03 Aug In loving memory of Trish Hooper

On set, you get to meet, bond, and work with the most incredible people. One of these people that I had the pleasure to work and become friends with is Trish Hooper. It is with great sadness that Trish Hooper passed away recently, but I am ever grateful for the brief time I had to know her.

How I Met Trish Hooper

I met Trish at the Hill Country Film Festival this year (2017). I was there with my co-producer, Adam Duncan, representing our film “Ya Albi.” At the end of the screening, while doing a Q&A, a very beautiful, blonde lady raised her hand. She introduced herself as someone who had already seen the film at the Louisiana Film Prize in Shreveport and said so many nice things about the film. I was surprised to run into someone from Shreveport and immediately made it a mission to meet her.

At the Hill Country award ceremony, I finally had the opportunity to introduce myself to Trish. Dressed like a million bucks, she told me how much she admired our film and how much she would love to help on set in the future. Coincidentally, I was shooting a short film in 2 weeks, in Shreveport, so I got her contact info, not expecting that she would actually say yes when I asked her to be a part of my short film, Shakespeare on the Range. In fact, because I did not know her, I wondered if she knew what being on a small, no budget, indie film set would mean – uncomfortable working conditions, heat, a lot of manual labor. I hate how easily we as a species can judge people, but in the moment, I thought to myself… this hot, very well-dressed lady probably has no clue what she’s in for. She proved me so very wrong.

Trish is on the far right.

Trish on Set

Trish showed up on time, ready to work, in all her bad ass glory. I soon learned that she was not only a doctor but also an ultra-marathon runner. What struck me about Trish was her consideration of others. During the set, many of the team members had terrible allergies, mine being one of the worst. While coughing up a storm, Trish magically appeared with a large selection of cough drops she had purchased, several types of raw juices, and constantly appeared at my side with Kleenex and other remedies, to make sure I did not die. “Do you need a steroid shot? I can make that happen. I’m a doctor,” she said. From then on, she became the obvious set doctor/mom.

Trish Hooper on the set with Mary Thoma on Shakespeare on the Range

She not only took care of the people on set, she surprised us with donuts in the morning without anyone asking her to, made sure we had plenty of coffee and did whatever was needed to keep the set running and happy. She drove our actor, JD from the airport, to the airport, to the set. She helped our makeup artist, Roxy, apply a million fake tattoos. She even made a last-minute appearance in the film as a security guard. We could not have made this short film, without her. She was invaluable.

On one of the set days, she brought a cake for our boom operator, Todd Thompson, to celebrate his birthday. I didn’t even know it was his birthday! Trish had a way of taking care of people she cared about and people love(ed) her for this

Trish Hooper (far left) on set of Shakespeare on the Range

After we wrapped, I knew that this was someone I would want on my set any time, any day.

So it came as a complete shock to learn that this wonderful human being passed away so suddenly. Life has a way of working in mysterious ways.  I am so thankful to have met you Trish. I hope you are up there doing the things you love. You will not be forgotten.

Trish Hooper (on the right) on set of Shakespeare on the Range

I wish I had more footage of Trish in action, but she was always busy and off running an errand for the set and being the super star she is. But here’s a take where Trish is a security guard. You’ll see her in the background.