Ross Shafer
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Ross Alan Shafer (born December 10, 1954) is an American comedian, network television host, and motivational and leadership speaker/consultant. He has authored nine business books, won a stand-up comedy competition, and earned six Emmys as a network talk and game show host.[1]
Ross Shafer | |
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| Born | Ross Alan Shafer December 10, 1954 (age 69) McMinnville, Oregon, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Television host, comedian, business speaker/consultant, author |
| Years active | 1983 - Present |
Biography
Born and raised in McMinnville, Oregon, Shafer graduated from Federal Way High School in Federal Way, Washington. As a high school All-Conference football player, he received a scholarship to play linebacker for the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, where he earned a business marketing degree.[2][1]
Shafer said of his early life, "I had trouble finding anything that I was passionate about, or that made me happy." Nonetheless, he demonstrated offbeat entrepreneurial qualities, culminating in the creation of the first "combination pet and stereo store", which was noted for its novelty. His first foray into acting came in the form of a community play; afterward, he tried out for a stand-up comedy competition.[1]
From 1984 to 1989, Shafer hosted the local Seattle-based talk and comedy show, Almost Live!, and also hosted Fox's late night talk show, The Late Show.[3][4][5] From 1990 to 1991, Shafer hosted a short-lived revival of Match Game on ABC.
Ross works as a keynote speaker and leadership coach in the areas of market share growth, customer friction, and workforce motivator.[6][2] He coaches leaders and teams on how to cross-pollinate innovative ideas about emerging trends, shifting buying habits, and the motivation of work forces during mergers and acquisitions. His clients include Ace Hardware, Aflac, and Hard Rock Cafe.[7] Ross also authored a humorous cooking book, Cook-Like-A-Stud.[2]
Bibliography
- Cook-Like-A-Stud (1991) ISBN 978-1880098172
- Nobody Moved Your Cheese! (2003) ISBN 978-1553956587
- The Customer Shouts Back! (2006) ASIN B004TY0W0Q
- Are You Relevant? (2009) ISBN 978-0-615-26523-0
- Grab More Market Share (2011) ISBN 978-1-118-13004-9
- Shy to Confident (2013) ISBN 978-0-615-86614-7
- Absolutely Necessary (2015) ISBN 978-0-692-27999-1
- Behave Like a Startup (2016) ISBN 978-0-9975336-1-3
- Success: It's on You (2016) ISBN 978-0-9975336-0-6
- No More Customer Friction (2017) ISBN 978-0692-86063-2
- Rattled (2021) ISBN 978-0-578-97246-6
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Ross Shafer '75: Laughter is golden · University of Puget Sound". www.pugetsound.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- ^ a b c "Ross Shafer Biography".
- ^ "A history of 'Almost Live!'". KING-TV. January 21, 2016. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ^ Brodeur, Nicole (July 7, 2016). "A peek inside 'Almost Live!' and Seattle's unofficial history". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ^ Weinstein, Steve (May 14, 1988). "Bakkers Grace 'The Late Show'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
"We're happy with Ross Shafer as host," said Brad Turell, vice president, publicity, at Fox.
- ^ Keynote Speaker: WORK-LIFE BALANCE (and how to fix it) | Ross Shafer
- ^ Ross' Client List