Jack Rasmussen is a leader in the worlds of performance science, the food industry, religion, education, and entertainment. Growing up in Silicon Valley and studying Business, Cinema, and Journalism at the University of Southern California has allowed him to explore pathways forward to raise the vibration and meta-awareness of people within their respective fields. He is the author of Fine Dining: The Secrets Behind the Restaurant Industry (2022) and Yin Yang: The Elusive Symbol That Explains the World (2023). At 23, he has worked with the National Science Foundation, California food banks, and international directors to help alleviate food waste and teach cultural literacy. He wants to continue to tell stories that inspire global citizens to explore the unexplored and become more cognizant of their presence. His artistic aim stays true: spread thought-provoking peanut butter and connective jelly.
Jack Rasmussen, American Author and Actor
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
I grew up in the Silicon Valley and graduated from the University of Southern California, where I studied business, cinema, and journalism. I enjoy eating weird foods, playing sports, attending sporting events, watching movies, doing adrenaline-pumping activities, reading, and writing. My favorite animal is a zebra, but I enjoy dogs. My favorite type of dog is a golden retriever.
Can you provide an overview of your work and its focus or mission?
I write books that I feel are important for society to read because they are on relatable and pertinent topics. Both my books are nonfiction. One is on the restaurant industry, a crucial industry, and a very underappreciated and understudied industry. I am a big advocate of ending food waste. My second book is on religion because I believe faith is a beautiful concept that can change peoples’ lives and unite people in deep, intricate ways.
What inspired the creation of your brand, and how has the business evolved since its inception?
I knew I always wanted to go into media or entertainment in some way. I never knew what my entry would be. Once I began writing and owning my own books, I thought it would be great to create a personal website: jackrazz.com. I have gone by Jack Razz my whole life. Razz is short for my last name, which is Rasmussen.
What makes your brand unique in its industry, and what distinctive products or services does it offer?
I don’t follow trends. I create art that I believe is crucial for society. I currently have two books available: Fine Dining: The Secrets Behind the Restaurant Industry and Yin Yang: The Elusive Symbol That Explains the World. I plan to write more books and hopefully tell more stories through other artistic mediums as well.
In what ways do you stay innovative and adapt to changes in the market or industry trends?
I try to get better every day, whether it’s through physically challenging tasks, reading, writing, or further understanding an area of research or expertise. I also stay up to date on current events.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
I believe the service I have been able to do. I helped create a nonprofit organization with my friend called Good Samaritans of Silicon Valley to serve the homeless in our area. We met the mayor of San Jose, influencing others to get involved in the cause with us.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
I would ban the use of ghostwriters and AI to help some writers who are not necessarily writers and perhaps should not be writers. Writing is utilized is almost every industry, but it is most important when telling stories that can be utilized as learning tools or that are audibly heard repeatedly. Songwriters, authors, scriptwriters, directors, etcetera should lean on their natural craft.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
I think choosing to go to Asia in August 2022 to teach English is Magong County, Taiwan for eleven months was a great idea to attempt to understand a different culture and to widen my perspective on life. If I did not travel to Asia, my life would be completely different. I think the people I met and the places I visited while in Asia positively altered the chemistry of my soul. I slowed down a lot.
