Stephen Hampton graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Music Degree.

While studying music at Wright State, Hampton met his wife, Jamie, a design/technology major in the theatre department. Upon graduation they both moved to Anchorage, Alaska. Hampton knew that he wanted to write music and be in the recording business.

In Anchorage, Hampton played a solo acoustic guitar in bars, clubs, and restaurants while writing music for local commercials and small films. For larger projects, he traveled to Seattle to record music. While producing an album in Los Angeles in 1984, Hampton met the owners of Admusic, who offered him a job as a staff writer for national TV commercials. In 1996, Hampton and partner John Adair purchased Admusic. By 2004, they had branched out into film work and renamed the company Emoto Music. They sold Emoto in 2011, but still consult for the company on music for TV commercials.

Hampton has composed scores for several television series, including Just Shoot Me and Last Comic Standing. His work can also be heard during national commercials for such notable clients as Walgreens, Nike, and Isuzu.

One of the standout projects of his career was composing a fanfare for Wright State University, which debuted at the 2007 inauguration of President David R. Hopkins. “It was really cool that it was for Wright State,” said Steve. “I got to go there and hear it played. That was a definite thrill for me.”