New Orleans Nonprofit COOL Cooperative Awarded $470,800 to Expand Middle and High School Film Production Training Program

• LED Entertainment Development Fund grant will be spread over three years.

• New funding will allow 10-year-old workforce development program to hire more trainers, share curriculum with students statewide.

• Executive Director: “We want them to learn here, work here and stay here.”

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The COOL Cooperative nonprofit will receive nearly a half-million dollars from the state’s Entertainment Development Fund to expand its film industry workforce development program for middle and high school students.

Based at Second Line Stages, The COOL Cooperative (Creating Outstanding Opportunities Locally) offers after-school programs, hands-on training, mentoring opportunities and free summer programs where at-risk students learn and apply film production skills in a real-life setting. The nonprofit recently expanded its summer camp offerings and increased attendance by 45%; it plans to hire more trainers and develop a curriculum that can be accessed by any Louisiana student or educator.

“Technical training on cutting-edge equipment, together with mentorship from master storytellers, provides Louisiana’s young people a meaningful pathway into the entertainment industry, where production skills and artistry are valued and needed,” said Josh Fleig, Chief Innovation Officer at LED. “LED is extremely excited to continue our partnership with The COOL Cooperative to educate and train the next generation of film industry professionals in Louisiana.”

The Entertainment Development Fund supports workforce development for the state’s entertainment industry through education and training programs. In 2021, the fund awarded COOL Cooperative $49,000 to support the 10-year-old program’s early development; this new three-year grant of $470,800 will allow the pipeline program to further expand its offerings and its reach.

“The Louisiana film industry is an economic engine in the state,” said Beth Burvant, Executive Director of The COOL Cooperative. “It is our hope that through early skills training and exposure to film arts, we can inspire the next generation of storytellers to share their unique voices. We want them to learn here, work here and stay here.”

Through the Entertainment Development Fund, LED has invested more than $9.3 million to date in education and workforce development programs at higher education and nonprofit institutions throughout Louisiana. The fund initiative earned top honors at the 2023 International Economic Development Council Awards ceremony in September, receiving a Gold Award for Innovative Programs and Initiatives as well as a nomination for Best in Show, recognizing the best economic development program in all categories.

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. Based at Second Line Stages in New Orleans, the program offers summer programs, after-school programs, and hands-on training in film production.