Illian, Jason 1976(?)- (Jason B. Illian)

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1976; married; wife's name Alisha. Education: Texas Christian University, Ft. Worth, TX, B.B.A., 1999.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Tri-Star Sports and Entertainment, 215 Ward Circle, Ste. 200, Brentwood, TN 37027.

CAREER:

Writer, public speaker, entrepreneur, business executive, and advocate. IdeaGroup (creative content and communications firm), chief executive officer; founder of an executive management company and of www.myspacekids.com Web site. Former vice president of an investment management firm. Guest on television shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, The 700 Club, Living the Life, Celebration, The Hour of Power, and The Joni Show; contestant on The Bachelorette.

WRITINGS:

Undressed: The Naked Truth about Love, Sex, and Dating, Warner Faith (New York, NY), 2006.

My Space, My Kids, Harvest House (Eugene, OR), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Author, Christian motivational speaker, and entrepreneur Jason Illian has been "challenging pop culture's salacious norms on sex and dating" since he was a nineteen-year-old college student, noted Laura J. Bagby in a CBN.com interview with Illian. After spending more than ten years building a career as a faith-based speaker on topics related to leadership and relationships, Illian gained widespread public attention in 2005 on the popular television show The Bachelorette, in which he competed against a group of other men for the attention and affection of a young woman seeking a relationship and matrimony. Illian distinguished himself, however, by being the only contestant to admit to still being a virgin at age thirty, and holding a moral objection to premarital sex. "I went on the program to show love rather than to find it," he told Bagby. In his lectures, presentations, and books, Illian proposes a faith-based Christian approach to dating, marriage, and being single, about relationships in which sex is not a prominent factor but part of a larger whole, and in which abstinence before marriage leads to better, stronger relationships for both the married and the unmarried.

Undressed: The Naked Truth about Love, Sex, and Dating is a "no-nonsense, evangelical dating guide" for both men and woman, commented Shawna Thorup in the Library Journal. Illian provides a biblically based approach to dating which, consistent with his message in other venues, discourages sex before marriage but endorses humor, genuine affection, and mutual respect. He discusses five basic tenets of dating; the "sexual ladder" of behavior and commitments leading up to marriage and sex; and the repercussions of breakups and starting over again in the relationship game. He offers "sound relationship advice for Christian singles," Thorup concluded.

Illian is also a knowledgeable source on the phenomenon of social networking Web sites, and in My Space,My Kids, he presents a comprehensive explanation of the popular social site MySpace for parents. The book, in conjunction with a companion Web site, "not only helps parents protect their teens and create awareness of the negative, but also explains how MySpace can be a great, positive tool—a second pair of eyes and ears, and a door to help broach sensitive subjects," commented a PR Newswire writer. Illian discusses such positive aspects of MySpace as the development of online friendships and exposure to other cultures and ideas. He also covers the negative aspects, including online predators, overuse of and obsession with the site, and sometimes unsupervised access to questionable topics and materials. Yet Illian sees MySpace as having great potential for good in those cases in which children's activities there are monitored and supported. For parents who choose to let their children participate on MySpace, "this book will also provide you with the skills to make their activities as safe and private as possible," observed Armchair Interviews reviewer Jill Stovall.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, October 1, 2006, Shawna Thorup, review of Undressed: The Naked Truth about Love, Sex, and Dating, p. 94.

PR Newswire, February 21, 2007, "MySpace MyKids Interactive Website Launches an Unprecedented Tool for Parents to Protect and Connect with Their Kids Online."

Today's Christian, March-April, 2006, Rhonda Eudaly, "Celibate in the City: Former Bachelorette Bachelor Jason Illian Is a Thirty-Year-Old Virgin Who Shocked TV Viewers When He Declared His Intention to Wait till Marriage. Here's His Take on Christian Singleness," profile of Jason Illian, p. 24.

ONLINE

Armchair Interviews,http://www.armchairinterviews.com/ (June 14, 2007), Jill Stovall, review of MySpace, MyKids; Laura V. Hilton, review of Undressed.

CBN.com,http://www.cbn.com/ (June 14, 2007), Laura J. Bagby, "Singles & Purity," interview with Jason Illian.

Hachette Book Group USA Web site,http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/ (June 14, 2007), biography of Jason Illian.

Jason Illian Home Page,http://www.jasonillian.com (June 14, 2007).

Jason Illian MySpace Page,http://www.myspace.com/ jasonillian (June 14, 2007).

[Sketch reviewed by agent, Jamie Nehasil.]