Anderson Cooper Speaker Biography

Anchor, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360° and Host of His Own Syndicated, Daytime Talk Show, Anderson

Anderson Cooper is the anchor of CNN nightly newscast, Anderson Cooper 360°, which aims to reveal stories beyond the headlines through in-depth reporting and different points of views. He also hosts his own syndicated talk show, Anderson.

After joining CNN in 2001 as a weekend anchor, he moved to prime time in 2003 to follow the war in Iraq, and then to his current late evening two-hour slot in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina.

Since launching Anderson Cooper 360°, Cooper has reported on nearly every major world news event, usually from the scene, including reports on:

Egypt’s uprising
Japan and Haiti in the aftermath of earthquakes
BP’s oil spill in the Gulf
Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina
Afghanistan and Iraq, including September 11^th anniversaries
Continuing violence in Mexico
Pope John Paul II’s funeral in Vatican City
Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the tsunami

From 2007-2008, Cooper took his travels around the world to film Planet in Peril, a high definition video documentary about issues threatening Earth, its people and resources.

Cooper played an essential role on the Best Political Team on Television for CNN’s America Votes 2008, reporting from both Republican and Democratic national conventions. He was also the moderator of the pioneering CNN/YouTube debates for both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, and moderated a Republican debate in 2008 at the Ronald Regan Presidential Library in California.

Career History

Before teaming with CNN, Cooper worked as a correspondent for ABC news and hosted The Mole, a reality show. In the past he has anchored World News Now on ABC, and reported for World News Tonight, 20/20 and 20/20 Downtown.

Prior to ABC, Cooper worked as a chief international correspondent for Channel One News. He reported from Iran, Israel, Bosnia, Rwanda, Somalia, Russia, Vietnam and South Africa. Some of his stories were broadcast over Channel One News school television network reaching more than 12,000 classrooms across the country.

In 1989 Cooper graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He also studied Vietnamese at the University of Hanoi.

Awards and Accolades

Winner of 5 Emmy Awards, Nominated for 10
Winner of National Order of Honour of Merit
Winner of National Headliner Award
Winner of Peabody Award
Winner of GLAAD Media Award
Winner of Bronze Telly

Anderson Cooper Speaking Topics

A 360-Degree Look at World Events

Anderson Cooper brings a common touch and deep cultural awareness to his work, and it is these same qualities that are on display in his speeches. He explores major political, cultural and social issues of the day, giving audiences insights into the stories behind the headlines. From a major keynote before an audience of several thousand, to a meeting with a small group of journalism students, Cooper's appearances create a buzz of excitement and generate discussion and debate long after the event is over.