Morgan Molthrop, a New Orleans native, is an entrepreneur, writer and social critic. Molthrop is the leading New Orleans historical “color analyst” and is a frequent lecturer for major corporations. In partnership with Carling Dinkler III, his company provides turnkey guest “experience” solutions for clients visiting New Orleans. He is author of Artist Spaces (UL Press 2014) a book of 100 images of live/work artist studios by renowned photographer Tina Freeman. He also wrote Andrew Jackson’s Playbook: 15 Strategies for Success. This is the first book of its kind to be serialized on Facebook. In 2014 he founded Barataria Communications as the social media, PR and publishing arm of Custom New Orleans.
He was chosen “A Person To Watch in 2013” by New Orleans Magazine and featured in Travel Week and The New Orleans Advocate. He was a travel writer for Investor Relations Magazine from 1998 – 2004.
Through blogs and social media, Molthrop is a leading voice advocating for a “New” New Orleans. He also speaks and writes about the stigmatization of mental illness & addiction. Molthrop was diagnosed at age 47 with treatable bipolar disorder – a condition he had been self medicating for decades with alcohol and drugs. He was featured in POZ Magazine as pioneering a movement to study the impact of mental illness and drug addiction. In New York City, where he lived for 13 years, he worked on Wall Street as a consult to Disney. He went to NYU Law School & taught the first class in disclosure practice at NYU. In 1999 he became VP of a major telecom. His first job was as an intern at Perez Architects. There he met local artist/urban planner, Bob Tannen and his wife, Jeanne Nathan. Lifelong friends, they encouraged his interest in the arts. Though them, he would meet and befriended Ellen Degeneres, who encouraged him to come out of the closet. “Ellen was my role model,” says Molthrop. “She still is.”