Mr. Hess is the founder and a Managing Partner of Cobalt Capital, a multi-stage investment firm that partners with the next generation of digital content, technology, consumer, and lifestyle businesses, which Mr. Hess established in December 2019. Through the firm’s deep roots in culture and consumer experience investing, Cobalt cultivates meaningful partnerships with entrepreneurs and business leaders creating strategic value for investors. Previously investing in partnership with TPG Growth, and formerly known as Evolution Media, Cobalt Capital invests with strong teams to help them scale their vision.
Prior to founding the investment platform, Mr. Hess founded Evolution Media Capital investment bank in partnership with Creative Arts Agency (“CAA”) in 2008 and served as the Co-Managing Partner until 2018. From 2012 to December of 2019, Mr. Hess served as the Chief Executive Officer of Evolution Media. Mr. Hess led the Film Finance group at CAA prior to founding Evolution. Under his leadership the group packaged, raised financing for, and sold numerous films, including Academy Award-winning films Crash; Brokeback Mountain; Goodnight, and Good Luck; and The Tree of Life. Previously, he held executive positions at TriStar Pictures and The William Morris Agency, and was President of Phoenix Pictures and Propaganda Films.