Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host and producer of CultureShift on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. Hooper has covered stories for the New York Times, NPR, Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, SPIN and Paste magazine.

Hooper grew up reading the Sunday paper with his dad. That’s where he learned the basics of writing while dreaming of one day writing the stories himself. At 16, he knocked on the door of his hometown paper and asked for a job as a reporter. Since then, he's written extensively for the Detroit Free Press -- the same paper he grew up reading.

Since joining WDET in 2017, Hooper has expanded the station’s arts and culture coverage and received numerous awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasting along the way. Nationally, Hooper was awarded a 2020 RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow award for feature reporting for his story “Would You Rent a Stray Dog From the City of Detroit?“ In 2018, Hooper was named the Associated Press Michigan Editors Broadcast Rising Star in broadcast journalism. He received the prestigious Crain’s Detroit Business “20 In Their 20s” award in 2014. His commitment to volunteerism was recognized by the State of Michigan in 2007.

His juggalo-inspired I.C.Pizza costume was selected by the Huffington Post as one of the best Halloween costumes of 2014.

New local dining guide gives the power back to the people

Here in the city of Detroit, two local media outlets are teaming up to create a community-focused dining guide. It's...

Politicians just wanna have fun

There's a set of expectations we have when it comes to the leisure activities in which our leaders participate in...

‘Hard Knocks’ highlights Detroit comedian, Josh Adams

A Detroit comedian got a national spotlight last week. The Detroit Lions are being featured on this season of HBO’s...

Detroit Month of Design embraces collaboration for a brighter future

The Detroit Month of Design kicks off on September 1, which takes the city beyond its legacy of designing the...

Detroit Lions might be America’s team after ‘Hard Knocks’

They had a losing record last year. And the year before that. And the year before that. They made the...

Young women are putting their foot down about safe sex post-Roe

Earlier this summer the Supreme Court officially overturned Roe v. Wade, which protected federal abortion rights, leaving some states to...

‘Ain’t Too Proud’ tells the truthful story of The Temptations

One of the biggest theater events of the year has landed at the Detroit Opera House. "Ain't Too Proud: The...

Obi Sushi’s new pop-up is a safe space

Chef Shinya Hirakawa has been a sushi chef at some of Metro Detroit’s most iconic spots, including the legendary Noble...

Jessica Kirson is a comic’s comic

Jessica Kirson has been a staple of the New York comedy scene for decades. She performed at The Detroit House...

Mosaic Youth Theatre puts the spotlight on youth mental health

The next generation of Detroit storytellers are finding their voice at Mosaic Youth Theatre. Ten winners have been chosen from...

Gallerist and PASC guest curator holds fundraiser to fund rare disease research

One of the most important artistic endeavors that’s happening here in the City of Detroit is the work of the...

When is the right time to publish violent images?

It’s an everyday reality in America that a mass shooting could happen anywhere and at any time. This year alone,...