Rick Hess

Biography

Rick is a founder and Co-Managing Partner of Evolution Media, an investment company created in partnership with Evolution Media Capital (EMC), TPG Growth, and Participant Media, which invests globally in growth businesses within the sports, media, and entertainment industries. EMC is a merchant bank formed in partnership with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and offers investment advisory, asset management, industry research, capital raising services, and media rights advisory services. Recent investments include Mobcrush, iflix, and Gametime. Evolution led Mobcrush’s Series B round, Gametime’s Series B round, and iflix’s Series A round. Mobcrush is a low-latency live-streaming video, chat, and social platform focused on mobile gaming & eSports. Gametime is a mobile-first primary and secondary ticketing marketplace targeting millennial-aged consumers. iflix is a leading streaming video-on-demand (SVOD) platform tailored for emerging markets. Prior to Evolution, Rick led the Film Finance group at CAA where he focused on the packaging and financing of feature films, as well as the structuring of film production and finance companies. Rick was previously President of Phoenix Pictures as well as President of Propaganda Films and held executive positions at Tristar Pictures. Rick serves on the boards of Evolution Media, Evolution Media Capital, Fred Segal, Scopely, Jaunt, iflix, attn:, and is the Chairman of the Board of Inner-City Filmmakers, a non-profit group aimed at helping low income students procure jobs in the entertainment industry. He also serves on the Board of Directors for South Central Scholars, Chrysalis Enterprises, and UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Rick is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and lives with his wife and three daughters in Monte Nido, CA.