Christopher Hicks

Christopher Hicks - Co-owner/Founder. Native of Richmond, California, Chris attended Howard University from 1989 until 1993; co-founded Ivory Coast Entertainment in 1994; relocated to Atlanta in 1996; and co-founded Noontime Music in 1997.

For Noontime, Chris is solely responsible for administering the publishing arm of Noontime and its publishing joint venture with Warner/Chappell.

Chris also runs and operates the Noontime subsidiary Noontime, LLC, a publishing and management company that focuses on R&B and Rap music and production. Noontime, LLC's current management roster includes R&B super-producer Bryan Michael Cox, hit songwriter Johnta Austin, Teddy Bishop, Flash, and Tha Corna Boyz.

Beatfactory is Chris's most recent endeavor. It serves as the new production company home to the new wave of artists that he is currently developing. Currently that roster includes Letoya (Capitol), ATL (Epic) and Q (Blackground/ Universal) and girl group Bella (Unsigned).

Hicks also serves as a executive Consultant to Bryan Cox's Blackbaby Recordings and Teddy Bishop's Groove Factor Recordings ‚ entities that will include up and coming acts male soloist Young Sterling and male act Dirty Rose (Universal).

In addition to Chris' Noontime responsibilities, he is also the Vice President of Urban Music at Warner/Chappell Music, Inc (the largest independent publishing company in the world) where he is responsible for the exploitation and development of signed composers and songwriters such as - Dr. Dre, Rockwilda, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Fat Joe, Trick Daddy, Mike City, the Qwest catalog (Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson) in addition to the Noontime writers - Phalon Alexander ("Jazze Pha"), Teddy Bishop, Bryan-Michael Cox, Kevin Hicks, Donnie Scantz and Dave Young.

Most recently Hicks inked a deal to represent the WMG in a joint capacity as a VP of Urban Music at both Warner Chappell as well as Warner Brothers Records.

Talent Management

Started in 1997, the "Noontime" collective currently has a creative management roster that includes the most sought after talent in the music industry today. That roster includes: "ATL;" Johnta Austin (songwriter- 112, Aaliyah, ATL, Bow Wow, Toni Braxton, Ginuwine, Monica, Tyrese); Ciara; Bryan- Michael Cox; Teddy Bishop; Jazze Pha; Herman "Flash" Lang, Jr. (ATL, Jagged Edge, and Too Short); Tha Corna Boyz (Jagged Edge, Omarion, Patti Labelle and Donnell Jones); and Dave Young (Toni Braxton, Faith Evans and Letoya).

Noontime has been credited with not only having the foresight to find and sign new, undeveloped talent, but also for being able to do so without the gift of being "creative" persons themselves. Unlike other managers prevalent throughout the music industry -who attach themselves to developed and successful talent, Noontime found, signed, developed and nurtured each producer/songwriter/artist signed to its roster, including Jazze Pha, Bryan-Michael Cox and Ciara.

Today, Noontime is using the same formula and development approach with its' newest roster additions - Ciara (longest run in 2004 for the Billboard Æ #1 Hot R&B/Hip Hop Single as of September 23, 2004 for "Goodies"); Letoya (former member of Destiny's Child); Tha Corna Boyz; Herman "Flash" Lang, Jr. Equally as important, is that while the company has been extremely successful in nurturing their "new" talent it has been just as successful in steering its "original" management roster members to establish their own projects and music companies (i.e. Johnta Austin - Executive Producer for ATL project; Dave Young - Executive Producer for Letoya; Jazze Pha - Sho'nuff Recordings; Bryan-Michael Cox - Blackbaby Productions; and Teddy Bishop - Groove Factor Productions).

Music Publishing

Noontime started its publishing company in 1999, signing undeveloped, aspiring songwriters and producers to co-publishing agreements - with the most expensive acquisition costing $35,000. The fact that the Noontime principals were able to recognize, sign and develop some of the music industryís hottest talent without being "creative" persons themselves, is a true testament to their importance in the current music scene. Furthermore, the publishing roster Noontime started with in 1999, is the same roster that it has continued to work with, while including new talented individuals who show the same promise as the original writers.

