Jared Lawrence Hess (born July 18, 1979) and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess ( Demke, born May 12, 1980) are husband-and-wife American filmmakers known for their work on Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Nacho Libre (2006) and Gentlemen Broncos (2009), all of which they co-wrote and which were directed by Jared. (Nacho Libre was co-written with Mike White.) Jared also directed A Minecraft Movie (2025). For their film Ninety-Five Senses, they were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
They also produced music videos for The Postal Service's third single, "We Will Become Silhouettes", and the Killers' Christmas charity single "Boots".
Personal lives Jerusha was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and Jared was born in Glendale, Arizona. Jared attended Manhattan High School in Kansas for two years before transferring to Preston High School in Idaho, from which he graduated in 1997. Many scenes from Napoleon Dynamite were filmed there. As a teenager Jared worked in film production with T. C. Christensen.
The Hesses have four children. The family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Career Jared met Jerusha while attending Brigham Young University's (BYU) film school. Together they co-wrote the film Napoleon Dynamite, which was produced and edited by their classmate Jeremy Coon.
While at BYU, Jared wrote and directed a student film entitled Cardboard Only, which is about a seven-year-old Idaho farm boy who struggles to escape boredom while wearing a cardboard box over his head. While at BYU, Jared also wrote and directed a short film entitled Peluca, which became a prototype for Napoleon Dynamite and featured much of the same cast and plotline, including Jon Heder as Seth, "super nerd extraordinaire."
Besides Napoleon Dynamite and Peluca, Jared has worked as a camera assistant in a number of films and has played minor roles in a few Latter-day Saint comedies. These include The Singles Ward, The R.M. and Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-day Comedy. Their second movie Nacho Libre, starring Jack Black, was released on June 16, 2006.
The third major film made by the Hesses, Gentlemen Broncos, was released in 2009. It is about a teenager who aspires to be a writer, but after attending a fantasy-writer's convention, he finds that his idea has been stolen by an established novelist. The film stars Michael Angarano as the teenager, Jemaine Clement as the established novelist, and Sam Rockwell as the story's fictional title character who appears in book-come-to-life sequences.
In 2010, Jared created ads for the Utah State Fair which were run on the radio, but refused on television. The Utah State Fair representatives claimed they refused to run them due to sexual overtones, while Hess claimed the failure to run the ads was because the main actor in them, Markus T. Boddie, was an African-American.
In 2011, Jerusha directed a film adaptation of the book Austenland, which was released in 2013. She also co-wrote the screenplay.
Jared and Jerusha Hess are also among the executive producers of the Napoleon Dynamite series that aired in 2012. In addition, Jared voiced Don Moser, a returning character originally portrayed by Trevor Snarr in the film.
Jared directed the comedy heist film Masterminds (2016).
Jared was among the executive producers for the Fox TV series Making History, which premiered in 2017.
In 2019, it was announced that Jared would direct with Lynn Wang an animated musical movie adaptation of Thelma the Unicorn for Netflix. Both Jared and Jerusha would write it.
Jared co-directed (with Tyler Measom) a true crime docu-series Murder Among the Mormons, which premiered on Netflix on March 3, 2021.
In 2025, Jared directed A Minecraft Movie for Warner Bros. Pictures, with Jason Momoa and Jack Black starring. The film reunited Jared with Black after the two previously worked on Nacho Libre (2006).
Filmography Short film Year Title Director Writer Notes 2002 Peluca Also cinematographer 2022 Ninety-Five Senses Nominated—Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
Feature film Jared Hess Year Title Director Writer Notes 2004 Napoleon Dynamite 2006 Nacho Libre 2009 Gentlemen Broncos Also executive producer (With Jerusha) 2015 Don Verdean 2016 Masterminds 2024 Thelma the Unicorn Co-directed with Lynn Wang 2025 A Minecraft Movie 2027 A Minecraft Movie Squared Co-wrote with Chris Galletta, Filming
Jerusha Hess Year Title Director Writer 2004 Napoleon Dynamite 2006 Nacho Libre 2009 Gentlemen Broncos 2013 Austenland 2015 Don Verdean 2024 Thelma the Unicorn
Television Jared Hess Year Title Director ExecutiveProducer Notes 2012 Napoleon Dynamite 6 episodes (With Jerusha) 2016–2017 The Last Man on Earth 2 episodes2017 Making History 3 episodes Son of Zorn Episode "The Quest for Craig" 2021 Murder Among the Mormons Documentary miniseries, co-directed with Tyler Measom 2023 Muscles & Mayhem:An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators Documentary miniseries
Acting roles Jared Hess Year Title Role Notes 2002 The Singles Ward DJ V'dob Uncredited 2003 The R.M. LD3 Nerd Uncredited 2003 Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy Reverend Steve Two-Trees Green Uncredited 2012 Napoleon Dynamite Don, Felipe, Starla Voice roles, 6 episodes 2013 Austenland Travel Agent Uncredited 2018 The Unexpected Race Deputy Uncredited 2024 Thelma the Unicorn Gerald, Additional Voices Voice role 2025 A Minecraft Movie General Chungus Voice role
References
External links
PixelSurgeon interview with Jared Hess