Jeffrey Cooney

Jeffrey Cooney was an American television producer and director. He was the co-founder and creative director of EUE/Sokolow Entertainment, which developed the script for the National Geographic television show, Genius.[2] Cooney, along with his brother Chris, owned EUE/Screen Gems Studios, which operates one of the largest sound stages east of Hollywood in Wilmington, North Carolina.[3]

Jeffrey Cooney
Born1958 (1958)
DiedFebruary 12, 2018(2018-02-12) (aged 59–60)[1]
NationalityAmerican
EducationBA English, College of the Holy Cross, 1980
OccupationProducer/Director
Years active1981 - 2018
TitleCreative Director
Parents
  • George Cooney (father)
  • Cynthia Cooney (mother)

Early life and education

Cooney was the son of Cynthia Cooney, a design consultant, and George Cooney, the CEO of EUE/Screen Gems Ltd.[4] He was raised in Bronxville, New York with his three siblings. At the age of 7, he began acting in television commercials, eventually appearing in an advertisement for Cream of Wheat.[2][3] Cooney graduated from Bronxville High School, where he played quarterback for the school's football team.[5] Following high school, he attended College of the Holy Cross, where he played wide receiver[6] for the university's football team.[3] Cooney graduated from Holy Cross in 1980 with a BA in English.[7]

Career

Following his graduation from Holy Cross, Cooney formed the commercial production company LCL Productions with Ron Leyser, Danny Levinson and Bill Seiz in 1981. He directed his first commercial for the Mitsubishi Company and eventually directed commercials for New York Life, Procter & Gamble and others.[8] After 4 years, he joined EUE/Screen Gems as a principal and director.[9] In 1990, he formed Jeffrey Cooney Films where he directed commercials for clients including Kodak and General Mills. Since 2000, Cooney has served as the executive vice president of creative affairs for First Look Studios, Inc.[10]

In 2001, Cooney directed the documentary The Game of Their Lives which documented an under served high school's involvement in the "Play it Smart" program.[11] The film was produced for the National Football Foundation and won a prize for the best educational documentary at the Chicago Film Festival in 2004.[12] Cooney also is credited with creating a pro-bono tourism commercial for Washington, D.C. that featured a bipartisan group of politicians singing a George and Ira Gershwin song in 2002.[13] That same year, he was an executive producer for the movie Skins.[14] While continuing to produce television commercials and working with athletes including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Shaquille O'Neal, Cooney developed an interest in Albert Einstein after reading the Walter Isaacson biography Einstein: His Life and Universe.[3] He eventually acquired the rights to the book with the intention of creating a feature film.[2]

In 2010, Cooney partnered with Sam Sokolow to create EUE/Sokolow Entertainment an independent production company.[15] In 2017, the company produced the Genius TV series for National Geographic based on the Einstein biography Cooney had previously acquired the rights to.[16] After the success of the first season, National Geographic announced that it would pick up the Genius series for a second season and that EUE/Sokolow would again be an executive producer for the show.[17]

Personal life

Cooney was active with the JDRF and held board memberships at Destination College, the National Football Foundation[18] and the College Football Hall of Fame.[19]

References
  1. "NY Time Obituary - Jeff Cooney". Legacy.com. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  2. Fuller Hayden, Margaret (May 3, 2017). "Broxvillian Jeff Cooney is the Brains Behind Current Television Series 'Genius'". My Hometown Bronxville.
  3. Livingston Nackman, Barbara (November 26, 2013). "'Sleepy Hollow' Stand-in: Local Brothers Own Studio Where TV Hit is Filmed". lohud.
  4. "Engagements". The Bronxville Review and Press. March 1, 1990. p. 4.
  5. Serby, Steve (October 10, 1975). "The Model QB With Freckles". New York Post.
  6. "Jeff Cooney". Sports Reference.
  7. Carr, Kathleen (2006). "Jeff Cooney '80: Directing Change". Holy Cross Magazine.
  8. Demkowych, Christine (August 3, 1984). "LCL Productions' Jeff Cooney Making a Name for Himself". Back Stage.
  9. "Jeffrey Cooney: Creative Director". EUE/Screengems.
  10. "Cooney, Jeffrey". Reuters.
  11. Armstrong, Matthew (December 14, 2001). "EUE/Screen Gems, Director Jeffrey Cooney Play It Smart". Shoot.
  12. Fuchs, Marek (November 13, 2005). "For the Record; Academic Game Plan Adds to Gridiron Success". The New York Times.
  13. Oldenburg, Don (May 4, 2002). "Oh Say, Can You Sing?". The Washington Post.
  14. "Jeff Cooney Filmography". Moviefone.
  15. Brown, Joel (May 30, 2017). "The Alum Behind National Geographic's Genius". Boston University.
  16. Otterson, Joe (April 26, 2017). "'Genius' Producers Complete Decades-Long Journey With Nat Geo Einstein Series". Variety.
  17. "National Geographic Announces New and Returning Cast for Season 2 of GENIUS". Broadway World. November 2, 2017.
  18. "Former Vols Coach Battle Among Six Added to NFF Board of Directors". University of Tennessee. February 9, 2010.
  19. "Jeff Cooney: Senior V.P. / Creative Director". EUE/Screengems.
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