Born in Long Beach, California, Jamie Morgan received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Film Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1992. He then spent a year in Paris studying film theory at the Sorbonne. In 1993, Morgan entered the Graduate Film Program at New York University, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree. The following summer, he interned at a small production company, where he met Todd Solondz, who was preparing to shoot his film Welcome to the Dollhouse. Morgan served as an Assistant Director on the film, which went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 1996. It was during this time that he also befriended actor Brendan Sexton III, who would later star in Morgan's feature film Hurricane Streets.
Morgan's debut feature, Hurricane Streets, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997, where it won three awards, including the Audience Award, Best Director, and Best Cinematography. The film was acquired by MGM/UA and released the following year.
Following the critical success of Hurricane Streets, Morgan wrote and directed his next feature, Desert Blue. The film was distributed by the Samuel Goldwyn Company and starred Brendan Sexton III, Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck, Ethan Suplee, Peter Sarsgaard, and Kate Hudson, who made her film debut. Morgan also directed several music videos, including two for the indie band Rilo Kiley, and he directed an episode of the popular television series Dawson's Creek for the WB.
In 2000, Morgan wrote and directed The Cherry Picker for Showtime, starring Janeane Garofalo. He also directed American Psycho 2 for Lions Gate Films in 2001. In 2003, Morgan helmed the independent feature Piggy Banks, which starred Gabriel Mann, Kelli Garner, and Tom Sizemore. Later that year, he produced the groundbreaking MTV series Laguna Beach.
Morgan's latest feature, Just Like the Son, will premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. The film stars Mark Webber, Brendan Sexton III, and Rosie Perez. Morgan currently resides in New York City, where he is writing his next screenplay.
