Zinzi Coogler

Zinzi Coogler was born in Oakland, California. She was an ardent student-athlete and earned a track and field scholarship to California State University, Fresno, where she was the WAC 800 meter champion in 2006 and a two-time NCAA Regional Qualifier. She graduated with a degree in Deaf Studies and a focus in American Sign Language Interpreting.

After graduating, she worked as an American Sign Language Interpreter for the Deaf Counseling, Advocacy & Referral Agency (DCARA) and as a freelance interpreter for 10 years, where she worked in a broad sector of settings including government, academics, employer training and conferences. While at DCARA, she held several responsibilities, spanning from organizing community events and job fairs to developing and launching an employment readiness training program for adults. She was also a Sign Language Consultant for films, such as “Creed” (2015), “Rampage” (2018) and “A Wrinkle In Time (2018).”

She has worked in an advisory capacity on the development, production and post-production phases on each of Ryan Coogler’s projects since the onset of his filmmaking career and recently made the full-time transition to the film industry.

Most recently, she was an executive producer on “Judas and The Black Messiah” for Warner Brothers. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards®, including Best Picture. Daniel Kaluuya won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar® for his role as Chairman Fred Hampton and H.E.R won Best Original Song for “Fight for You” on behalf of the film. Up next, she is an executive producer on “Space Jam: A New Legacy” for HBO Max. She is currently serving as a producer on “Bitter Root” with Legendary Pictures, which Regina King is set to direct. The film will follow a family of monster hunters in 1920s Harlem, who operate to stop a portal to the netherworld from opening.