About
Jared Zeller, a lifelong New Orleanian, was born in New Orleans on December 27, 1974. Raised in the suburbs of New Orleans by a single mother, Jared had plenty of time to dream about the future. His mother worked long hours at oil refineries in order to give Jared a decent education and material things that she lacked growing up in rural Louisiana. Following high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army serving four years, with time abroad in Korea and on U.S. soil. Upon returning to New Orleans in 1996, he became entrenched in the New Orleans music scene while working as a bar manager and traveling machine tool salesman. He founded MotherShip Entertainment in 2001 when he saw a need for music business infrastructure after several years investing in various projects in the entertainment field. The projects had moderate local success. In 2003, Jared was recognized by Offbeat Magazine as manager of the year for his work with several Louisiana artists.
Jared has spent the last fifteen years promoting and producing entertainment properties in the New Orleans area as a career and hobby. After graduating from the University of New Orleans, he became an adjunct professor at Delgado Community College teaching Introduction to Music Business and Music Entrepreneurship.
Following Hurricane Katrina, he founded the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo Festival in 2006 as a way to revitalize a neighborhood in peril. This grassroots community event has become one of New Orleans signature events, drawing thousands of locals and visitors to a once devastated neighborhood. Gambit Weekly recognized him as New Orleans “Forty under Forty” in 2007 for his work on the venture. In 2010, Jared celebrated 5 years as the founder and executive officer of the MotherShip Foundation and was acknowledged by the City of New Orleans with a proclamation.
At thirty five, Jared has reached many of his personal and professional goals. Seeds that he planted for over a decade have begun to sprout. Along with his wife and kids, Jared is currently building a sustainable home in New Orleans where they plan to test modern building technologies with the aspirations of becoming a model for future residential development in the south.
