Alice In Montecito

A morning at the Montecito oasis of celebrity talent manager Alice Hampton 

By Nicole Johnson

Photography Ryan Mayo

It takes a rare mix of gumption, vision, and grit to scale global brands with household names. Just the sound of companies such as Shiseido and Estée Lauder evokes an iconography of glossy elixirs and glassy complexions. Managing these aspirational images across international markets is no small feat. Montecito resident and Australian transplant Alice Hampton helmed high-level communications at each of these powerhouses, and doesn’t have a gray hair or wrinkle to show for it—perhaps a testament to the youth-enhancing products she once championed. 

Settling into a barstool at the luxe kitchen island of her hilltop home, Alice exudes a poise that belies the high-pressure nature of her career. Yet her composure isn’t a facade: in a job that demands saving face and curating perfection, she strings a soulful integrity through all she does, and will always take the time for an authentic conversation—lucky me.

Now at the helm of her own boutique celebrity talent agency, ACP Management, Alice has curated a verifiable A-list of creative forces. Among her high-profile portfolio is lauded designer and close friend Anine Bing (and her 14-year-old daughter, model Bianca Bing), Nike Global Trainer Kirsty Godso (who helps Kaia Gerber tone her runway-ready physique), and international TikTok star Kat Stickler. It includes makeup artist Nikki DeRoest (who’s done glam for every celeb in the book and co-founded Ciele Cosmetics), and actress and TikTok star Madison Humphrey, alongside other tastemakers at the top of their game.

Simply put: Alice is the ‘it girl’ for your favorite it-girls. And yes, she continues to elevate iconic brands, advising Fortune 500 companies and sitting on the board of directors for several beauty leaders. 

Alice’s formidable corporate résumé began in Communications Management at Tom Ford Beauty and its parent company, Esteé Lauder, who swiftly transferred her from her native Australia to New York to head global communications at Clinique. Her global lens afforded her a competitive edge in analyzing different markets—of which she ultimately oversaw 150 as Vice President of Global Communications at Shiseido and bareMinerals.

“You’ve got to realize there’s a whole world out there beyond that ivory tower in New York. What resonates with one audience in the US does not translate to Korea, France, or Thailand,” Alice shares. “It’s crucial to listen to the needs and voices of the local markets, and that’s beautiful, exciting, and challenging.”

Having resided in Sydney, London, New York, Chicago, and LA, and jet-set just about everywhere else, she originally moved to Santa Barbara 11 years ago after being headhunted to lead Global PR for UGG—her first foray out of beauty. She moved back to the quiet coastal enclave three years ago, seeking the sanctuary that had eluded her in corporate roles.

As I sink into an impossibly plush chair in Alice’s Montecito haven, I get the sense that working from home is not only a privilege, but upon first glance, could be mistaken for some sort of wellness retreat. Yet, while her home radiates serenity, Alice herself is a force in perpetual motion. She walks me through her daily routine: after a breakfast of (in true Aussie fashion) Vegemite avocado toast, she springs into client calls and content shoots—or embarks on full-throttle travel days, which now more frequently take her to LA than to Asia, the Middle East, or Europe, as they did in years past.

That relentless pace once took its toll. Alice recalls waking up in a hotel room, momentarily forgetting which country she was in, readily able to recite her passport number instead of her home address. At one point in her New York apartment, a knock on the door made her regret not hanging the (nonexistent) “Do Not Disturb” sign, a reflex from relentless hotel overnights. Between dawn meetings with the drawing board and late-night calls with Tokyo, “something had to give.”

“You have to be able to give back to yourself, or else what’s the point? What are you doing this for?” she reflects. “ACP is incredibly fulfilling. I absolutely love what I do, but that came from learning to set boundaries.” 

The catalyst for ACP Management, as with many career pivots, was born of the pandemic, when best friend Anine Bing asked Alice to oversee her personal brand partnerships. True to form, Alice instinctively assembled a business email, logo, website, and an LLC. “Before I knew it, I’d unintentionally created a business,” she laughs.” Serendipity without strategy—hardly a fitting slogan for someone as tactical as Alice, but an undeniably compelling origin story.

Alice serves as a mentor and staunch advocate for her “girls,” as she endearingly calls her clients. I ask if she’s a ‘momager’ in the Kris Jenner sense. “No,” she laughs, although a few of Alice’s clients do jokingly call her “mommy.” 

“Life’s lessons come at you when you need to learn them,” she muses. “I’m so grateful I had a mother who just believed in me. Everyone needs someone who believes in them, and that’s what I give to my girls. Sometimes you get in your own way, and you need someone who sees something greater for you than you can see for yourself in that moment.”

Her management epitomizes high-touch service—several of her clients have stayed over in her home, unheard of in larger agencies. When I arrived, my gaze met a still-ornamented Christmas tree tucked behind sumptuous living room couches (in late January, mind you). As my mind flicked between two possibilities (too much travel to take it down, or an undying love for the holiday), Alice offered a third: one of her LA-based clients hadn’t picked up her gift yet, and she wanted to preserve that under-the-tree experience for her. 

“Half of what I do with my talent has little to do with business,” she grins. “It’s about personal growth, helping them in ways unrelated to revenue, because I genuinely care for them so much.” 

She’ll admit: work-life lines have been blurred, but that’s the joy of self-employment. She unfailingly answers calls at all hours—and has even enlisted her personal trainer to physically peel her away from her keyboard—but she contends she carves out time to reset. And her Montecito retreat is an idyllic place to do so.

The ranch-style refuge, a single-level, open floor plan was invigorated by husband-and-wife design duo Chase and Isabella Duddy of Cove House. Once a wooden boneyard untouched for a decade, it is now a warm, sophisticated sanctuary. White oak floors invite barefoot cocktail parties, aged brass fixtures add timeless charm, and olive trees in grand terracotta planters bring the outdoors in. The house subtly curves in an elongated C-shape, framing a manicured lawn that spills into sweeping ocean and mountain views.

“Watching the sky turn pink and purple here almost feels like my own cinema,” Alice smiles. “Bringing that natural beauty into the house was really important to me.” Her home, like her career, is a masterclass in thoughtful curation. “The key to happiness is gratitude,” she says. And at her oasis, Alice has much to be grateful for.