Meet Cooper Campisi | Director & Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cooper Campisi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cooper, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I feel like risk has always been something I’ve had to deal with. I mean growing up as a competitive skier you have to learn these tricks that are scary and there is a lot of risk in the learning process. I have broken my femur twice, collar bone four times and have dealt with broken arms. It’s kinda of just comes with the territory, but I’m grateful for my experience with risk because I feel like it has translated into all the other aspects of my life. When a shoot comes up or a career decision is presented to me I tend to put myself out there, even if I’m unsure about my ability, but I kinda feel like it is the best way to learn. The more uncomfortable you are, the more you take away and become more internally confident. At the end of the day you are really just battling with yourself.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a filmmaker from Aspen Colorado. As a younger kid I started shooting my buddies skiing and that was my intro into filmmaking. I would make little season edits for them and that’s were my passion for being behind the camera stemmed from. As I got older I found a love for more narrative work. I shot a couple short films with my friends and the process is what hooked me. From the conceptualization of an idea and then bringing that to life is what honestly was so fascinating. So since then I’ve worked on commercial projects other films and kinda just a bunch of random stuff. Now that I live in LA I just feel super inspired all the time. There’s so many people making films out here, it’s really motivating. The biggest challenge I experience is imposter syndrome. It’s hard to find the confidence in yourself when making art. I think most artist feel this way, but I also think thats part of the beauty of creating. You are constantly trying to perceiver through you own mental limitations and there is nothing like getting over the hump and achieving something you set out to do. And that is the biggest lesson I have learned is you just have to keep going even when you don’t feel like it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a big surfer so if someone comes to visit me we are definitely going to the beach. Before going to the beach probably hit
Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery and grab a sandwich. After that we would cruise down to Venice Breakwater and hang out all day. Surfing and hanging at the beach is tiring so to wrap the day up I would get some take out from Wirin Thai and bring it back to my house where we would kick it and chill in my backyard.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my friends and family. I think in this world your support system is everything and if you’re lucky enough to find a good one, it makes the challenges in your life easier to conquer. Without my friends and family I would not be who I am today and I could not be more grateful for them.

Website: https://www.coopercampisi.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coopercampisi/

Image Credits
Gianni Tullio