Quick Facts
Biography
Griffin Guess (born September 8, 1979, in San Diego, California) is an American entrepreneur, music producer, tv producer and talent manager. He owns Cartel Management, Cartel Records, Titans of Mavericks and is married to supermodel / actress Marisa Miller.
Career
In 1998, he founded Machete, a creative services company that produced marketing, film and music videos. In 2001 Guess merged his company into Liberty Media, and joined Ascent Media as SVP of Commercial // Music Video in 2002. Guess became executive producer and creative director for the media conglomerate in 2005. Guess produced hundreds of projects for the leading names in music and creative arts, creating numerous award winning projects and music industry productions. He worked on titles with artists such as Kanye West, Andre 3000, Jay-Z, Josh Baze, 50 Cent, Good Charlotte, Weezer, Eminem, Velvet Revolver, Common, TI, and Matisyahu throughout the 2000's. Guess exited Liberty Media in 2006 to form Cartel, Inc.
Cartel, Inc.
In 2007, Guess founded Cartel Incorporated and soon after developed Cartel Management, a boutique management company representing entertainers, athletes and musicians. Later, Guess formed Cartel Records, an independent label which distributes nationally through iTunes, and with Alliance Distribution for Best Buy and Target, Wal-mart. Guess executive produced all marketing and album campaigns for Kanye West including titles such as; The College Dropout, Late Registration and Graduation from 2005 to 2010. Guess and Kanye West co-executive produced Composing History, a television speical for MTV in 2005. Guess continued to market additional artists under Def Jam Records during that time. Guess produced albums for America's Got Talent season two runner-up Cas Haley's self-titled debut album Cas Haley, Really Doe's First Impressions album with Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label and breakthrough hip hop artist Josh Baze's self title album "High-heels & Low-Lifes" in March 2012. Guess produced Josh Baze's follow up second record "Colour Blind" which was released on June 10, 2014.
2012 to current, Cartel Inc has produced numerous award winning national ad campaigns for; Harley Davidson Motor Company, Victoria's Secret, the NFL, Diageo, Cadillac and produces print and magazine editorials for their management clients accordingly. Guess is the creative director of those ad campaigns through his production entity. Alongside musicians, Guess holds advisory to athletes and other entertainment professionals such as Marisa Miller, Aaron Rogers, Ryan Braun and Barry Bonds. Guess is slatted to produce hip hop artist Josh Baze third album releasing spring of 2017.
Creative Services Awards
Accredited campaign awards.
| Company | Campaign | Recognition | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harley Davidson | USO | Telly Award | 2011 |
| Harley Davidson | Harley-Davidson Sportster | Telly Award | 2012 |
| Diageo | Captain Morgan | Telly Award | 2012 |
| Diageo | Captain Morgan | Telly Award | 2012 |
| Josh Baze | Music Video | Telly Award | 2012 |
| Harley Davidson | Harley-Davidson VRSC | W3 Award (silver) | 2010 |
| Harley Davidson | USO | W3 Award (silver) | 2011 |
| Harley Davidson | Harley-Davidson Sportster | W3 Award (silver) | 2012 |
| Diageo | Captain Morgan | W3 Award (silver) | 2012 |
| Josh Baze | Music Video | W3 Award (silver) | 2012 |
Highlighted titles but not all listings or categories.
Marketed Albums
Accredited RIAA marketing discography.
| Artist | Marketed Albums | Record Label | Year Released | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eminem | The Slim Shady LP | Interscope | 1999 | RIAA |
| Eminem | The Marshall Mathers LP | Interscope | 2000 | RIAA |
| Eminem | The Eminem Show | Interscope | 2002 | RIAA |
| Eminem | Encore | Interscope | 2004 | RIAA |
| Outkast | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below | Arista Records | 2003 | RIAA |
| Kanye West | The College Dropout | Roc-A-Fella Records | 2003 | RIAA |
| Kanye West | Late Registration | Def Jam | 2005 | RIAA |
| Kanye West | Graduation | Def Jam | 2007 | RIAA |
| Kanye West | The College Dropout | Roc-A-Fella Records | 2003 | RIAA |
| AFI | Decemberunderground | Interscope | 2005 | RIAA |
| 50 Cent | Get Rich or Die Tryin' | Interscope | 2003 | RIAA |
| 50 Cent | The Massacre | Interscope | 2005 | RIAA |
| Jay-Z | The Black Album | Roc-A-Fella Records | 2003 | RIAA |
| Jay-Z | American Gangster | Roc-A-Fella Records | 2007 | RIAA |
| Common | Be | Geffen Records | 2005 | RIAA |
| Matisyahu | Live at Stubb's | JDub | 2005 | RIAA |
Highlighted titles but not all listings.
Titans of Mavericks, LLC.
In 2014 Guess acquired Mavericksand created Titans of Mavericks the World’s premiere big wave surfing action sports event that takes place south of San Francisco, in Northern California. 30 of the World’s best athletes compete annually in the biggest conditions that can reach up 60 feet in wave height. TITANS OF MAVERICKS is an expansive brand that includes media, television, distribution, apparel, hard and soft goods, festival, and licensing.
In 2016, Titans of Mavericks set digital user-ship records for Redbull Media House through online streaming and received over 1 billion earned media impressions surrounding the 2016 event. Guess produced Titans of Mavericks TV Special in which aired on FOX Memorial Day, May 29, 2016.
Personal life
Guess married Actress and Supermodel Marisa Miller on April 15, 2006. She's best known for her fame as the all-American supermodel, which highlights include Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covermodel and being a predominate Victoria's Secret Angel from 2000 to 2012. Also represents Harley Davidson and the NFL as an active spokesperson and has done numerous advertising campaigns for those brands. Miller's shift to acting landed her the opposite role of Jeff Bridges in Universal Pictures R.I.P.D.