Cooper wins Emmy

By Jessica Edwards

Former resident Richard Cooper last week won the Northwest Regional Emmy Award for Director of Photography for a promotional travel documentary entitled “There’s no Place Like Nome” for the Alaska Channel.

“It was pretty amazing. When they called the winner…I don’t even remember going onstage,” said Cooper, a 1984 graduate of Haines High School. “I hadn’t even written a list of people I wanted to thank.”

Cooper’s 23-minute film showcases the wildlife and landscapes in the Bering Straits region and Nome, and gives potential visitors a snapshot of life there. He condensed the film from about 30 hours of footage.

Cooper’s film competed with work of four other filmmakers in the documentary photography category, with subjects ranging from Switzerland, climbing Mount Washington, and sea slugs.

Held at Washington’s Snoqualmie Casino, the Northwest Regional Emmy Awards was a black-tie affair complete with red carpet, photographers, and TV interviews, Cooper said.

Cooper attended the awards dinner with parents and former Haines residents Marge and Dave Conzatti and sister Shari Black. The family sat with several other Emmy nominees, and as they sat down, Cooper joked, “We’re at the lucky table tonight, guys.”

The table took home a total of nine Emmys during the course of the three-hour ceremony, he said.

The former Haines resident, now living and working in Anchorage, this year launched his own independent production company, FrostLine Productions.

Though he wasn’t aware he’d been nominated when he started the company, winning the Emmy is a career boost, he said. Unlike Emmys in many other categories awarding teams of producers, the director of photography award honored an individual for craft achievement, he said. “That means the award is mine.”

Current FrostLine Productions projects include a documentary about a group of Anchorage students’ trip to Ghana and a video for Covenant House, an Alaska organization that offers housing resources for homeless teens.

“We do all kinds of work,” said Cooper. “It’s all about telling a story.”

Before starting his own venture, Cooper worked five years as the Alaska Channel’s director of photography.

Cooper’s rise in cinematography grew was an outgrowth of his passion for composing music. Cooper was a talented high school trombonist and guitarist and after college worked as a professional musician.

 He gave up that career, moved back to Haines, married, and bought a house. He took a job as a fuel truck driver for Petro Marine.

“I was just miserable,” he said. The pay and the benefits were great, “but being an artist, you just have to let that stuff out.”

Composing music on the side, Cooper stumbled onto a computer software program that allowed him to edit video and compose soundtracks. Playing with video, Cooper knew he’d stumbled on a new passion.

“Since that day, I haven’t written any music.”

As a high school student, Cooper auditioned for All American Youth in Concert, a national honor band, and was seated first chair trombone.

Community members organized and contributed to fundraising events that made it possible for him to journey to Europe and to the East Coast with the group. A generous community member donated money so Cooper’s mother and aunt could attend a youth concert he played at New York’s Carnegie Hall, he said.

“There was a lot of support when I was young, in high school,” said Cooper. “I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who’s supported me – or anyone else. Without that support, (none of this) would ever have happened. That’s really the magic of these little towns.”

Resident Nancy Schnabel was a fifth grade teacher when Cooper’s family moved to Haines. “I do remember him pursuing this photography thing,” said Schnabel. “I’d always thought he would pursue music…It’s so great to see that dedication rewarded.”

High school classmate George Campbell said while Cooper hadn’t been showy, or outgoing, he’d always been an artistic talent. Campbell worked with Cooper on promotional films in Haines more than a decade ago, and was impressed by his attention to detail.

“Everything he did was excellent. He’s always been good at everything he’s done. Nobody deserves it more than him.”

To view Cooper’s Emmy-winning work in “There’s No Place Like Nome,” visit the website www.Alaska.org/nome/.