Cooper Tomlinson

Cooper Tomlinson
Born
Woodinville, Washington, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • producer
  • screenwriter
  • YouTuber
Years active2016–present
YouTube information
Channel
Genres
Subscribers1.62 million
Views827 million
Last updated: August 8, 2026

Cooper Tomlinson is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and YouTuber. He co-created the sketch comedy YouTube channel "that's a bad idea", with Curry Barker. Tomlinson starred in and co-produced the 2024 film Milk & Serial with Barker,[1] and co-produced and starred as Ian in Barker's 2025 film Obsession.[2][3] He also starred in, co-wrote, and executive produced the upcoming film Anything but Ghosts.[4][5]

Early life and career

Tomlinson was born in Woodinville, Washington.[6] He studied at the New York Film Academy campus in Los Angeles, California. There, he met Curry Barker, a fellow student at the academy. He began making videos together with Barker on YouTube, which they described as "our film school outside of film school".[1] After they formed the sketch comedy channel "that's a bad idea",[7] Barker and Tomlinson dropped out of the academy and moved in together.[8]

They created and published numerous comedy sketches and short films on their YouTube channel and TikTok.[8][9] In 2024, he and Barker made their feature film debut with Milk & Serial starred in and co-produced the film with Barker, a slasher film with a budget of $800 that was released for free on YouTube.[1]

After the success of Milk & Serial, Tomlinson began co-writing and producing[10] Obsession with Barker. He starred as Ian in the film, starring along with Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter.[2][3] The film was a massive critical and commercial success. Largely by word-of-mouth, the film grossed $448 million on a budget of $750,000.

Tomlinson began co-writing and executive producing Barker's upcoming film Anything but Ghosts. He is set to star in the film.[11][12]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2019AberdeenConnorAlso associate producer
Real WorldBrant PhillipShort film[7]
2020Meanwhile Outside the BankScottShort film[7]
2021DrywallJasonShort film[7]
2023 Enigma Adam Short film; also co-producer and writer [13]
Warnings Kendal Short film; also producer [14]
2024 That's a Bad Idea Music video [15]
Milk & Serial Steven / Seven Also co-producer and cinematographer [9][16]
2025 Fly Me to the Earth Angus Short film; also co-writer and co-producer [17]
My Dead Dad's Funeral Jason Short film [18]
Obsession Ian Also associate producer [2]
2026The Incident ReportBrettShort Film
Anything but Ghosts Eddy Post-production; also co-writer and executive producer [19]

Web series

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2018–2019; on hiatusRoommatesChad ChurchillMain cast, also writer[20]
2024; on hiatusPrivately InvestigatedBenjiMain cast, also co-creator[21]

Television series

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2026Dutton RanchDeputy Cecil Post2 episodes[22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Barasch, Alex (May 11, 2026). "The Twenty-Six-Year-Old Behind Obsession, a Terrifying Tale of a Crush Gone Awry". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Piepenburg, Erik (May 14, 2026). "'Obsession' Review: I Love You to Death". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Barbieri, Candel (May 26, 2026). "Cómo el elenco of 'Obsession' transformó la película de bajo presupuesto en un éxito" [How the cast of 'Obsession' transformed the low-budget movie into a success]. Esquire (in Spanish). Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  4. ↑ Couch, Aaron (September 3, 2025). "Curry Barker to Direct, Star in 'Anything But Ghosts' for Jason Blum, Roy Lee". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  5. ↑ Couch, Aaron (April 23, 2026). "Curry Barker, Cooper Tomlinson's 'Anything But Ghosts' Lands at Focus". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  6. ↑ Hutchinson, Chase (July 14, 2026). "Cooper Tomlinson never expected Curry Barker's 'Obsession' to get this big". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Films directed by Curry Barker". Letterboxd. Archived from the original on May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Couch, Aaron (March 10, 2025). "'Milk & Serial' Filmmaker Curry Barker Signs with UTA (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Earl, William (August 26, 2024). "How 'Milk & Serial,' a Clever Slasher Made for $800 and Released for Free on YouTube, Became a Must-Watch for Horror Fans". Variety. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  10. ↑ Garner, Glenn (July 1, 2026). "Cooper Tomlinson On Why He & Curry Barker Wanted To "Stay Scrappy" On 'Anything But Ghosts' Set: "You Could Ruin The Magic"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  11. ↑ Couch, Aaron (September 3, 2025). "Curry Barker to Direct, Star in 'Anything But Ghosts' for Jason Blum, Roy Lee". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  12. ↑ Couch, Aaron (April 23, 2026). "Curry Barker, Cooper Tomlinson's 'Anything But Ghosts' Lands at Focus". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  13. ↑ Enigma. YouTube. that's a bad idea. 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  14. ↑ Warnings. YouTube. that's a bad idea. 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  15. ↑ That's a Bad Idea. YouTube. that's a bad idea. 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Cooper Tomlinson". AllMovie. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  17. ↑ Fly Me to the Earth. that's a bad idea. 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2026 – via YouTube.
  18. ↑ My Dead Dad's Funeral (2025). Retrieved June 29, 2026 – via letterboxd.com.
  19. ↑ Couch, Aaron (September 3, 2025). "Curry Barker to Direct, Star in 'Anything But Ghosts' for Jason Blum, Roy Lee (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 5, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  20. ↑ that's a bad idea. "Roommates: Season 1". YouTube. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  21. ↑ that's a bad idea. "Privately Investigated (Detective Comedy Series)". YouTube. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Dutton Ranch". Plex. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
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