Founder of PIPS Entertainment and Creator of the PIPS Lifestyle
The Legacy of PIPS On La Brea
For 16 years, PIPS On La Brea was more than a restaurant. It was one of Los Angeles’ most beloved destinations for live jazz, soul music, great food, celebrations, and community.
Founded by entrepreneur and entertainment producer Derrick Pipkin, PIPS On La Brea opened in 2009 at the corner of La Brea Avenue and Pico Boulevard. Derrick transformed the location into an experience that combined live entertainment, hospitality, dining, and the warm feeling of being surrounded by family and friends.
Although Derrick was not a traditional restaurateur, and openly admits that he does not cook, he understood something just as important: how to create an atmosphere people wanted to return to again and again.
PIPS became known for its beautiful outdoor patio, intimate dining room, welcoming staff, quality food, and exceptional live entertainment. Guests enjoyed jazz, R&B, soul, blues, comedy, open-mic performances, special events, Sunday brunches, birthday celebrations, date nights, wedding receptions, corporate gatherings, and private parties.
For many guests, PIPS On La Brea became their neighborhood version of “Cheers,” a place where people knew one another, celebrated important moments together, and always felt welcome.
The restaurant featured talented musicians and vocalists from throughout Southern California and beyond. Popular experiences included Sunday Jazz Brunch, Jamming on Tuesday, I Love R&B Thursdays, Saturday Soul Sessions, holiday celebrations, Mother’s Day events, New Year’s Eve parties, and countless special performances.
PIPS On La Brea earned a loyal following and became widely recognized as one of Los Angeles’ premier live-jazz restaurant experiences. After 16 unforgettable years, the restaurant closed in March 2026, leaving behind a powerful legacy of music, hospitality, entrepreneurship, and community.
The closing of the restaurant did not end the PIPS story. It marked the beginning of its next chapter: PIPS Lifestyle.
About Derrick Pipkin
Derrick Pipkin is a veteran entrepreneur, entertainment producer, hospitality visionary, event creator, and community builder with more than 35 years of experience bringing people together.
As the founder of PIPS Entertainment, Derrick has built a career around creating memorable experiences that combine music, travel, culture, food, wellness, friendship, and celebration.
Long before opening PIPS On La Brea, Derrick was producing concerts, destination weekends, resort takeovers, comedy shows, cultural festivals, golf tournaments, social gatherings, and community events. His work has connected thousands of people from Los Angeles, Palm Springs, cities throughout the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Derrick’s greatest talent is not simply producing an event. It is creating an environment where people feel comfortable, connected, celebrated, and part of something special.
His philosophy is simple: people may attend because of the entertainment, but they return because of the experience, the relationships, and the way the event made them feel.
From Music and Ticketing to Entertainment Production
Derrick’s professional journey began in the music and entertainment industries. His early career included working with Music Plus and later with Ticketmaster, where he gained experience with ticketing operations, technology, customer service, event systems, and the business behind live entertainment.
Those experiences helped Derrick understand both sides of the industry: the technical and operational work required behind the scenes and the excitement audiences experience when an event comes to life.
He eventually moved into independent event production and promotion, developing a reputation for identifying opportunities, building loyal audiences, negotiating with venues, creating partnerships, and producing events that brought people together.
Through PIPS Entertainment and earlier entertainment ventures, Derrick developed concerts, comedy events, weekend getaways, cultural celebrations, resort experiences, and special-event concepts throughout Southern California and beyond.
Party in Palm Springs and the PIPS Weekend Getaway
One of Derrick’s most successful creations was Party in Palm Springs, also known as the PIPS Weekend Getaway.
Launched in 1997, the experience grew into one of Southern California’s most anticipated destination weekends for Black professionals, couples, singles, social groups, and longtime friends.
Derrick did not simply reserve a few hotel rooms. He created complete resort communities.
At its peak, the PIPS getaway purchased or controlled multiple Palm Desert and Palm Springs resorts, generating more than 1,000 room nights and attracting thousands of guests for a single weekend. In some years, the event brought together more than 4,000 attendees and required the buyout of as many as three resort properties.
Guests traveled from across the country to enjoy pool parties, live music, DJs, comedy, themed events, brunches, golf, wellness activities, nightlife, and the freedom of spending an entire weekend surrounded by their community.
The concept helped establish Derrick as a leader in destination entertainment and resort-buyout experiences. Over more than two decades, his Palm Springs events introduced tens of thousands of visitors to the desert and generated significant hotel, restaurant, transportation, entertainment, and tourism revenue.
The PIPS Weekend Getaway also created lifelong friendships, relationships, marriages, business connections, and memories that guests continue to celebrate today.
PIPS On La Brea: Bringing the Getaway Experience Home
After years of producing destination events, Derrick wanted to create a permanent gathering place in Los Angeles where the same audience could connect throughout the year.
That vision became PIPS On La Brea.
The restaurant brought the hospitality and community spirit of the PIPS getaways into a neighborhood setting. Guests did not have to wait for an annual trip to Palm Springs. They could experience great music, dining, friendship, and celebration every week.
