The character arc of Jesse Itzler
Born 22 August 1968 in Roslyn, New York. Between then and now sit a rap single that reached the charts, the anthems he wrote for the Knicks and the NBA, a private jet company he built and sold, a coconut water brand bought by Coca-Cola, a share in the Atlanta Hawks, two bestselling books, and a month living with a Navy SEAL. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of his life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Jesse Itzler?
From a rap single to five companies sold.
He was born in Roslyn, New York, in 1968, and started not in business but in music. Under the name Jesse Jaymes he released an album in 1991 and had a single reach the Billboard chart, then found his real early trade writing anthems: Go New York Go for the Knicks in 1992, and the NBA campaign song I Love This Game. Before he was thirty he had turned a knack for a catchy line into a small sports record label, which he sold in 1998.
What he built next is the spine of his arc. In 2001 he co-founded Marquis Jet, one of the first companies to sell private flight by the card rather than the whole plane, and it grew large enough that Warren Buffett's NetJets bought it. He then helped build Zico coconut water, later acquired by Coca-Cola, and in 2015 became a part-owner of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. Five companies, sold or scaled, from a man who kept starting again.
Alongside the businesses he built a second kind of record. He invited a Navy SEAL to live with his family for a month and wrote the bestselling Living with a SEAL about what it did to him, followed by Living with the Monks. He co-founded the endurance event 29029 Everesting and teaches an idea he calls Build Your Life Resume: that the experiences you collect matter as much as the ones you earn a living from. His line is worth reading because it keeps refusing to sit still.
The moments
Jesse Itzler's timeline.
The 1960s
Born in New York
Milestone. Born in Roslyn, New York, on Long Island.
The 1990s
A rap single charts
Milestone, and it changed his direction. Recording as Jesse Jaymes, he released an album and had a single reach the Billboard Hot 100.
Wrote a Knicks anthem
Milestone. He wrote Go New York Go, the anthem for the New York Knicks.
An NBA theme song
Milestone. He co-wrote I Love This Game, the theme for the NBA, later recognised with an Emmy.
A sports record label
Milestone. With Kenny Dichter he co-founded Alphabet City Sports Records, sold to SFX in 1998.
The 2000s
Records, or a new venture
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: build Marquis Jet, taken, or stay in music. Marquis Jet grew into one of the largest jet card companies and was later bought by NetJets.
Co-founded Marquis Jet
Milestone, and it changed everything. He co-founded Marquis Jet, selling private flight by the card, which grew into one of the largest jet card companies.
Marquis Jet sold to NetJets
Milestone, and it changed his direction. Marquis Jet was acquired by Warren Buffett's NetJets, part of Berkshire Hathaway.
Partnered with Zico
Milestone. He became a partner in Zico coconut water and helped build the brand.
The 2010s
Comfort, or the hard way
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: invite the SEAL in, taken, or keep his routine. The month became Living with a SEAL, a New York Times bestseller, and the seed of his Build Your Life Resume work.
Zico sold to Coca-Cola
Milestone, and it changed his direction. Zico was acquired by Coca-Cola, the second of his companies to sell to a household name.
Part-owner of the Hawks
Milestone. He joined the ownership group, led by Tony Ressler, that bought the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.
Living with a SEAL
Milestone. He published Living with a SEAL, about a month spent training under a Navy SEAL who moved in with his family.
Co-founded 29029 Everesting
Milestone. He co-founded 29029 Everesting, an event where people climb the height of Everest over a weekend.
Living with the Monks
Milestone. He published Living with the Monks, on time spent in silence at a monastery.
The 2020s
On keynote stages
Everyday. He spent the year on keynote stages, teaching risk, perspective and his Build Your Life Resume idea.
The line reaches today still building, still writing and still on stages, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What it has set moving is already wide: the companies he founded, the readers who took up his challenge to do more, and the events where people test what they are capable of.
In his words
Quotes by Jesse Itzler
I am a big believer in building your life resume, and not your traditional resume.
How do you build your life resume? Two words, do more.
Your turn
Every story draws a unique line.
His is decades in and still being added to, one venture and one experience at a time. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about three minutes.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Jesse Itzler, verified 17 September 2026.
- jesseitzler.com, his official site.
- Jesse Itzler, Living with a SEAL, 2015.
- Jesse Itzler, Living with the Monks, 2018.
- JCK, 2026 keynote speaker announcement, Las Vegas.
- The Health and Fitness Association, The HFA Show 2026 keynote.
- Jesse Itzler, on Build Your Life Resume, public talks and interviews.
- Jesse Itzler, Build Your Life Resume.