL Academy is an innovative enrichment program designed to engage scholars through creativity, storytelling, and hands-on learning. By combining arts, media production, and project-based education, scholars explore new ideas, develop critical thinking and literacy skills, and express themselves in meaningful ways. COOL Academy creates a learning environment that values curiosity and empowers scholars to become confident creators, collaborators, problem-solvers, and communicators.

Interested in bringing the COOL Academy to your school or organization?
Email our Education Coordinator, Erika Dickerson-Despenza: [email protected]
or check out our website to learn more!
www.thecoolcooperative.org

07/29/2026

Miss our shout out yesterday on Magic 101.9 yesterday?

Listen now!

There’s still time to join The Fall Cohort—register today!

https://www.thecoolcooperative.org/cohort

Join our cohort to make friends, tell your stories, and gain film work-force training in a fun, collaborative environment.

We can’t wait to see what you’ll create!

https://youtu.be/CanXwHvmn6A

There’s still time to join The Fall Cohort—register today! visit:...

07/28/2026

TUNE IN TODAY!

Thank you for featuring us as your non-profit of the day!

Tune in from 3:15pm-3:45pm on 101.9 FM or stream live globally on the Audacy App.

Listen to learn more about our Cohort program and how to register your student for our upcoming semester to receive free film work-force training!

ABOUT THE COOL COOPERATIVE
The COOL Cooperative is a local 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping middle and high school youth with film-industry specific workforce development. We offer summer programs, after-school programs, and hands-on training in film production.