Meet Charlotte Cocker

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Charlotte Cocker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Charlotte, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I work a very corporate 8-to-5 job during the day, which is structured and serious. Theatre is my escape, the place where I get to breathe. I keep my creativity alive by taking the things that normally terrify me or give me anxiety and turning them into art. If I have a bad day, I go home and write. My creativity is what keeps me alive, and I pour that into writing and directing horror. Horror inspires me because in many ways it’s always present in today’s world. Through theatre, I can transform that darkness into something beautiful and tangible, something an audience can confront and experience together. That balance between the corporate world and the creative world is what fuels me.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I have both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in creative writing, and I originally went into marketing as a way to put that skill set to use. While it gave me a career, it wasn’t creatively fulfilling. Writing and directing at Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre gives me the balance I was missing—the difference between writing for a salary and writing for passion. I’m the General Manager at the theatre, where I’m constantly developing and producing new shows that I write and direct, with a focus on horror and immersive work.

I’ve been involved in theatre since junior high, always performing and creating, but I really found my artistic voice in horror. I even spent time as the cast coordinator for an extreme immersive haunt, which shaped how I approach storytelling and audience interaction. Right now, I’m acting in Phantom: An Immersive Horror Experience, which I also wrote and directed, and we’re preparing for Urban Death, our big Halloween production that’s become a tradition here in Los Angeles.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, I think the three qualities that have been most impactful for me are creativity, innovation, and the ability to overcome challenges.

For anyone early in their journey, my biggest piece of advice is to lean into creative problem solving. Don’t just look at obstacles as setbacks, look for creative solutions. It’s one of the most valuable skills you can build.

Innovation is also key. Try new things, even if you’re not sure how they’ll land. Some ideas might fail, some might succeed, but you’ll never know unless you take the risk. Find inspiration in others, but always push to carve out your own voice and your own style.

And finally, be ready and excited for challenges. In theatre, something will always go wrong, maybe a cast member drops out or a prop breaks—but those moments are opportunities to adapt and create something even better. I always say you end up with the show and the cast you were meant to have, even if it doesn’t look exactly like your original vision. Embracing that mindset has made all the difference.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed, I dive into my shows. Theatre is my escape. For an hour on stage, I don’t have to be myself or worry about my problems, I can step into someone else’s world with a completely different set of struggles. I also pour those overwhelming feelings directly into my work. I ask myself: how can I put this into words, or how can I tap into this emotion and turn it into something good?

My advice is to treat those moments of anxiety as creative fuel. Instead of pushing them away, consider how that feeling might be useful in your art. Ask yourself: how could I take this exact emotion and make someone else feel it through a story, a character, or an experience? It’s a way of transforming something difficult into something powerful

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zombiejoes.com
• Instagram: @charlottephantom
• Facebook: Charlotte Cocker
• Linkedin: Charlotte Cocker

Image Credits

Charlotte Cocker and Zombie Joes Underground Theatre