Jason “JD” DeCosta grew up in Malibu and Brentwood, California, and spent nearly two decades at the heart of Hollywood’s music scene. From 1993 to 2011, he worked every angle of Sunset Strip nightlife—rising from hospitality manager to general manager at the world-famous Roxy Theatre, Whisky a Go Go, and the Viper Room. He also lived the other side of the dream, signing major-label record deals with his bands Hot Sauce Johnson (Outpost/Geffen, 1999) and Rumblefish (Island/Def Jam, 2002).

That dual perspective—artist on stage and manager behind the curtain—gave JD a rare insider’s view of rock and roll’s chaos, glory, and heartbreak. His memoir, Backstage Pass: Decades of Sex, Drugs, Tragedy, and the Darker Side of Rock & Roll, pulls readers into that world: celebrity meltdowns, raw talent, addiction, and the untold truths of the Sunset Strip.

After Hollywood, JD reinvented himself. He launched the creative agency Jack Brando Media, led marketing for the luxury jewelry brand, Julez Bryant, built a tennis coaching business, and expanded Aceing Autism to bring tennis to children on the spectrum. Later, he found success as a real estate investor and now competes as a senior pro pickleball player.

Today, JD is semi-retired, traveling the world and calling St. Petersburg, Florida home with his fiancée and their two black lab hounds, Romeo and Figaro.