Jim Cook Jr. (born August 25, 1987, in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania) is an American writer, actor, and filmmaker, who served in the
United States Army. In 2012, Cook ran a successful election campaign by only using social media. He graduated from Woodstown High School in 2006.
Biography
Cook was raised in
Pilesgrove Township, New Jersey and graduated from
Woodstown High School in 2006. He graduated from
Rowan University in May 2010 and joined the ''
South Jersey Times
The ''South Jersey Times'' is a newspaper serving the South Jersey area of New Jersey. It began publication on November 4, 2012, following a merger of three affiliated papers, ''Gloucester County Times'', ''The News of Cumberland County'' and '' ...
'' as a news reporter in November the same year.
In September 2012, Cook wrote and produced ''Roundabout: A New Amusement'', a play about the history of the
Levoy Theatre
The Levoy Theatre is a 696-seat operational performing arts center located in Millville, Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States.
History
The First Levoy Theatre
The first Levoy Theatre filled a ten-year void left in Millville after th ...
. The play was performed for the theater's grand opening gala. He has served on the theater's Board of Directors since January 2019.
On the night before the general 2012 election, Cook launched a last-minute bid with no funding and less than 24 hours to win a seat on the
Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District school board of education. Later that month, it was announced Cook had won a seat representing Pilesgrove Township, using only social media to rally votes.
Due to his position as an editor, Cook was urged by the ''South Jersey Times'' to decline the BOE appointment to avoid a conflict of interest, to which he agreed.
On October 3, 2013, Cook announced his departure from the ''South Jersey Times'' and his enlistment into the
United States Army. He completed Basic Combat Training at
Fort Jackson in South Carolina in February 2014. He served his full enlistment at
Osan Air Base in the
Republic of Korea assigned to the 3rd
Battlefield Coordination Detachment (3rd BCD-K).
With theaters closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cook turned to filmmaking. He released the short thriller ''The Roommate'' in July 2021.
Stray electricity investigation
From 2010 to 2013 at the ''South Jersey Times'' (then ''The News of Cumberland County''), Cook worked closely with former 1981 NFL Baltimore Colt defensive lineman
Anthony “Bubba” Green on a series investigating the city of
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
in the electrocution death of Green's daughter Deanna in
Druid Hill Park in 2006. The series — along with various legal proceedings — assisted in the creation of the Deanna Camille Green Rule, which requires electric companies in
Maryland to survey for contact voltage (stray electricity). The overall intention of the rule is to prevent accidental electrocutions.
The series — later titled ''Battling Stray Electricity: A family's journey'' — received a 2010
New Jersey Press Association
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
award in Public Service.
Writing
Awards
• New Jersey Press Association (2010) , Lloyd P. Burns Award for Public Service
• New Jersey Press Association (2012) , Breaking News
• Beyond the Curve International Film Festival (Aug 2021) , Finalist , ''The Roommate''
[https://www.bciff.org/official-selections-july-august-2021/#roadtrip-22]
Theatre credits
Filmography
References
External links
*Romanesko, Jim
"Journalist wins school board seat with 24-hour write-in campaign on Facebook""JimRomanesko.com, November 26, 2012.
*Moire, Jennifer
"New Jersey Journalist uses only Facebook to win local election" ''AllFacebook.com'', November 27, 2012.
*Rearick, Kristie
"South Jersey Times , NJ.com" September 25, 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Jim
1987 births
Living people
American male bloggers
American bloggers
American newspaper editors
21st-century American dramatists and playwrights
People from Salem County, New Jersey
Rowan University alumni
United States Army soldiers
Woodstown High School alumni
American LGBT military personnel
21st-century American non-fiction writers