Trade

Alycia Cooper is what’s known in Hollywood at a multi-hyphenate. She’s an actor/ comic/ writer/ producer/ director. She’s a “Jill of all Trades,” who loves each skill set equally- but for different reasons. Being an actor has allowed her to be an excellent director, who knows how to direct other actors. A comedian is basically a writer, director, and producer of their own material. And when you combine all five, you’ve got Alycia.

Alycia began acting at the age of 5 at Howard University’s Children’s Theater while her mom completed her undergraduate degree. She then developed a love of stand-up comedy, after her older cousin, Karen’s mother put her out of the house for being “smart mouthed.” Karen was nine years older. And became Alycia’s de-facto older sister. Alycia watched all of the comics that Karen loved: Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Eddie Murphy, George Carlin, Rita Rudner, Judy Tenuta, and Yakov Smirnoff, all while in middle school.

Alycia went on the play Evilene in “The Wiz” while an undergraduate at The University of Maryland College Park. She then started interning at Black Entertainment Television in Washington, DC. Alycia loved producing. Shortly after, she fell in love with the hit television show, “Living Single”, and decided to move to Hollywood with no connections and $1200 to her name. This is where the fun began.

Alycia was in Hollywood for one month, before she landed a job on Magic Johnson’s Late Night Talk Show, “The Magic Hour,” (and that’s how long it lasted). From there, she started to make connections, and continued to work all over town. Eventually landing a gig as a WGA Trainee on the hit UPN sitcom, “The Parkers.” From there, she started performing stand-up comedy at night, and producing a series of hit reality television shows by day. She was eventually hired as a Segment Director on “The Dr. Phil Show,” which afforded her a membership into the esteemed Director’s Guild of America, or “DGA.”

Although Alycia became a member of the DGA, she still had not directed a narrative. Her current dream is to write and direct feature films that she can also co-star in. In order for her to get a break, she knew she’d have to write and direct something, which led to her most recent endeavor, a short film called, “Trade.” Trade is a twenty-seven minute psychological thriller that takes the viewer on a ride. Audience members are riveted to their seats, and it’s gotten rave reviews thus far.

Alycia’s accolades include being featured in Essence Magazine in 2004 as “One to Watch.” She has released five stand-up comedy albums to date. She has her very own Pandora Station and can be heard on Kevin Hart’s satellite station as well as on Sirius Satellite’s Laugh USA Channel 98. She had toured to over 20 countries overseas to perform for our men and women in uniform. And she’s only just beginning to scratch the surface of where she’s going. Look out for screenings of Trade in local theaters, at festivals, and on various streaming platforms. It’s quite clear that Alycia and her multi-hyphenated creations are here to stay.

ALYCIA COOPER ON IMDB:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1275196/