Chip Hooper (March 15, 1962 - March 5, 2016) is a legend in the music business. As an agent he represented a number of touring acts including Dave Matthews Band and Phish, and in his leadership capacity oversaw a worldwide roster of more than 2,000 artists at Paradigm Talent Agency. He was a fixture on Billboard's annual Power 100 list, and an eight-time winner of the Pollstar's Bobby Brooks/Agent of the Year Award.
Chip Hooper was born in 1962 in Miami, Florida, and grew up in Chicago before attending Missouri State University. His passion for music led him to become a booking agent at Minneapolis-based Good Music Agency. In 1988, he convinced Dan Weiner and Fred Bohlander of Monterey Peninsula Artists to hire him, and he joined their office in Carmel, California, where he would spend the next 28 years building his roster and developing multiple generations of music agents to follow in his footsteps.
Aside from his work in music, Hooper was also an accomplished artist, whose photographic works were published in books and hung in galleries all over the world. He was drawn to the ever-changing display of light on the waters of the Pacific Ocean along the Big Sur coast. In his own words, "the process of creating photographs is a contemplative one. It is an exploration of my feelings as much as it is an exploration of what I am seeing. The best images always happen when what I am feeling becomes what I am seeing."
Perhaps his greatest accomplishment in life was being a loving and active father to his children, Max and Valerie.
As a father, artist, businessman and human being, Chip Hooper was a larger-than-life figure. He took great pride in using his influence and motivational skills to mentor friends, colleagues, and family members to help them reach their potential in life. The ultimate motivator, Chip led by example, and would jump at the chance to pick up the phone and make calls to benefit others. His legacy and presence live on through those fortunate enough to learn from his genuine nature and wisdom.
