Opie Cooper's early life was marked by a military upbringing, with his parents settling in Biloxi, Mississippi when he was just seven years old. This childhood experience had a profound impact on his future, as he went on to become a dedicated Boy Scout, rising through the ranks from Tiger Cub to Eagle Scout.
In fact, Opie was one of the first 100 scouts to earn the Cinematography Merit Badge, a badge co-created by the renowned film director Steven Spielberg. This achievement was made possible through his attendance at the 1989 National Scout Jamboree, where Spielberg unveiled the badge. At this event, Opie had the opportunity to ask Spielberg a question, along with about 50 other scouts acting as "home town reporters." However, when his turn arrived, Opie froze up and missed his chance.
Years later, Opie would get another opportunity to be recognized by Spielberg. His early foray into filmmaking began with shooting weddings, which he later described as "poorly." He then transitioned to making cable-channel commercials, which ultimately led to a Creative Producer position at Mississippi's highest rated news channel, WLOX TV 13 in Biloxi.
Today, Opie is the Creative Director for Eyevox Entertainment, Mississippi's largest film and video production company. His impressive career has been marked by numerous achievements, including being named one of the world's 50 best undiscovered filmmakers by Steven Spielberg's and Mark Burnett's director competition, "On The Lot," in 2007.
Although he was told by Spielberg himself that he personally chose Opie from among 12,000 entries, Opie never got to speak to the legendary director. Despite this setback, he has not given up hope of one day collaborating with Spielberg.
