Morgan Margolis: the man who made chaos sing

Born into the rough-edged creativity of New York’s East Village, Morgan Margolis absorbed the city’s noise, nerve, and nonstop hustle into his DNA. The son of actors Mark Margolis (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) and Jacqueline Petcove, he grew up surrounded by downtown artists, punks, and poets who made survival its own art form. “Alphabet City was a place where you either got your ass kicked or learned to hold your ground,” he says. “I found beauty in the grit. The chaos made me calm.”

That duality—street toughness and artist empathy—would become the backbone of Margolis’s leadership style at Knitting Factory Entertainment. When he joined the company in the late ’90s, it was still best known for its scrappy New York venue where avant-garde jazz met alt-rock. Two decades later, he’s transformed it into one of the last independent entertainment companies standing, with a portfolio spanning venues, festivals, hospitality, film, and media.

Under Margolis’s watch, KFE has expanded far beyond its original Manhattan basement. Its reach now stretches from Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace in Joshua Tree to The Regent Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, and from Partisan Records—home to Cigarettes After Sex, Fontaines D.C., and Idles—to Talkhouse, where artists and icons dissect culture in their own words.

Uncover fearless independent spirit

Margolis has weathered everything from financial crises to pandemics to the encroaching shadow of corporate live giants. Through it all, his mantra has stayed the same: move fast, stay human, and keep the art real. “You can’t outspend Live Nation,” he says, “but you can out-care them.”

That’s the ethos of Knitting Factory Entertainment: independent by design, fearless by nature, and still—decades later—driven by the raw pulse of the East Village.

Born on East 6th Street in New York’s East Village, Morgan Margolis learned early how to stay calm in the storm. “I grew up surrounded by artists and chaos,” he says. “It taught me to let the big be big and the small be small—and stay calm under fire. I found beauty in the grit.”

That attitude now anchors his 17-year run as CEO/President of Knitting Factory Entertainment (KFE), the independent powerhouse behind venues from Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace to The Regent Theatre.

“Independent promoters and tertiary markets have been gobbled up by Live Nation and AEG,” Margolis says. “It’s getting harder to compete against the behemoths.”

Discover your edge

KFE’s survival strategy: speed and soul. “We go first to market—find unsaturated areas and build brand awareness tied to both the market and our ethos,” he explains.

The son of the late actor Mark Margolis (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Morgan grew up with a front-row seat to craft and hustle. “Tell the truth in your art,” his father taught him. “And if you f*** it, fake it—but fake it well.” His grandfather, self-made businessman Benjamin Petcove, added the practical counterpoint: tenacity, and no fear of failure.

When Margolis and his investors regained control of Pappy & Harriet’s in 2024 after a brutal legal battle, the emotional whiplash was real. “Shock, tears, joy—I slept for days,” he says. “Then the hard work began.”

Find your true voice

Across KFE’s portfolio—Partisan Records, Talkhouse, and now Algorythmic Arts, his new venture with Amaechi Uzoigwe of Run the Jewels fame—the through-line is people.

“I can teach almost anything except personality,” he says. “Hire creative, hardworking people who jump in—move barricades if they have to.”

Margolis’s indie roots run deep. Whether hosting 300 or 3,000, he wants every artist and audience to feel seen. “Even if it’s not your kind of music, the experience at a KF space should be special.”

Ignite your creative path

From producing the Tony-winning Fela! to backing Neptune Frost, Margolis moves easily between stage, screen, and sound. “Projects that spark human curiosity—that’s what pulls me,” he says.

Post-pandemic, he’s steering KFE with discipline. “During COVID, 90 percent of my time was renegotiating leases,” he recalls. “Now it’s about targeted, careful growth.” The company’s festival arm just launched Zootown Fest in Montana, headlined by Hozier and Kacey Musgraves.

After decades in the business, Margolis’s leadership philosophy is distilled to humility and endurance. “You can’t run a company without getting your ass kicked first,” he says. “Drop your ego, breathe, stay calm under pressure.”

Beyond the top

As for what’s next?

“Live Nation and AEG are #1 and #2,” he grins. “Someone’s gotta be #3… or maybe #1.”