Derrick approached the restaurant differently from a traditional owner. He viewed it as an entertainment venue with excellent food rather than simply a restaurant with occasional music.
That distinction became the heart of the PIPS brand.
Every detail, from the artists and atmosphere to the staff, seating, patio, music, food, and guest experience, was designed to help people relax, connect, and enjoy themselves.
The Ford Amphitheatre Events
For more than 15 years, Derrick produced successful concerts and cultural events at the historic John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.
Mother’s Day Jazz & Blues became an annual tradition for families looking for a sophisticated and entertaining way to celebrate mothers, combining live jazz, blues, soul music, food, dancing, and a beautiful outdoor setting. It attracted loyal guests year after year and demonstrated Derrick’s ability to create multigenerational experiences centered on music, family, and community.
Groovin’ on Sundays brought together audiences for an evening of classic R&B, soul, jazz, and feel-good music, reflecting Derrick’s belief that live music should be joyful, welcoming, and accessible to everyone.
Afro Latin Groove celebrated the powerful relationship between African, Latin, Caribbean, jazz, funk, and soul music, featuring energetic performances, dancing, cultural expression, and a diverse audience united by rhythm and music.
Hollywood Laff Fest added comedy programming to the PIPS entertainment portfolio, giving audiences the chance to enjoy established and emerging comedians in a lively community setting.
Soul Springs Festival
Derrick is the creator and producer of the Soul Springs Festival, an outdoor celebration of classic soul music, culture, friendship, and community in the Greater Palm Springs area.
The festival began in 2025 at Palm Springs Downtown Park, where more than 1,000 guests gathered for a free afternoon of music and entertainment.
In 2026, Soul Springs Festival moved to the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater. The second annual festival sold out with more than 1,800 attendees, establishing the event as one of the Coachella Valley’s most exciting new cultural and music experiences.
Soul Springs Festival offers guests an opportunity to sing, dance, relax, reconnect with friends, and enjoy timeless soul music performed by outstanding vocalists and musicians. It’s designed as more than a traditional concert: an interactive community experience featuring live bands, DJs, featured vocalists, VIP cabanas, picnic seating, food, social activities, destination hotel accommodations, after-parties, golf, wellness experiences, and weekend entertainment.
The third annual Soul Springs Festival is scheduled for February 6, 2027, at the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater as part of a complete destination weekend, including a Friday welcome experience, the festival itself, Saturday-night entertainment and after-parties, the Puffin’ & Puttin’ Golf Tournament, wellness and social activities, host-resort accommodations, and Sunday gatherings and special programming.
Soul Springs Festival represents the evolution of everything Derrick has created throughout his career: music, hospitality, travel, culture, celebration, and community brought together in one unforgettable experience.
Puffin’ & Puttin’ Golf Tournament
Derrick and the PIPS team expanded the Soul Springs weekend by developing the Puffin’ & Puttin’ Golf Tournament, a relaxed and social day of golf in the Palm Springs area combining friendly competition, beautiful desert weather, cigars, networking, music, laughter, and the signature PIPS atmosphere.
The tournament isn’t limited to highly competitive golfers. It’s designed to bring people together, welcome different experience levels, and add another lifestyle component to the festival weekend.
Cabo Resort Takeovers
Derrick expanded the PIPS destination concept internationally through resort experiences in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. From 2020 through 2023, the PIPS Cabo Takeover brought guests together for a luxury all-inclusive vacation featuring resort accommodations, pool parties, themed nights, entertainment, excursions, dining, music, dancing, and community.
One of the Cabo programs filled approximately 400 rooms in only a few weeks and attracted more than 1,500 travelers, proof of Derrick’s ability to move a loyal audience beyond local events into complete international destination programs.
Black Ski Weekend
For approximately 10 years, Derrick produced a Black Ski Weekend in Lake Tahoe, combining skiing, winter recreation, music, nightlife, social events, and group travel, introducing many guests to destination ski experiences in a welcoming, community-first environment.
Black MBA Weekend
For approximately six years, Derrick produced the Black MBA Weekend, combining professional networking, social activities, entertainment, and destination hospitality, giving business professionals a chance to connect outside the traditional conference environment.
Jazz on the Green
In 2017, Derrick developed Jazz on the Green, continuing his long history of producing outdoor music experiences: live jazz, an attractive open-air setting, food, socializing, and the relaxed atmosphere that has become a signature of PIPS events.
Additional PIPS Entertainment Experiences
Throughout his career, Derrick has created, produced, promoted, or supported: live jazz concerts, soul and R&B performances, blues events, comedy shows, destination resort weekends, international group vacations, hotel and resort buyouts, pool parties, Sunday brunches, golf tournaments, wellness and yoga activities, holiday celebrations, Mother’s Day programs, cultural festivals, film and music concepts, corporate and private events, community gatherings, nightlife experiences, artist showcases, open-mic nights, restaurant entertainment, and social and professional networking events.
