JAMES MARSHALL CROTTY
4406 West 2nd St., Ste. 210
LA, CA 90004
Jim@Monk.com

James Marshall Crotty (a.k.a. Crotty, The Mad Monk, or Monk) has written about culture, politics, and travel for over three decades and through various media incarnations - From Framer's to HuffPost to Forbes. He is best known as the co-founder of Monk: The Mobile Magazine, which  from 1986-2000, he peripatetically published from the 26-foot motorhome ("The Monkmobile"). Via Monk, Crotty and fellow "Monk" Michael Lane pioneered "the mobile office " (Portable Computing Magazine), invented "dashboard publishing" (Factsheet Five), and became popular CIY (Do-It-Yourself) folk heroes featured in media around the world.

With Lane, Crotty co-authored Mad Monks On the Road (Simon & Schuster), The Mad Monks' Guide to California (Macmillan),  Monk: The Mobile Magazine, The Mad Monks' Guide to New York City" (Macmillan) and The Mad Monks' Guide to New York City CD-ROM (Voyager/Monk Media). Separately, Crotty penned How To Talk American (Houghton Mifflin). He was the primary author of USA Phrasebook (Lonely Planet). And he helped launch the blog and video blog revolution with The Crotty Farm Report.

In 2002, after earning a Master's in Liberal Arts from St. John's College Santa Fe ("The Great Books School"), Crotty left the media world to pursue a new passion: ending the U.S. dropout epidemic. A two-time national qualifier in policy debate from Omaha Creighton Prep, Crotty was the Director of Forensics at New York's prestigious Stuyvesant High School and then the Bronx High School of Science - qualifying teams for nationals in each year - before launching the speech and debate program at the Eagle Academy of Young Men in the South Bronx.

Crotty’s trailblazing work in transforming young at-risk men of color into what Crotty terms “academic athletes” led to his being hired as the Forbes education columnist. From 2011-2015, while at Forbes, Crotty became versed in the acclaimed Forbes Publishing Model and emerged as a widely followed thought leader in the rapidly evolving fields of education and EdTech. Crotty was one of the first journalists to write about Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). He also led the way in exposing marketing abuses at for-profit colleges and cheating scandals in high school districts. Most notably, Crotty was an articulate evangelist for liberal arts education—grounded in a deep reading and discussion of the classics—as the best preparation for a high-tech, innovation-driven global economy. In addition to his Forbes work, from 2011-2016, Crotty was as the independent politics, culture, and travel columnist for The Huffington Post (a rare voice of moderation on the platform).

In late 2016, Crotty became the Director of Communications for U.S. Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1), a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, and former Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch. In close cooperation with the Congressman, Crotty writes all columns, speeches, releases, statements, op-eds, talking points, and social media. Crotty also oversees all media relations and prep, as well as communications planning, strategy, and metrics. In his work for the Congressman, Crotty has helped champion critical Fortenberry initiatives to preserve America’s wildlife, save the Okavango Delta of Africa, provide quality affordable health insurance to Rural America, advance farmers markets and local foods, secure timely, cutting-edge care for our veterans, and protect endangered religious minorities in the Middle East.

In addition to his St. John’s studies, Crotty earned a Bachelor of Science in Speech from Northwestern University. He spent his Junior Year Abroad at the University of Sussex in Falmer, England, studying media theory and international relations, and dancing to the likes of Gang of Four and The Fall. He currently leads and attends great books discussion groups around the world and gives speeches for hire around the themes of Politics in the Age of Trump, How to Build Your Own Mobile Media Empire, Be a Traveler Not a Tourist, and Creating a Life Worth Living.

Crotty remains an active partner in L.A.-based Monk, which has grown to include the design and production company Monk Media, Monk Web Hosting, and the film, TV, and art production warehouse Monk Space. Through his firm Crotty Communications, Crotty offers consulting to corporations, nonprofits, and individuals that do not have business before the U.S. Federal Government.

Please visit  www.JamesCrotty.com for links to Jim's books, magazines, and other creative work, including his fun and inspiring feature documentary about debate, mentorship, and surrogate family, Crotty's Kids, as well as his two documentary shorts: Apryl Miller: Color and Soul (about New York's inimitable psychedelic folk artist) and Master Debaters (an incisive look at the esoteric world of high-speed policy debate).

Email: jim@monk.com
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