Private Project

King of the Mountain

A documentary about America’s second oldest race, it’s drivers and the treacherous journey up one of its tallest mountains, Pike’s Peak.

  • Rod Cooper
    Director
  • Rod Cooper
    Writer
  • Rod Cooper
    Producer
  • Nate Bernard
    Producer
  • Tanner Foust
    Key Cast
  • Paul Dallenbach
    Key Cast
  • David Donohue
    Key Cast
  • Robin Shute
    Key Cast
  • Romain Dumas
    Key Cast
  • Bobby Unser
    Key Cast
  • Randy Pobst
    Key Cast
  • Nate Bernard
    Editor
  • Nate Bernard
    Director of Photography
  • Ross Lara
    Original Score
  • Eric Singer
    Sound Engineering and Design
  • Alex Hawley
    Sound Engineering and Design
  • Aaron Garrison
    Sound Engineering and Design
  • David Baud
    Colorist
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 25 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 22, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    1,000,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Rod Cooper

Executive Producer/Producer/Director
Rodney (or Rod) Cooper began his journey in film making on the legal side representing studios and talent in multiple film and tv projects since 2000. Over the years he has expanded from the legal side to creative. His mentorship from studio head legend Frank Price has been invaluable to his growth on story telling through film. King of the Mountain reflects his passion for nature and sport and will be his second film completed in the past year. His last film he did with Oscar winner Graham Moore (best screenplay Imitation Games) and Alyssa Milano, with up and coming Lord of the Rings star Ema Horvath entitled “Who Are You People.”

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I think this captures our soul in this project and the film we created.

“People need to climb the mountain not simply because it is there, but because the soulful divinity must be united with the spirit.”
– The Dalai Lama

The soul of our film is captured in this deeply felt quote attributed to the Dalai Lama. It speaks to the timeless call that draws humanity upward—not just toward a summit, but toward something greater. Our story unfolds through the eyes of the racers, revealing a raw and sacred struggle: the pursuit of excellence where man, machine, and mountain collide on the edge of control. It is a dance between risk and reward, speed and survival—a journey where the physical and the spiritual intertwine.

Our creative vision was born from conversations with those who have faced the mountain and lived to tell its tale. Their voices guided us, and soon, so did the mountain itself—with its shifting climates, sweeping landscapes, and brutal beauty. To climb Pikes Peak is to confront nature at its most magnificent and unforgiving: 12.6 miles, 156 turns, and a 14,000-foot rise into the sky.

Through soaring aerials, we reveal the grandeur of Pikes Peak—its cliffs, its storms, its stillness. On the ground, the camera grips every heartbeat and hairpin turn. This is more than a race. It is a rite of passage. One of the world’s most dangerous contests, Pikes Peak offers no mercy—only the promise of glory or defeat. Every frame pays tribute to those who answer its call, and to the mountain itself: eternal, unyielding, divine.