A couple months ago I visited the set of Built to Shred and one of the highlights was a happenstance encounter with Joanie Dodds, the host of Run My Renovation on the DIY Network.
The Built to Shred crew had raised the bar with their spiral of death ramp and I was impressed by the complexity of the skate ramp structures that it seemed only a daredevil would ride. Among the crew of skaters and builders a tall blonde stood out who seemed much more focused on the construction of the ramps than the antics of the skaters.
I introduced myself and near the end of our conversation Joanie humbly mentioned that she was a host of her own show. It was awesome to meet a TV personality who really does work as a licensed contractor and is more interested in building cool things than pushing a book or TV show. But this story gets better.
Watching Run My Renovation you can see how comfortable Joanie is in front of the camera, which could be attributed to her time working as a model. Joanie was the runner-up on Season 6 of America's Next Top Model and has traveled the world working as a fashion model. Not quite the pedigree of most licensed contractors, which is why I had to interview her.
Keep reading to see how she followed her passion for building from the runway to renovations.
C&H: How has it been working on your own DIY Network show?
Joanie: Working on the DIY Network has been nothing short of incredible. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to work with, who support me, and support each other.
Everyone is so talented, patient, and genuine. Sure, shooting a TV show has a lot of stresses, and there have been ups and downs, but every time I know that I have to go back to work, a huge smile goes on my face! I have learned so much, and I am sure I will continue to learn. What a blessing.
C&H: Can you share the story of how a Top Model became a DIY Network TV personality? Has your modeling experience helped you on the show?
Joanie: A model turned contractor...stranger things may not have happened, but for me, it was right up my alley. It was meant to be, you could say.
I have always been handy. I was always my father's little "boy", (we have no boys in our family, obviously). So I followed him everywhere; learning everything, involuntarily. Now, I am so grateful for the things I have learned. I also have a small business, Neat Freaks LA, where I do closets, organization, and handy girl jobs.
The on the job experience and the given notoriety (from ANTM), a friend made a tape of me working on a project and took it to the DIY Network, and a few months later I was auditioning.
Being a model only helps when it comes to showing people the finished product. I do feel Vanna White-ish, but its perfect.
C&H: Can you share some of your short or long term goals beyond Run My Renovation?
Joanie: Ideally, I'd love to have my own show. I want to focus on women, empowering them to do home improvements, and educate themselves on the in's and outs of truly doing it yourself.
If a Martha Stewart-like status could be reached, that would be awesome, minus the convicted felon part.
Also, to start a women's work wear brand would be great and lady-friendly tools too!
C&H: What is the best way for DIY enthusiasts to learn new skills after they've been inspired by your show?
Joanie: I think DIY Network's how to videos are great, but not only that, taking the free classes at Lowe's and Home Depot are fantastic! And there is always Google! Heck, I still use Youtube when I'm in a pinch!
C&H: What are your interests outside of home improvement?
Joanie: I love video editing. I am a tech-saavy, Mac loving, Final Cut Pro using chick. I love to shoot, edit, and create. If I had the time, I would do it full time.
Also, cooking, painting, and playing piano and traveling. I just started doing Crossfit, and its a cool community of athletes and friends. And DEFINITELY going to see concerts and shows. Anything live is so exciting.
C&H: Thanks Joanie!!!
You can catch Joanie on Run My Renovation on the DIY Network on Wednesdays at 10:30/9:30C.
Joanie's contractor business is Neat Freaks LA.
You can also follow Joanie on Facebook and Twitter.
We've been avid fans of green building blog Jetson Green for a few years and it's been great to see the site grow in popularity and influence. Founder, Preston Koerner, has always maintained a unique editorial voice that may be attributed to being based in Salt Lake City as well as being a credentialed LEED AP.
Recently Preston took Jetson Green through a complete redesign and he's also announced a few editorial changes that should make Jetson Green even more popular among homeowners interested in green building.
