Thirty-five years ago, media production looked very different. Today, Cooke Media Group celebrates 35 years of navigating the massive changes in technology, digital media and audience engagement while helping our clients communicate their message with clarity and impact. Founder and CEO Phil Cooke reflects on the experiences, relationships, and lessons that have shaped Cooke Media Group—and the opportunities ahead for media production, storytelling, and strategic communication of messages worth sharing.
Cooke Media Group at 35: Honoring the Past, Building the Future
Thirty-five years of changing technology, enduring relationships, and messages worth sharing.
Thirty-five years ago, the media world looked very different. There was no social media, streaming, smartphones, or AI. Broadcast television dominated, production equipment required a substantial investment, and reaching an audience meant navigating a very different set of opportunities and obstacles.
That was the world in which we launched Cooke Media Group.
This year, as we celebrate our 35th anniversary, we’re looking back with gratitude at the people, projects, and experiences that have shaped this company—and looking forward with a sense of possibility.
The changes we’ve witnessed have been extraordinary. When we started, a broadcast television camera could cost more than $250,000. Today, an iPhone puts remarkable production capabilities in the palm of your hand. We’ve moved through one technological revolution after another, continually learning new ways to help our clients communicate.
What is the best way to reach your audience? Our team has produced award-winning commercials, promotional videos, long and short-form documentaries, and fundraising videos. View video samples here.
Through it all, our purpose has remained consistent: helping churches, ministries, nonprofits, and leaders tell their stories, clarify their messages, build their brands, and connect with the people they’re called to reach.
That work has taken us to nearly 80 countries and introduced us to extraordinary people. Looking back, we remember the productions, but we also remember the conversations, the long days on location, the creative breakthroughs, and the friendships that continued long after a project was finished. Those relationships are among the most meaningful results of these 35 years.
We’ve had the privilege of working alongside remarkable creative teams and helping leaders solve difficult communication challenges. We’ve also made mistakes, adjusted our thinking, and learned lessons that no new piece of equipment could teach us. Experience has deepened our respect for preparation, clear thinking, creative courage, and the trust a client places in our hands.
If these years have reinforced one conviction, it’s that a message worth sharing still matters.
Technology gives us more ways to reach people, but understanding an audience, earning its attention, and communicating with clarity remain essential.
The tools will keep changing, but our responsibility is to use them well.
What’s your vision? We tailor our approach to help you meet your mission and goals. From the first ever audio Bible voiced by females, to brand positioning, to a live streamed fundraising event, our mission is to accelerate yours. View project samples here.
As we look toward the next 35 years, we see extraordinary opportunities to help a new generation of leaders communicate with purpose. New platforms will emerge. Creative possibilities will expand. The work will demand curiosity, discernment, and a willingness to keep learning. We intend to bring all three, along with the experience we’ve gained and the enthusiasm that got us started.
To every team member, client, colleague, creative partner, and friend who has been part of the Cooke Media Group story: thank you.
Your talent, encouragement, and trust have helped make this anniversary possible. If you’ve shared part of this journey, we’d love to hear what you remember.
Thirty-five years gives us plenty to celebrate—and even more reason to get back to work. There are stories still waiting to be told, leaders preparing to step forward, and people who need to hear a message that could change their lives.
We’re grateful for where we’ve been, inspired by what comes next, and ready to help tell the stories of the next 35 years. —Phil Cooke
Ready to explore ways to increase your reach and impact? Contact our team here and let’s talk!
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Phil Cooke, Ph.D. —Strategic Advisor | Cultural Influence & Crisis Leadership
Phil Cooke, Ph.D., is a strategic advisor to church, nonprofit, and media leaders navigating crisis, credibility, and cultural influence in a rapidly changing digital world. Founder of Cooke Media Group in Los Angeles and Nashville, he has worked with senior leadership teams globally to strengthen reputation and clarify mission. He is the author of Church on Trial and several other books on leadership and creativity, and has produced media projects seen worldwide.
Access his blogs on faith, media and culture here.