I was all excited to tell you about the inspiring story of Lauren Cooper, a young Orthodox Jewish professional who is pursuing her passion for filmmaking while demonstrating a strong fidelity to her faith. Then I realized that you might already be familiar with some of her work.
Cooper served as the line producer for a few episodes of “Soon By You,” a comedic web series in 2016-2017 that chronicled the challenges of dating for young modern Orthodox singles in New York City. As line producer, Cooper oversaw the budget, scheduling, and hiring the crew.
She was the associate producer of “SportsNite” and the New York Mets pregame and postgame shows in 2015, the production coordinator for a 2013 episode of the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” and a production assistant for three episodes of “Brain Games,” a Disney+ game show, in 2011.
Cooper has also served as post-producer for commercials by Butterfinger, Corona, Crunch Bar, E*Trade, Fruity Pebbles, Morgan Stanley, Samsung and Viant Technology. And she has produced video footage to support social media campaigns for clients such as the American Dream Mall, American Girl, Johnson & Johnson, Neutrogena and Pampers.
Cooper knew when she attending Queens College that she was eager to enter the filmmaking field and landed internships with MTV, working on “Cribs” and “My SuperSweet 16,” and NBC, working on the “Today in New York” early morning show; that internship required her to show up at 4 a.m.
She graduated from Queens College in 2010 and then got her Film & Television Industry Essentials Certification from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She went to work for the American Movie Company production studio in New York City, when she worked on a variety of projects. In 2014 she landed a job as a producer’s assistant for Academy Award-winning director Cynthia Wade and worked on the “Selfie by Dove” short film, which raised awareness of how mothers can unconsciously pass on their own insecurities to their daughters. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
In 2013 Cooper founded her own production company, Elle Bee & Co., which led to her working with over 100 noted brands. She rebranded her agency as LC Films in 2024 and has continued to enjoy success in her work.
Cooper told The Jewish Link that pursuing her career as an Orthodox Jew has not always been easy. “Being Orthodox from birth has presented unique challenges in this field,” she said. “I’ve faced instances where job offers were rescinded after I mentioned my need to leave early on Fridays for Shabbat. One director even reassured me that ‘God would understand’ if I arrived after Shabbat had begun. On another occasion, I was offered a role in a film with a prestigious Oscar-winning filmmaker, only to be told I wasn’t taking my career seriously when I explained that I couldn’t work on Shavuot.
“These experiences have been difficult, but my upbringing—shaped by my parents, grandparents and Jewish community—has molded me into the producer I am today. I have also been able to connect to other Orthodox directors, writers, producers and actors—it’s truly an amazing feeling having Judaism be our connected bond.”
Cooper is also aided in her career and her efforts to strike a healthy work/life balance by her husband, Binyamin, who works in organizational management consulting. She describes him as “a rock” who is “very supportive of a wife in a freelance role.” They have three children. The family lives in Highland Park, New Jersey and attends Congregation Ahavas Achim.
Asked which filmmaking project excites her most lately, Cooper spoke about the short film “Derailed,” which she self-funded, produced, and partnered with a writer who stars in it. “Derailed” tells a story of unexpected barriers in NYC to a person with physical limitations and promotes disability advocacy.
Cooper is currently wrapping up the post-production for “Derailed.” At the same time, she is creating a three-hour workshop for people who want to enter the film industry. The workshop, which will be offered starting in November at locations to be determined in New York and New Jersey, will focus on learning the basics of cameras, lighting and audio equipment and offer hands-on experience.
The producer is also developing a one-hour workshop on post-production, which will cover the basics of editing, coloring, and audio mixing. The workshop will be available via her website this fall.
Additionally, she is poised to launch a “Lean In Circle: Female Filmmakers Over 30,” a monthly forum for women filmmakers to network, support each other, learn from and teach each other about aspects of their field. The group will be small and will start this fall.
And if those four projects weren’t enough to keep her busy, Cooper is writing her own screenplay, perhaps somewhat autobiographical, about a woman in the filmmaking business who offers support to a young assistant and recalls her own early days in the field. She hopes to start production in spring 2025.
Cooper is available for speaking engagements, career coaching and consulting, and also for film production (short-form or feature-length), all offered at reasonable rates.
For more information on Cooper’s inspiring career, please see her website at https://laurenbcooper.com
Harry Glazer is the Middlesex County Editor of The Jewish Link. He can be reached at [email protected] and he welcomes reader feedback.
