PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- A local man is putting his identity up for bid.
Jason Sadler is offering to turn himself into a living, breathing billboard for the company that ponies up the most cash. He recently launched
BuyMyLastName. The Web site allows companies to lease his last name for one year. According to the site, an Arizona-based audio company is currently the highest bidder at $34,500.
That means Sadler may be “rebranded” as Jason JLabAudio for 2013.
He got the idea when his mother told him she was divorcing his stepfather and changing her last name. Jason has changed his last name three times already.
“I think a lot of people can relate to that. If you have a family who’s gone through a division or anything like that, you kind of get stuck with this name and you just live with it… I didn’t want to live with it. I’ll do something interesting,” said Sadler.
And the world is taking notice – from The Huffington Post to Ad Week. Yahoo featured him on its homepage Friday. Sadler has contributed to Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and other major outlets.
This isn't his first unconventional job for Sadler. He made a name for himself by wearing t-shirts for a living. Companies from across the country pay him thousands to wear their logos while appearing in videos he produces for the them through his last venture called
IWearYourShirt.
Those videos are seen by some of his 40,000 Twitter followers and 23,000 Facebook fans. He’s produced more than 3,500 videos over the past four years. The videos carry more than 9 million views on his YouTube page.
“You have to do stuff that sets you apart and has a long-lasting impression,” said Sadler.
Bidding for his last name began Nov. 1 and will end on Dec. 12. Sadler will officially change his name for the year on Jan. 1.
Twenty-five percent of the winning bid must be paid immediately and the company has the rest of the year to pay the remaining amount.
Everything from his driver’s license to his social media accounts and URL will feature the new last name.
Sadler will donate 10% of the winning bid to Cheerful Givers. The charity donates gift bags to less fortunate kids on their birthdays and holidays.
