Ross Shafer

**Ross Shafer** (December 10, 1954) is a comedian and television host turned motivational speaker/consultant, based in Denver, Colorado.

## Biography

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.

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 late-night comedy series that he created called *Almost Live!* on TV station KING/Channel 5. After 4½ years and nearly 40 Emmy awards, Shafer left to host Fox Network's *The Late Show*. Shafer's first national TV game show was *Love Me, Love Me Not* based on the unsold 1984 pilot for ABC called *M'ama Non M'ama* (hosted by Alex Trebek). The series was taped in Vancouver, British Columbia and it ran on the USA Network for a brief period from 1986 to 1987.

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 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: speeches, singalongs and performances by the Wailers, the Kingsmen, 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 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 the ABC revival of *Match Game*.

In 1994, Shafer began writing and producing a series of 14 human resource training films through mid-2006, that were distributed in worldwide in nine languages. He also wrote and produced the comedy album *Inside the First Family* about the travels 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 Monterrey Bay and speaks at 100+ corporate events each year, and has written books including: *RATTLED,* *Nobody Moved Your Cheese: How to Ignore the Experts* and *Trust Your Gut*, *The Customer Shouts Back!*, and of course *Customer Empathy*. Separately, he wrote the comedy cookbook-for-men, *Cook Like A Stud*.

## Personal Life

Ross is engaged to Allison Dalvit. He has a daughter, Lauren Rae and two sons, Adam and Ryan.

## Links

His Official Site

University of Puget Sound alumni magazine *Arches Unbound: "Laughter is Golden"* (profile)