Jason Sakurai, News Contributor: Who Am I?
I, Jason R. Sakurai, literally grew up in a dealership, with a father that nurtured my automotive interests. Following grad school, I was recruited by General Motors, leaving Phoenix for the Motor City.
Managing 21 dealerships in GM’s San Francisco Zone, I later moved to Nissan, and then Mazda. Eschewing corporate life, I sold ad space for Four Wheeler Magazine, then did TV for the National Hot Rod Association as Director of Sales. ESPN’s buyback of my inventory prompted me to start Roadhouse Marketing, a marketing, advertising, and PR firm dedicated to the automotive aftermarket and outdoor industries.
I began writing for McMullen’s Custom Rodder and Street Rodder magazines while still working for General Motors, and continued writing since then. Twice serving as editor of Drive! magazine, co-editor of Rod Action, and editor of Street Legal Import Source, over time I have contributed to almost every Petersen automotive title, and the majority of those published by McMullen, Argus, and more recently, Engaged Media. Vehicles I have owned have included a ’65 Mercury Comet Caliente, ’70 Ford Mustang Fastback, ’74 Ford Ranchero GT, ’78 VW Scirocco S, ’79 Pontiac TransAm, 190 Honda CR-X Si, 1984 Nissan 200SX Turbo, 1988 Nissan 300ZX Turbo, 1988 BMW 535iS, 1990 BMW M3 (two – one white, one red), and more. My current daily is a 2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser, upfitted to go overlanding.
[Image: Jason Sakurai]
With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.
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Welcome to the Best & Brightest, Jason. May you find your time here profitable and enjoyable!
I love the dealership stories-always interesting to better understand the dynamics of car retailing in the US. I always assumed the franchise model was a license to print money, but rounds of dealer consolidation and pricing transparency brought on by the internet may have changed the model.
Welcome my fellow countryman from the Land of the Rising Sun. The last samurai.
Welcome,