Profile on Jason Frank - Founder Of Jesus Didn't Tap- By Karen Wilhelmsen

Creative Couture

After starting his career at the age of 4, Jason Frank, the now 35 year-old owner and CEO of the burgeoning brand Jesus Didn’t Tap, is still on a roll and won’t ever quit.

By Karen Wilhelmsen

Fast Forwarding the Present

I started martial arts at the age of 4 at Red Dragon Karate under Shihan Louis D. Casamassa, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. I was a junior instructor at age 12 and by the time I was 18, I was a second degree black belt. So I would learn about business while running a full time school. I actually ended up buying the same school I first starting my training in, in Covina, California. When I was of age I bought that school, so for me to be the boss now is kind of weird.

Lookin’ Good

My original style was American style, like Red Dragon which was a combination of every style mixed together as one. My instructor was a black belt in judo. But there were two elements I was missing in my style. One was Muay Thai, the other Jiu-Jitsu. So MMA kind of puts it all together. Those were the two elements I was missing. I have all the elements now. It’s looking good.

From Rags Comes Riches

We just wanted to come up with an edgy, good, positive clothing line. Nothing that’s negative. Something that is positive in the sport. Once the name got out there, orders were coming in. You don’t even understand the orders. We get emails about how this stuff has changed peoples’ lives. How they rediscovered their faith. Some of the emails I get are incredible. My customers are awesome and they really care about my brand. It’s just kind of a new industry in itself, and I wasn’t prepared for that. It’s been good, a little overwhelming to be honest. I’m happy and blessed at the same time.

Behind the Brand

I don’t want to push religion down anyone’s throat. At the same time, with Jesus Didn’t Tap, you can take that meaning any way you want it as long as it gets the name out. The bottom line is there was a guy named Jesus Christ and he obviously went thorough all the things he went through. The whole concept of the line was me and Patrick (Hutton) sitting around, and saying Jesus didn’t quit, and boom, Jesus Didn’t Tap came up. And to tap means he would quit, so he didn’t tap.

What’s Next?

I want to open Jesus Didn’t Tap Jiu-Jitsu schools, ten or so of them, in lower income cities. I just want to have programs for kids and train them, and keep them off the streets. I’ve been involved with martial arts since I was 4. I’m a sixth degree black belt. If it wasn’t for karate, I don’t know where I’d be today. I just wanna keep them off the streets. A lot of people ask is this a business thing? This isn’t just business. I have to make money to make more t-shirts, but for a good reason. Jesus Didn’t Tap has been sold to our troops and all around the world. I’m donating it to a cause, to the army. I want to help them out. I have a couple more things in mind. I wanna do a lot of things, like women’s shirts for breast cancer. It’s a clothing line to help people out, not just to help me out. It’s helped me through all that I’ve been through in the past year and a half. Whether things are going good or things are going bad, it’s just what you gotta’ do. But I’m a warrior and a trooper and I work through it. There are a lot of things I want to do with it. It’s just a matter of time.



SIDEBARS:

Power Ranger Past

I would tell you that my experience was great. The show would touch a lot of people. The most interesting thing about being a power ranger is today in this market. All the fighters who knew me from that show and I’m thinking wow man, I’m reaching these young fighters that used to watch the show. Maybe it got others into martial arts. I think I was able to reach a lot of people through a lot of positive things, like through the D.A.R.E. public education program. Now it just continues. The reason I’ve been behind the scenes for almost two years is I don’t want to be in front of the scenes. I’m not the guy who says “look who I am” or “look what I’ve done,” [the product] needs to sell itself. Jesus is such a powerful name that I want to step way, way behind him.


Like Father Like Daughter

One of my little girls, 5, watches iCarli and on the show they are talking about mixed martial arts and wow, my 5 year-old daughter loves to watch mixed martial arts. There’s so much cussing, foul language and bad sportsmanship out there that I wanted to put something positive in the sport. When she says “Jesus Didn’t Tap daddy,” it’s something positive.

Workout Plans

Usually Saturday and Sunday are my rest days. But a typical day for me is I’ll wake up, everyday pretty much the same time and I’ll eat 6 or 7 meals through out the day. I’ll lift weights at the gym for two hours and I’ll do explosive weight training. Not just weight training, but explosive stuff that will help you in MMA. And then I’ll rest up and go to my school and I’ll do MMA stand up for another 2 to 3 hours. So I usually do about 5 hours a day. I’m just enjoying the training right now. It’s been awesome. The best thing about our sport is you can be fans and love it, practitioners, or anything. We all love it.

The Writer: Karen Wilhelmsen, born in San Diego, is a journalism student at the University of California, Irvine.