Jared Hess (born 1979, Preston, Idaho) is a filmmaker known best for Napoleon Dynamite (2004), which he co-wrote and directed. He also produced the video for The Postal Service's third single, "We Will Become Silhouettes."

Hess met his wife, Jerusha , while attending Brigham Young University's film school. Jerusha co-wrote Napoleon Dynamite with her husband and they both graduated from BYU in late 2003.

Hess also wrote and directed a short film entitled Peluca. Often thought of as a typeface for Napoleon Dynamite, Peluca featured much of the same cast and plotline, including Jon Heder as Seth, "super nerd extraordinare".

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

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

External links

• PixelSurgeon interview with Jared Hess
• Fox Searchlight profile