His creative mission is clear: amplify voices that challenge social norms through identity, resistance, and radical authenticity.

As a librettist and lyricist, Jesse is a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and a graduate of Berklee College of Music’s M.A. in Musical Theater Writing and Design. He has written theatrical works that center outsiders rewriting the rules of their era. His works include Marlise!, a noir comedy about sacrificing family for fame in 1950s Hollywood; Madame X, a sensuous drama uncovering the hidden lover in John Singer Sargent’s most scandalous painting; The Battle of Versailles, a story of Black visibility and fashion as resistance in 1970s culture; and A Curious Spectacle, chronicling Marie Curie’s radical rise from exile to scientific icon. Jesse is also a Broadway investor in the 2024 revival of The Wiz! and a proud member of the Dramatists Guild.

His film and new media projects have premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, Cannes, SXSW, HotDocs, Sheffield DocFest, and American Film Institute (AFI). A founding member of Fovrth Studios, he has led award-winning documentaries and virtual reality films. Directorial credits include Authentically Us, Meta’s first VR series centered on transgender stories, and Immigrant Voices, a celebration of culture and resilience created in partnership with Global Citizen. His work has been recognized by Meta’s Creator Lab, the Future of Storytelling, IDFA DocLab, and the New Museum’s NEW INC incubator (2017–2022). Jesse began his media career as a frontline photojournalist during the Arab Spring documenting revolutions. Jesse is a voting member of the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS).

Jesse's passion for aesthetics and impact also led him to co-found Modavanti, once the world’s largest e-commerce platform for sustainable fashion, recognized by NBC News, Microsoft, InStyle, and The Huffington Post. That same eye for style and story shapes his work as a live experience producer, crafting fashion shows, galas, and luxury events for New York Fashion Week, Ritz-Carlton, Paco Rabanne, Virgin, and Latin pop icon Maluma. His event work has been featured in Vogue, People, WWD, Vanity Fair, and more.

Rooted in lived experience, Jesse’s advocacy spans continents. He has worked on HIV/AIDS interventions with the Clinton Global Initiative, served in crisis zones in Gaza and Lebanon with the United Nations, and taught in post-Katrina New Orleans with Teach For America. A proud gay man, he continues his activism through direct outreach with SaveLGBT, GLAAD, the Victory Fund, and HRC.

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Jesse is a Chancellor’s Scholar and graduate of the University of Wisconsin.