Morgan Bettes-Angell is a cool girl. She is the kind of girl I wish I had as a friend in High School. Of course, I have no clue how she was in High School, but something tells me that this innovative and driven visionary always had a way of attracting creative people. A bona fide entrepreneur, Morgan is the co-founder, President and CEO of the premier events and entertainment company Independent Jones.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Morgan and her family moved to Bradenton in 2007. After graduating college with a business degree with a focus on marketing, Morgan accepted an offer to join Manatee County’s nonprofit cultural organization Realize Bradenton through a family friend’s connection.
Knowing she wasn’t cut out to work in a traditional desk job, she flourished in an environment which encouraged creativity. She tells me that finding her niche is like “finding the perfectly fitting wedding dress”. She speaks from experience having found both the dress and the perfect guy when she married fellow creative soul, media producer Ryan Angell.
Morgan’s work with Realize Bradenton lead to the launching of her own company with then partner and co-worker, Wade Hamilton, who is also very cool and has moved on to work on other local projects.
The two shared a vision for the community and were motivated by the ever-increasing chatter among the Millennials about the lack of social outlets. What started as a conceptual idea, Independent Jones evolved organically. By creating opportunities in the Bradenton local music and art scene, Morgan and Wade knew they could fill a void in the social landscape by offering more options to the typical bar scene.
Not your traditional entertainment agency, Independent Jones is an all-inclusive events company providing everything from soup to nuts for their clients. They partner with various organizations and offer quality entertainment including music, sports, outdoor markets and festivals. They have been involved in managing some of the area’s most popular street festivals and farmers’ markets and founded the Lakewood Ranch Farmers’ Market, which was crucial in keeping the company afloat during the COVID lockdown.
As the world gets back to some semblance of normalcy, Morgan and her team are hard at work impacting the ever-expanding downtown cultural landscape. Big things are in the works!
Full disclosure, having personal experience working with her, Morgan is humble and gracious and takes great pride in her team whom she credits with much of the success of the agency. Make no mistake, this impressive Girl Boss is laser focused on the future and is a force to be reckoned with. Excited for the growth of the community and the company, Morgan tells me that as business owner one must have patience and all the stars will align. I have a feeling this star will shine brightly.
Read the full article on The Suncoast Post.