J. Scott Coopwood, Owner

A native of Shelby, MS, Mr. Coopwood was born and raised in the Mississippi Delta. After graduating from Ole Miss with a B.A. in English in 1984, Mr. Coopwood moved to Jackson, MS where he started a record company, N-Beat Records. During this period, Mr. Coopwood also wrote, produced, recorded, and marketed ten of his own albums, which required traveling and developing numerous business relationships in London, New York, and Los Angeles.  Many of Mr. Coopwood’s albums were recognized by MTV, Rolling Stone Magazine, The New York Times, and by other prominent media.

In 1989, Mr. Coopwood started a business publication, Jackson Business Journal, in Jackson, MS, and was the publisher of the business magazine, Forward Mississippi. Selling these in 1996, he launched the Delta Business Journal based in Cleveland, MS, which enjoys a monthly readership of 25,000. In 2003, Mr. Coopwood started Delta Magazine, Mississippi’s premier lifestyle publication that enjoys a readership of some 40,000. Mr. Coopwood has also provided his consulting services to several political campaigns and served as press secretary for one congressional campaign.

Mr. Coopwood’s salesmanship and entrepreneurial abilities are of great value to clients. His ability to frame client objectives in the proper creative perspective and to provide strategy is one of the agency’s strong suits.

Lana Draper, Creative Director

Ms. Draper is a graduate of Delta State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work and a minor in Fine Arts. Her experience spans all areas of marketing and communications and includes more than 15 years of experience as Director of Marketing for two of Nashville's top architecture and engineering firms: Gresham, Smith and Partners and Hart Freeland Roberts, both of which were consistently listed among the top 500 firms in Building Design and Construction.

Ms. Draper has also served as Director of Communications and Community Relations for Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in Clarksdale, MS. In this role she was responsible for all strategic planning and implementation of the marketing effort and for the development of all advertising and collateral material. She was responsible for all publicity about the hospital, served as the facility's information officer, and wrote and placed all media releases and feature articles about the medical center with numerous local and regional publications.

At Coopwood Communications, Ms. Draper is responsible for copywriting, concept development and quality assurance for a variety of clients throughout the Southeast. Her experience in marketing direction within both private and publicly held companies gives her a unique perspective on scheduling and budgetary concerns. Her greatest strengths are her finely tuned writing skills, and her ability to listen to, interpret, and balance the needs and desires of the client within the market they wish to reach.


Joe Meek, Chief Operating Officer, Cleveland Office

Born in Greenwood, MS,  Mr. Meek grew up in Swan Lake and then Cleveland, MS.  Mr. Meek received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Mississippi.  After graduation, he worked in the film industry for  six years.  A member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Mr. Meek worked as an actor in several major motion pictures then served as a production assistant for Warner Brothers and as an assistant to the Unit Production Manager at Sony/Tri-Star Productions. Mr. Meek traveled extensively in these positions and worked at various times in Los Angeles, Milan, Italy; Queenstown, New Zealand; and
Capetown, South Africa.


Betsy Tabor, Media Director

A graduate of Evangel College, Springfield, MO with a B.S. in Mass Communications, Ms. Tabor is currently seeking a Masters Degree from Jackson State University. Ms. Tabor has 16 years experience in strategic media marketing including service at the Jackson advertising agencies, The Ramey Agency,  and Maris West & Baker.

Accounts Ms. Tabor has worked on in her career include:  Union Planters Bank, BankPlus, Rankin Medical Center, Kings Daughter’s Hospital (Yazoo City), Mississippi Methodist Rehabilitation Center, Viking Range Corporation, Mississippi Department of Tourism, Mississippi Department of Economic Development, Deposit Guaranty National Bank, River Oaks Hospital,  and McDonald’s Corporation.

Ms. Tabor develops media buying and planning strategies for all clients of Coopwood Communications.