(CelebrityAccess) — Paradigm Talent Agency has pledged $50,000 to Columbia College Chicago to create an endowed scholarship fund for the School of Fine and Performing Arts in memory of legendary talent agent Chip Hooper.
The gift includes matching funds from individual Paradigm executives which allows the scholarship to begin awarding as soon as this fall.
Hooper, who held a long tenure as the head of Paradigm’s music division, where he represented iconic acts such as Dave Matthews Band and Phish. He was also a passionate artist in his own right, and his photography has been published in books and graced gallery walls around the world. Hooper died in 2016 after a battle with cancer.
“Chip Hooper was one of the most extraordinary people I’ve ever known, and his dedication to art and artists was unparalleled,” said Paradigm CEO and Chairman Sam Gores. “We are proud to sustain his spirit of nurturing the next generation of creative professionals.”
Paradigm chose to establish the Chip Hooper Scholarship at Columbia in support of the college’s recognized arts program which focuses on both music business and photography and due to its location in Hooper’s home town of Chicago.
The college has existing connections with Paradigm and dozens of Columbia students have started careers in the entertainment industry with internships at Paradigm offices around the country.
“Columbia is grateful to Paradigm Talent Agency for this gift to create a new endowed scholarship for our students, many of whom will walk in Chip Hooper’s footsteps someday as music industry professionals and working artists,” said Rosita Sands, Interim Dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts at Columbia. “The Chip Hooper Scholarship represents a new opportunity for students to truly turn their passions into careers.”
The scholarship is open to students within Columbia’s School of Fine and Performing Arts, which includes both Music Business and Photography majors, as well as Art and Art History, Dance, Design, Fashion Studies, Music, and Theatre.
The scholarship is open for immediate application with a deadline of July 1, 2019. To support the Chip Hooper Scholarship, and for more information on the award, please visit the official Chip Hooper Scholarship website.