Accordingly, Noontime's current publishing roster includes:

Teddy Bishop - (Aaliyah, Ashanti, Toni Braxton, Ginuwine, Jagged Edge, Montell Jordan, Lloyd, 702 and Usher)

• #1 Record - BillboardÇ "Let's Ride" '99
• #1 Record - BillboardÇ "Just Be A Man About It" '01
• #1 Record - BillboardÇ "I Miss You" ë03

• 2001 BMI Urban Producer Award
• 2004 BMI Pop Producer Award
• 2004 BMI Urban Producer Award

Bryan-Michael Cox - (Ashanti, Bow Wow, Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, Da Brat, Ideal, Jagged Edge, Jermaine Dupri, Lil' Mo, Alicia Keys, Chante Moore, Monica, Tyrese and Usher)

• #1 Record - BillboardÇ "Bounce Wit Me" '00
• #1 Record - BillboardÇ "Let's Get Married" '01
• #1 Record - Billboard Ç"U Got It Bad" '01
• #1 Record - BillboardÇ "Just Be A Man About It" '01
• #1 Record - BillboardÇ "Where The Party At" '02
• #1 Record - BillboardÇ "Confessions Pt II" '04
• #1 Record - BillboardÇ "Burn" '04
• #1 Record - BillboardÇ "Walk Right Out Of Heaven" 04

• 2001 SESAC Songwriter of the Year
• 2002 SESAC Songwriter of the Year
• 2003 SESAC Songwriter of the Year
• 2004 SESAC Songwriter of the Year

Jazze Pha - (Aaliyah, Ashanti, Toni Braxton, Ciara, Ceelo (Goodie Mob), 8Ball & MJG, Jagged Edge, Letoya Luckett, Lil Jon and The Eastside Boyz, LSG, Ludacris, Missy, Nate Dogg, Nelly, Outkast, Angie Stone, Slick Rick, Rueben Studdard, T.I., and Too Short)

• Top 10 Record - BillboardÇ "Streetalking" 99
• Top 10 Record - BillboardÇ "Area Codes" '01
• Top 10 Record - BillboardÇ "In Da Wind" '01
• Top 10 Record - BillboardÇ "I Don't Wanna" '01
• Top 10 Record - BillboardÇ "Sick of Being Lonely" '03
• Top 10 Record - BillboardÇ "Come Over" '03
• Top 10 Record - BillboardÇ "Let's Get Away" '04

• 2001 BMI Urban Producer Award
• 2003 BMI Urban Producer Award
• 2004 BMI Urban Producer Award

Kevin Hicks - (Aaliyah, Ashanti, ATL, Toni Braxton, Ideal, Jagged Edge, Rueben Studdard, Nicole Wray)

• Top 10 Record - BillboardÇ "Get Gone" '00
• Top 10 Record - BillboardÇ "I Don't Wanna" '01
• Top 10 Record - BillboardÇ "Come Over" '03

• 2001 BMI Urban Producer Award

Dave Young - (Faith Evans, Dave Hollister and LeToya Luckett (former Destiny's Child member -signed to Capitol Records)

Noontime-Warner/Chappell Joint Venture

Inked in 2001, after just two years of building its publishing catalog and successfully exploiting the songs of it producers and songwriters on its own, Noontime Publishing entered into a joint venture with Warner/Chappell Music Publishing. To date, Noontime has over 400 active copyrights in the system.

With Noontime's 12.5% share in 400-plus copyrights, Noontime has earned an annual average income of $300K, in which this upwardly mobile trend is forecasted to increase dramatically with the current BillboardÆ Top 40 hits written and/or co-written for mainstream artists such as Usher (Bryan-Michael Cox) and Ciara (Jazze Pha).

Furthermore, already during its infancy, Noontime Publishing has accumulated several accolades and publishing plateaus:

• 25 "Top 10" records to date on the BillboardÆ charts
• 11 "# 1" records to date on the BillboardÆ charts
• BillboardÆ Top 10 Urban Music Publisher for the last 3 out of 4 years
• Has consistently 50 placements per year in urban music

• 2001 SESAC Co-Publisher of the Year
• 2002 SESAC Co-Publisher of the Year
• 2003 SESAC Co-Publisher of the Year