Meet Kathleen Cooke of Franklin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen Cooke.

Hi Kathleen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My favorite toy growing up was an outdoor trashcan that my mom filled with clothes from thrift stores and the local Salvation Army for me to use as costumes so I could create plays and stories. Mom even had Victorian Barbie doll clothes made for me so I could create classic stories like “Little Women” and the “Secret Garden.” Theatrical acting was part of my DNA. I met and married my husband, director, producer, and writer, Phil Cooke, in college, and we moved to LA in 1991 to pursue our dream of working in the Hollywood industry. Together, we have not only worked in the Hollywood industry but have shot in over 60 global cities. Pursuing the industry is just that. It has to be pursued, which means long hours, sacrificial living choices, and existing on a financial rollercoaster. It takes grit. But we couldn’t go after what we were passionate about, and that was excellent storytelling and the power of the story to change lives and bring joy.

Today, am the Co-founder of Influence Women and the co-owner of a media production company – Cooke Media Group – CookeMediaGroup.com with my husband, Phil Cooke. We have also co-founded the nonprofit The Influence Lab – influencelab.com. Influence Women – influencewomen.org is an arm of The Lab. It focuses on women in media, entertainment, arts, and leadership with current chapter groups in Hollywood, Atlanta, Nashville, CA, Orange County, Baton Rouge, Dallas, and Houston. Each chapter hosts professional events and smaller INspire gatherings throughout the year to connect, inspire, and educate women in the industry. I post the weekly Influence Journal, host the monthly Influence Women Podcast and webinars, and write a blog at KathleenCooke.com, where you can learn more about me.

The purpose of Influence Women is to connect, allow women to collaborate, and provide media/entertainment professional coaching and encouragement to women who work in the media/entertainment/arts/leadership industry. If you have a cell phone and a social media account, you are in media too! Our goal is to empower women who have a Biblical worldview to affect the culture using their skills and talents. Besides ongoing connecting and coaching events, we provide an interactive website specially developed to connect women globally.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Artists’ lives always involve struggles. It is not a life for the faint-hearted. Yet, I knew this was the career God had set before me, and I loved it despite the sacrifices. I learned I didn’t have a big fancy car, house, or clothing budget – I just had to have what I needed. I knew that it was about relationships. And the industry has provided me with wonderful ones. I have found that because great art requires one to be vulnerable, sensitive to others, and open to new things, the people I have met along our journey are interesting, intelligent, and highly creative. They are interesting people.

With my producer/director/writer husband, Phil Cooke, we raised two creative and talented daughters who have professional artistic lives. Bailey – “girl name Golden”, lives in NYC and is a musical composer and singer and Kelsey is a director/writer/actor and is married to my son-in-law, Chris Guerra, a director, writer, and actor. Together, they are successful filmmakers who are raising two children who are both actors. So the “acorn doesn’t fall too far from the tree.” It’s in their DNA, too and they know that an artistic career involves endless struggles but their is also much joy. If you see those struggles as opportunities and take the good with the challenges and know that with the faith of God in your life – “all things are possible,” an artists life is exciting.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Cooke Media Group, the production company I co-own, has produced programming in over 60 countries. CMG is a multi-award-winning production and consulting company specializing in effectively telling your story. We have produced short films, documentaries, and national commercials (Super Bowl spots) as well as launched businesses, nonprofits, and ministry organizations.

As a company, we know that we work with real people who have real lives and real issues. Encouragement, inspiration, mentoring, and grace must be activated and facilitated within the workplace. When we produce a project, we go to great lengths to ensure that the set is professional but also fun. Screaming is not allowed, and doing your homework is vital. Our cast and crews have always worked hard and gone the extra mile to create an excellent final product, and we have a trophy case to show for it.

What matters most to you? Why?
For me, Biblical wisdom lies at the foundation of my work. Love your neighbor as yourself, serve others, be humble, care for the poor in spirit, be a peacemaker, be kind, be good, and give back are all words of wisdom and proven leadership skills that have brought success and sustainability not only to our company but to me. Giving back had to be incorporated into my life’s work, and I wanted to mentor and support others in the industry, but I also wanted to teach them how to teach others.

The Influence Lab and Influence Women (our nonprofit organization) was launched so that students and professionals could be mentored to use media effectively to tell their stories. We bring in speakers to encourage and support each other and to inspire artistic and creative excellence. It was created so that those working in the industry could grow relationships and know they weren’t isolated or alone. Influence Women has grown faster than I ever thought or imagined in a very short time. We are experiencing growing joys and not focusing on “pains.” I tell people, “I’m keeping my tennis shoes on and tied these days.” As with any organization, we need supporters, donors, mentors, and coaches to keep our mission aligned and on target. I believe if we are going to impact and influence our culture with positive messages based on a Biblical worldview, it will be through the effective use of media. This is what drives my work today.

Contact Info:

• Website: influencewomen.org | cookemediagroup.com | kathleencooke.com
• Instagram: @KathleenCookeOfficial or @theinfluencelab or @cookemediagroup
• Facebook: KathleenCookeOfficial  or InfluenceWomenGlobal
• Twitter: KathleenCookeLA
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/3gZn1rzqrpY