From an Elon classroom to coaching Grammy winners, Nick Cooper '94 has built a career full of creativity and personal growth. The School of Communications graduate said curiosity, resilience and self-belief took him on a journey from North Carolina to stages and boardrooms around the world.
Nick Cooper ’94 never planned on attending Elon University.
In fact, he spent much of his college search focused on a different path. But after encouragement from an aunt who worked in higher education, Cooper visited Elon and quickly realized he had discovered something he hadn’t expected.
“It was far greater than what I wanted,” Cooper said. “I thought I knew what was best for me, but Elon introduced me to possibilities that were completely outside my scope of understanding.”
More than two decades later, that willingness to embrace the unexpected has taken Cooper around the world. The broadcast communications graduate has built a career as a vocal coach, creative strategist and entrepreneur, working alongside artists such as Beyoncé, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Jon Batiste and Kehlani. Today, he coaches performers on Broadway productions around the globe, advises international entertainment companies and leads several ventures focused on artist development and creative strategy.
Yet Cooper believes the foundation for that success began in the classrooms of Elon.
As a broadcast communications major with minors in business and Japanese, Cooper immersed himself in disciplines that challenged him to think differently. He originally planned to move to Japan after graduation, becoming fluent in the language and preparing for an international teaching opportunity. Although those plans never surfaced, the experience shaped the way he approached the world.
“Language gave me the confidence to speak to anyone from any culture,” Cooper said. “Business taught me how to navigate opportunities and communications taught me how to articulate my thoughts. Those three things changed my life.”
Cooper often found himself as the only African American student in many of his classes. Rather than seeing that as a limitation, he credits professors with pushing him to develop his voice and perspective.
“They would ask me, ‘Nick, what’s your perspective?'” he said. “What they didn’t know was they were helping me build resilience and teaching me how to articulate who I was.”
Those conversations became some of the most important lessons of his college experience.
“It wasn’t about what I knew,” Cooper said. “It was about learning how to communicate with people who didn’t necessarily think like me.”
Outside the classroom, Elon’s emphasis on hands-on learning provided opportunities to put those skills into practice. Cooper hosted programming on ESTV and explored interests in media, performance and leadership while developing the communication skills that would later become central to his career.
“Elon gave me an agnostic toolbox,” Cooper said. “It prepared me to go into any room and communicate effectively. More importantly, it taught me how to write. There’s nothing I can’t write.”
After graduation, Cooper entered the entertainment industry, initially pursuing opportunities as a performer and creative professional. Over time, he discovered a talent for helping artists unlock their potential, leading him into vocal coaching and artist development.
His client list eventually grew to include some of the biggest names in music and entertainment. However, Cooper said his defining career moment had nothing to do with celebrities.
“The breakthrough wasn’t working with famous people,” he said. “The breakthrough was looking in the mirror and knowing who I was.”
That lesson became especially important when he was first asked to work with Beyoncé. Before the session, Cooper was warned that she would quickly decide whether he was the right fit. Instead of feeling intimidated, he focused on what he could offer.
“She didn’t show up for me to cower in front of her,” Cooper said. “She showed up because I had something that could help her.”
That mindset has guided his career ever since.
Whether coaching Grammy-winning artists, mentoring Broadway performers or advising global entertainment organizations, Cooper approaches every relationship the same way: helping people discover what they are capable of becoming.
Among those he has worked closely with is Grammy and Academy Award-winning musician Jon Batiste. Cooper describes their relationship as one built not only on music, but on personal growth and purpose.
“It starts as music,” Cooper said. “Then it becomes a lesson in life, a lesson in business and eventually a friendship.”
Today, Cooper continues expanding that philosophy through multiple ventures, including Creative Village, a mentorship and development platform designed to provide emerging artists with access to the same guidance and resources often reserved for industry insiders.
“I wanted to create opportunities for people who wouldn’t normally have access to them,” Cooper said. “My goal is to help people maximize their potential while they’re alive.”
As he reflects on his journey, Cooper sees a direct connection between the uncertainty he experienced as a student and the success he enjoys today.
“There were many times at Elon when I didn’t know what was next,” he said. “But that uncertainty forced me to develop curiosity.”
For Cooper, curiosity remains one of the most valuable traits a person can cultivate.
“When I look back at Elon, it created the framework for my success,” he said. “More importantly, it created the curiosity that still drives everything I do.”
For current students hoping to build careers of their own, Cooper offers simple advice: don’t wait for someone else to validate your potential.
“Don’t wait for the world to say yes to what you can say yes to first,” he said.