Ross Shafer
Encyclopedia
Ross Shafer is a comedian
and television
host turned motivational and customer service speaker/trainer
, based in Carlsbad, California
. Although he now splits time in Nashville, Tennessee
, where his wife Leah has an aspiring singing career.
in 1971. 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 in 1975.
Shafer began his career as a small town pet store manager-turned-stand-up comic in Seattle, Washington
, after winning the Showtime cable network
's 1983 Showtime Comedy Laugh-Off. The following year he became the host and a writer-performer of the comedy
series he created called Almost Live!
on NBC affiliate KING-TV, Channel 5
. After four 1/2 years and nearly 40 Emmy Awards later, Shafer left to host the Fox Network
's The Late Show
. Shafer's first national TV show was the USA Network
's Love Me, Love Me Not
, taped in Vancouver
, British Columbia
. The show, which ran for 130 episodes, was based on an earlier Italian
show called M'ama Non M'ama.
In 1985, Shafer spearheaded an effort to have "Louie, Louie" replace "Washington, My Home
" by Helen Davis as Washington's official state song. Picking up on this initially prankish effort, Whatcom County Councilman Craig Cole introduced Resolution No. 85-12 in the state legislature, citing the need for a "contemporary theme song that can be used to engender a sense of pride and community, and in the enhancement of tourism and economic development". His resolution also called for the creation of a new "Louie Louie County". While the House did not pass it, the Senate's Resolution 1985-37 declared April 12, 1985, "Louie Louie Day". A crowd of 4,000, estimated by press reports, convened on the state capitol that day for speeches, singalongs, and performances by the Wailers, the Kingsmen, and Paul Revere and the Raiders. Three days later, a Seattle event commemorated the occasion with the premiere performance of a new, Washington-centric version of the song written by composer Richard Berry
.
In 1988, Shafer succeeded Joan Rivers
as host of the Fox Network talk show
The Late Show
. The stint lasted one year, after which Shafer co-hosted the ABC
network magazine show Days End with rotating hosts Spencer Christian
, Matt Lauer
, and Hannah Storm
. From 1990 to 1991, Shafer hosted a revival of Match Game on ABC. (Later he received $97.81 for 5 years of residuals when GSN
put it in reruns.)
Between 1994 and 2006, Ross wrote and produced a series of 14 human resource
training films, distributed worldwide in nine languages. He also wrote and produced the comedy album Inside the First Family, about the travails and rumors surrounding the Clinton Administration.
As a seminar leader and motivator, he coined the phrase "customer empathy", created the Customer Empathy Institute at California State University, Monterey Bay
and speaks at 100+ corporate events each year, and has written books including Nobody Moved Your Cheese: How to Ignore the Experts and Trust Your Gut, The Customer Shouts Back!, and Customer Empathy. Separately, he wrote the comedy cookbook
-for-men, Cook Like A Stud.
Leah Shafer, with whom he has a daughter, Lauren Rae. He has two sons, Adam and Ryan, with his first wife.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
host turned motivational and customer service speaker/trainer
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
, based in Carlsbad, California
Carlsbad, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...
. Although he now splits time in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, where his wife Leah has an aspiring singing career.
Biography
Shafer graduated from Federal Way High School in Federal Way, WashingtonFederal Way, Washington
Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. Federal Way is located between Seattle and Tacoma. Its western boundary is Puget Sound. It is bordered by Des Moines on the north, Kent, unincorporated King County, and Milton on the east and Tacoma and Fife on the south...
in 1971. As a high school All Conference football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, he received a scholarship to play linebacker for the University of Puget Sound
University of Puget Sound
The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college located in the North End of Tacoma, Washington, in the United States...
in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, where he earned a Business Marketing degree in 1975.
Shafer began his career as a small town pet store manager-turned-stand-up comic in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, after winning the Showtime cable network
Cable network
A cable channel is a television channel available via cable television. Such channels are usually also available via satellite television, including direct broadcast satellite providers such as DirecTV, Dish Network and BSkyB...
's 1983 Showtime Comedy Laugh-Off. The following year he became the host and a writer-performer of the comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
series he created called Almost Live!
Almost Live!
Almost Live! was a local sketch comedy television show in Seattle, Washington, USA, produced and broadcast by NBC affiliate KING-TV from 1984 to 1999. A re-packaged version of the show also aired on Comedy Central from 1992 to 1993, and episodes aired on WGRZ-TV in the late 1990s. The show was...
on NBC affiliate KING-TV, Channel 5
KING-TV
KING-TV, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Seattle, Washington, affiliated with the NBC network. Owned by Belo Corporation, it broadcasts on UHF digital channel 48. Its offices and broadcasting center are located just east of Seattle Center...
