Talmage Cooley was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Affairs and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia, as well as a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
Cooley also studied acting and directing at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts/Playwright's Horizons Theater School in New York, where he worked with notable theater directors Anne Bogart, Kevin Kulke, and Brian Jucha. Additionally, he studied film and photography at The New School/Parsons School of Design.
As a writer and director, Cooley's first effort was the satirical short film Pol Pot's Birthday (2004),which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received numerous awards. The film was featured in American Cinematographer for its visual accomplishment in art direction and digital cinematography.
Cooley's second film, Dimmer (2005),was a documentary short produced in collaboration with the band Interpol. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, won numerous awards, and was short-listed for the 2006 Academy Awards.
Cooley's feature film, Patriotville (2009),starred Justin Long, Rob Corddry, Nick Offerman, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Keir O'Donnell. The film premiered at the CineVegas Film Festival and was released by Lionsgate Entertainment.
Cooley has been recognized as one of "Ten Most Innovative Talents" by RES Magazine and one of "10 Emerging Talents to Watch" by Screen International. His films have won over 20 Best Film and other awards at festivals worldwide.
He has also been a social activist, co-founding the national anti-gun violence organization PAX/The Center to Prevent Youth Violence and serving as the Founder and CEO of Democracy.com, an award-winning platform for civic and political engagement.
Cooley resides in Brooklyn, New York.
