Carl B. Moellenberg, 1974
B.A., Denison University
MBA, University of Chicago
Broadway and Film Producer; Author; Former Investment Banker
New York, New York
Carl Moellenberg grew up in northwest Ohio, where he developed an interest in classical piano, singing, and sports. After graduating from Denison in 1974 as co-valedictorian with majors in economics and mathematics, he went on to earn an MBA in finance with highest honors from the University of Chicago. Carl then moved to New York City in 1976, where he worked in banking and investment banking for 19 years.
He provided financial analysis, internal consulting, planning, merger implementation, and corporate finance services for some of the industry’s leading financial institutions, including Chemical Bank, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. His last position before leaving the industry was as Chief of Staff to the President of Chemical Bank.
Following this professional success, Carl encountered the first of many life-threatening health situations from 1995 to this day. After recovering, he took some time off to travel and to study several spiritual healing modalities. This practice taught him to calm his mind and balance himself, skills necessary for recovering from the effects of the grueling time in his career. During this time, Carl reflected on where his life was headed next and decided to pursue his passion for Broadway.
Upon returning to New York, he studied at the Commercial Theatre Institute and gained mentors and partners who helped him become a theater producer. He turned what started as a hobby into a true passion, co-producing some of Broadway’s biggest hits in recent history.
Carl has won 13 Tony Awards for Spring Awakening, War Horse, Hair, Death of a Salesman, Pippin, All the Way, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Dear Evan Hansen, Angels in America, The Band’s Visit, Oklahoma, Hadestown, and Company. His aim has always been to tell compelling stories or present stunning music that transforms people.
Recently, Carl has shifted from co-producing to lead producing and has several more projects in development. Throughout his career, Carl has produced or invested in over 110 theater productions, including Broadway, national tours, London and Australia, with a high financial success rate. He has expanded his role in the arts through the formation of Dominion Pictures, a film production company, where he has produced multiple titles with several more in the pipeline. One of his first films, Wakefield, starred Bryan Cranston and Jennifer Garner, a fellow Denison graduate.
Carl also has written his memoir, Broadway and Spirituality as a Path to Survival, during the Covid isolation period, which was released in the fall of 2022. He hopes his story inspires others to pursue their dreams despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
As an undergrad in Granville, Carl was active in the Delta Chi Fraternity, Denison University Outlook, and The Denison Singers. In the years since, he has served the college as an admission ambassador and a career launch volunteer.
He doesn’t want his epitaph to read “successful investment banker” or “13-time Tony Award-winning producer.” He wants it to say: “Carl was a good friend.” “Success to me doesn’t have anything to do with a career,” he says. “It means connecting with people in a really meaningful way, being there, and loving from the heart.”