. After four 1/2 years and nearly 40 Emmy Awards later, Shafer left to host the Fox Network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's The Late Show
The Late Show (1986 TV series)
The Late Show is an American late-night talk show and the first series broadcast on the then-new Fox Network. Originally hosted by comic actress Joan Rivers, it first aired on October 9, 1986 under the title The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers...
. Shafer's first national TV show was the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
's Love Me, Love Me Not
Love Me, Love Me Not (game show)
Love Me, Love Me Not is a Canadian game show based on the hit Italian game show M'ama Non M'ama, which translates in English to "love me, love me not". It originally aired in Canada in 1986 and debuted later in the United States on the USA Network on September 29, 1986...
, taped in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The show, which ran for 130 episodes, was based on an earlier Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
show called M'ama Non M'ama.
In 1985, Shafer spearheaded an effort to have "Louie, Louie" replace "Washington, My Home
Washington, My Home
Washington, My Home is the state song of Washington, in the United States. Written by Helen Davis and arranged by Stuart Churchill, it was adopted on March 19, 1959....
" by Helen Davis as Washington's official state song. Picking up on this initially prankish effort, Whatcom County Councilman Craig Cole introduced Resolution No. 85-12 in the state legislature, citing the need for a "contemporary theme song that can be used to engender a sense of pride and community, and in the enhancement of tourism and economic development". His resolution also called for the creation of a new "Louie Louie County". While the House did not pass it, the Senate's Resolution 1985-37 declared April 12, 1985, "Louie Louie Day". A crowd of 4,000, estimated by press reports, convened on the state capitol that day for speeches, singalongs, and performances by the Wailers, the Kingsmen, and Paul Revere and the Raiders. Three days later, a Seattle event commemorated the occasion with the premiere performance of a new, Washington-centric version of the song written by composer Richard Berry
Richard Berry
Richard Berry was an African American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed with many Los Angeles doo-wop and close harmony groups in the 1950s, including The Flairs and The Robins....
.
In 1988, Shafer succeeded Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
as host of the Fox Network talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
The Late Show
The Late Show (1986 TV series)
The Late Show is an American late-night talk show and the first series broadcast on the then-new Fox Network. Originally hosted by comic actress Joan Rivers, it first aired on October 9, 1986 under the title The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers...
. The stint lasted one year, after which Shafer co-hosted the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network magazine show Days End with rotating hosts Spencer Christian
Spencer Christian
Spencer Christian is an American television broadcaster, best known as the former weather forecaster for ABC's Good Morning America from 1986 to 1998. He currently is the weather forecaster for ABC-owned KGO-TV in San Francisco. Christian is also the author of several children's...
, Matt Lauer
Matt Lauer
Matthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
, and Hannah Storm
Hannah Storm
Hannah Storm is an American television sports journalist, serving as co-anchor of ESPN's SportsCenter Monday–Thursday mornings, and is also host of the NBA Countdown pregame show on ABC as part of the network's NBA Sunday game coverage.-Early life and career:Storm was born in Oak Park, Illinois,...
. From 1990 to 1991, Shafer hosted a revival of Match Game on ABC. (Later he received $97.81 for 5 years of residuals when GSN
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
put it in reruns.)
Between 1994 and 2006, Ross wrote and produced a series of 14 human resource
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
training films, distributed worldwide in nine languages. He also wrote and produced the comedy album Inside the First Family, about the travails and rumors surrounding the Clinton Administration.
As a seminar leader and motivator, he coined the phrase "customer empathy", created the Customer Empathy Institute at California State University, Monterey Bay
California State University, Monterey Bay
California State University, Monterey Bay is a small public university in the California State University system on the site of the former U.S. Army base Fort Ord, on the Central Coast of California. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.CSUMB was founded in 1994 with...
and speaks at 100+ corporate events each year, and has written books including Nobody Moved Your Cheese: How to Ignore the Experts and Trust Your Gut, The Customer Shouts Back!, and Customer Empathy. Separately, he wrote the comedy cookbook
Cookbook
A cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...
-for-men, Cook Like A Stud.
Personal
Shafer is married to country singerCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
Leah Shafer, with whom he has a daughter, Lauren Rae. He has two sons, Adam and Ryan, with his first wife.