Jared and Jerusha Hess

Jared Hess
Born	Jared Lawrence Hess July 18, 1979 (1979-07-18) (age 32) Preston, Idaho, U.S.
Spouse	Jerusha Hess
Children	Eliott Hess Greta Hess

Jerusha Hess
Born	Jerusha Elizabeth Demke May 12, 1980 (1980-05-12) (age 31) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Spouse	Jared Hess
Children	Eliott Hess Greta Hess

Jared Lawrence Hess (born July 18, 1979) and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess (née Demke; born May 12, 1980) are husband-and-wife American filmmakers known for their work Napoleon Dynamite (2004) and Nacho Libre (2006) and Gentlemen Broncos (2009), all of which they co-wrote and directed (Nacho Libre was co-written with Mike White). They also produced music videos for The Postal Service's third single, "We Will Become Silhouettes" and The Killers' 5th annual Christmas Charity single "Boots".

Personal life

Jerusha was born in Omaha, Nebraska and Jared was born in Preston, Idaho. Jared is a graduate of Burton Elementary School located in Kaysville, Utah and attended Burton Elementary while living in Fruit Heights during his youth. He also attended Manhattan High School in Kansas for two years, before transferring to Preston High School, from which he graduated in 1997. Many scenes from Napoleon Dynamite were filmed there.

Jared and Jerusha Hess are both members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and have one son, Elliot, and one daughter, Greta. They currently reside in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Career

Jared met Jerusha while attending Brigham Young University's film school. She co-wrote Napoleon Dynamite with Jared, and the film was produced and edited by classmate Jeremy Coon.

Jared also wrote and directed a short film entitled Peluca. A prototype for Napoleon Dynamite, Peluca featured much of the same cast and plotline, including Jon Heder as Seth, "super nerd extraordinaire."^{[cite this quote]}

Besides his efforts on Napoleon Dynamite and Peluca, Jared has worked as a camera assistant in a number of films and has played minor roles in a few LDS 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.

Jared and Jerusha Hess have finished filming their newest film entitled Gentlemen Broncos. 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.^[1] The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews.

Filmography

• Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
• Nacho Libre (2006)
• Gentlemen Broncos (2009)

References

1. ^ ""Napoleon Dynamite" Helmer's New Comedy". Worst Previews. 2008-01-31. http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=7408&count=0. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Jared Hess at the Internet Movie Database
• Jerusha Hess at the Internet Movie Database
• PixelSurgeon interview with Jared Hess
• Fox Searchlight profile