What’s Coming Next
Mother’s Day Jazz & Blues returns to the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater on May 8, 2027, celebrating mothers and families through live jazz, blues, soul music, food, culture, and community, connecting Derrick’s Ford Amphitheatre legacy with his growing Coachella Valley programming.
Afro Latin Groove returns on September 4, 2027, at the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater, celebrating the musical and cultural connections between Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States through live percussion, Latin jazz, salsa, Afro-Cuban rhythms, Caribbean music, soul, funk, dancing, food, and cultural expression.
PIPS Lifestyle
PIPS Lifestyle is the next evolution of Derrick Pipkin’s lifelong work: a community-centered lifestyle brand focused on bringing people together through music, travel, culture, social connection, wellness, food, golf, entertainment, destination experiences, and community celebrations.
PIPS Lifestyle is not defined by one restaurant, one festival, or one city. It is a year-round community and a collection of experiences created for people who value great music, meaningful connections, travel, celebration, and living life to the fullest.
The platform connects longtime supporters of PIPS with a new generation of guests through events, memberships, travel programs, online content, special offers, community partnerships, and destination experiences, building a trusted lifestyle community where members can discover where to go, what to attend, who to travel with, and how to stay connected.
The PIPS Boutique Collection
Derrick’s future vision also includes the PIPS Boutique Collection, a hospitality concept designed to transform boutique hotels and resorts into culturally relevant destination properties.
The concept focuses on smaller resorts that can host weddings, retreats, social weekends, concerts, wellness programs, reunions, business groups, and complete property buyouts. Drawing from decades of experience filling hotel rooms and creating resort communities, Derrick envisions a collection of properties where entertainment, hospitality, food, wellness, and culture are integrated into the guest experience.
The first focus is the Greater Palm Springs area, with future opportunities in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and other destination markets.
A Community-Centered Vision
Community has always been at the center of Derrick’s work. His events provide more than entertainment. They create safe, welcoming environments where people can reconnect with old friends, make new friends, support businesses, enjoy music, celebrate culture, and experience the joy of being together.
Many people who attended Derrick’s earliest events are still part of the PIPS community decades later. Some now attend with spouses, children, and lifelong friends they originally met through PIPS.
Derrick believes that music and hospitality can break down barriers, create relationships, strengthen communities, and bring joy into people’s lives.
Entrepreneurship, Risk, and Resilience
Derrick’s journey has not always been easy. Like many small-business owners, he has faced economic downturns, changing consumer habits, city regulations, permits, insurance costs, staffing challenges, break-ins, neighborhood issues, legal expenses, rising food and labor costs, and the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Operating a restaurant for 16 years required persistence, flexibility, sacrifice, and an ability to keep moving forward even during difficult periods.
Derrick has never been afraid to take a calculated risk. He entered the restaurant business without being a chef or having a traditional restaurant background. He succeeded because he understood people, entertainment, marketing, hospitality, and the importance of creating an experience guests could not find anywhere else.
He has purchased large hotel room blocks, committed to major venues, produced events without guarantees, introduced audiences to new destinations, and repeatedly transformed ideas into successful experiences. His philosophy toward risk is grounded in preparation, relationships, experience, and belief in the audience he serves.
Building the Next Chapter
Today, Derrick is using more than three decades of experience to build a connected family of PIPS brands and experiences: PIPS Entertainment, PIPS Lifestyle, Soul Springs Festival, Mother’s Day Jazz & Blues, Afro Latin Groove, the Puffin’ & Puttin’ Golf Tournament, destination weekend getaways, resort and hotel experiences, international travel programs, the PIPS Boutique Collection, and community, cultural, and wellness programming.
The goal is to preserve the warmth and community spirit of PIPS On La Brea while expanding the experience into new cities, resorts, festivals, digital platforms, and destinations.
Derrick Pipkin’s Legacy
Derrick Pipkin’s legacy is built on bringing people together. From Music Plus and Ticketmaster to Party in Palm Springs, the Ford Amphitheatre, international resort takeovers, PIPS On La Brea, and Soul Springs Festival, every chapter of his career has been connected by one purpose: creating spaces where people can celebrate life together.
He is an entrepreneur who sees possibilities in overlooked spaces, an entertainment producer who understands audiences, a hospitality professional who knows how to make guests feel welcome, and a community builder who recognizes the power of music and shared experiences.
PIPS On La Brea may have closed its physical doors, but the community, memories, relationships, and spirit created there continue through PIPS Lifestyle.
The next chapter is not simply about remembering what PIPS was. It is about expanding what PIPS can become.
Welcome to the PIPS Lifestyle
Great music. Beautiful destinations. Meaningful connections. Unforgettable experiences.
PIPS Lifestyle is where entertainment, travel, culture, wellness, hospitality, and community come together.
Created by Derrick Pipkin and powered by more than 35 years of experience, PIPS Lifestyle invites you to reconnect with old friends, meet new people, explore exciting destinations, support cultural experiences, and celebrate every season of life.
This is more than an event. This is more than a brand. This is the PIPS Lifestyle.