In the wake of his successful Peacock series Bel-Air–the dramatic reimagining of the series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air–triple-threat writer/director/cinematographer Morgan Cooper has joined the roster at London Alley for exclusive commercial, branded content and music video representation in the U.S. He had previously been repped by production house Chromista in the advertising arena.
After purchasing his first camera at the age of 18 from a Best Buy, Cooper saw his obsession with filmmaking take hold; since then, the Kansas City, Missouri native has been on a quest to perfect his craft through immersive self-study and intentional acts of creation.
Cooper infuses his storytelling with a deep sense of meaning and purpose. Within 24 hours of uploading one such project to YouTube in March 2019, a visionary short film entitled Bel-Air, Cooper was contacted by Will and Jada Smith’s production company, Westbrook, Inc., with interest in developing what would become Bel-Air, the breakout hit television series that premiered in February 2022. Amid his recent successes, Cooper remains true to his Midwest roots and values, which resonate throughout his work, lending a distinct voice and a strong vision to his passion for storytelling.
Cooper is a two-time Tribeca X winner for his feature U SHOOT VIDEOS? and the short film for Synchrony Bank, Pay Day, with each film garnering the top prize for their respective categories at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. Made in collaboration with Adorama, U SHOOT VIDEOS? follows Moji, a hungry young filmmaker who pursues his dream of being a filmmaker by shooting low budget music videos for local rappers in Kansas City while yearning to take a bold leap forward in his career.
Currently based in Los Angeles, Cooper is in development with Sony Pictures Television for a half hour dramedy titled BLKCOFFEE, a series about a former basketball player from Kansas City who becomes a national barista champion after an injury derails his chances of going pro. He serves as co-creator, director and executive producer alongside showrunner/executive producer Dayna Lynne North (Insecure, The Best Man: Final Chapters) along with Gabrielle Union and her production company, I’ll Have Another. Cooper was recently interviewed for TIME100 Talks, a series that speaks with the most influential leaders in each field, in which he addressed issues of equity, inspiration, and impact, and was featured in Teen Vogue’s New Hollywood cover series, which features eight creatives who are “daring to think about Hollywood differently.”
London Alley executive producer, Sandy Haddad said, “Morgan is that rare creative whose vision is unwavering and matched only by his ability to execute it with sheer perfection. Every detail of the craft is subject to his refined eye, helping him to create new worlds and immersive storytelling experiences.”
Cooper added, “In London Alley, I’ve found a partner who respects my creative process and is deeply committed to bringing that vision to life. They understand who I am as a creator, and together we will break new boundaries. I’m proud to be joining such a talented roster of filmmakers.”
Review: Malcolm Washington Makes His Feature Directing Debut With “The Piano Lesson”
An heirloom piano takes on immense significance for one family in 1936 Pittsburgh in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." Generational ties also permeate the film adaptation, in which Malcolm Washington follows in his father Denzel Washington's footsteps in helping to bring the entirety of The Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of 10 plays — to the screen.
Malcolm Washington did not start from scratch in his accomplished feature filmmaking debut. He enlisted much of the cast from the recent Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charles), his brother, John David Washington (Boy Willie), Ray Fisher (Lymon) and Michael Potts (Whining Boy). Berniece, played by Danielle Brooks in the play, is now beautifully portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler. With such rich material and a cast for whom it's second nature, it would be hard, one imagines, to go wrong. Jackson's own history with the play goes back to its original run in 1987 when he was Boy Willie.
It's not the simplest thing to make a play feel cinematic, but Malcolm Washington was up to the task. His film opens up the world of the Charles family beyond the living room. In fact, this adaptation, which Washington co-wrote with "Mudbound" screenwriter Virgil Williams, goes beyond Wilson's text and shows us the past and the origins of the intricately engraved piano that's central to all the fuss. It even opens on a big, action-filled set piece in 1911, during which the piano is stolen from a white family's home. Another fleshes out Doaker's monologue in which he explains to the uninitiated, Fisher's Lymon, and the audience, the tortured history of the thing. While it might have been nice to keep the camera on Jackson, such a great, grounding presence throughout, the good news is that he really makes... Read More