We asked Preston to share his thoughts on a few questions including the current state of the green building industry and what trends he's seen develop.
C&H: Congratulations on the redesign of Jetson Green. Tell us about the impetus for the redesign and what 2011 has in store for you.
Preston: Thanks, Timothy. I've been thinking about the redesign for probably two years. I wanted to showcase contributors and style image galleries. And, to be completely honest, I started to worry about whether Typepad, the prior platform, would be around in a year or two. So I took the plunge. In 2011, I plan to showcase some of the best green homes before anyone else on the web. I'll also enlist the help of some new contributors for top-notch materials and technology coverage. Expect exclusive interviews with major industry players and guest articles from these experts.
C&H: You've been blogging in the "green" space for awhile now. What long-term trends have you seen emerge since you started Jetson Green and what trends are on the horizon that might not be on the mainstream radar yet?
Preston: Four years and still going strong! One thing I'm seeing is smarter homeowners. They can scrutinize certification to determine whether a home is actually energy efficient or water-efficient, etc. And they demand performance. They want a tiny house that embodies their scaled down existence or a Passive House that actually uses a small amount of energy.
Also, watch out for the home energy score. Perhaps this will make its way into MLS. At some point, the market will recognize the value in green attributes and find a way to reward it.
C&H: Jetson Green takes a global approach to green building, what countries do you see that are consistently leading the way in the green building industry?
Preston: This site may showcase a project from around the world, including Canada, but the audience for the most part is American. That said, it seems like there's some good information coming out of Germany in regards to ultra-efficiency. Japan produces excellent design using little to no space. And Sweden has a lot of experience with prefabrication technology.
As a former skater and current snowboarder/surfer/paddle boarder, FUEL TV was made for me and has been a guilty pleasure of mine since it debuted. I've still got stacks of snowboarding and skate videos on VHS and would watch Lance Mountain, Tony Hawk and the crew from Bones Brigade all day long.
The programming on FUEL TV is more diverse than you'd think and their programming ranges from straight up video skate parts to athlete profiles and variety/entertainment shows.
One of the most popular shows on FUEL TV is Built To Shred and hosted by skater/builder Jeff King. Jeff is a professional skateboarder is most famous for building obstacles for skateboarding and other action sports in unusual places and out of unusual objects. Jeff has also been featured in the popular skateboarding video game, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground which we've spent too many hours play than we'd care to admit.
The new season of Built To Shred promises bigger builds, more sports, and more once-in-a-lifetime obstacles ridden by adrenaline sports icons like legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk, Ryan Sheckler, X Games Gold Medalist Paul Rodriguez and others.
Unlike other build-it-yourself shows as seen on the traditional home networks, Built To Shred aspires to 'architecture meets anarchy', how can we not want to watch that!
We had an opportunity to ask Jeff a few questions about how he got into building ramps and what the new season has in store for us. Get stoked and read on!
C&H: Hi Jeff - Congrats on Season 3 of Built to Shred. You've definitely hit on an undiscovered niche and we love the creativity we've seen in the previous two seasons, especially the monster ramp you built at that ghetto skate park in Hawaii. Obviously you've been doing both for a long time but which came first for you, the skating or building?
Jeff King: Skateboarding. I've had a skateboard around for as long as I can remember but I was 14 when my dad and I built the world's first Kingrail. It was about 10 feet long, made out of 2x6's and 2"pvc pipe attached with nails. When you would boardslide it, pieces of your rails would get stuck under the heads.
HGTV's All American Handyman made three cuts last week and now have their top five competitors, one of which will wear the crown of All-American Handyman.
We caught up with the last Handyman voted off the show, Andrew Kowalyshyn. He made the top six but his door hanging abilities, or lack thereof, sealed his fate and he was sent home Sunday.
Despite his ousting Andrew was gracious enough to answer some questions we had about the show and his experiences competing to be the All American Handyman.
C&H: Hi Andrew! Congratulations on being selected as a competitor on HGTV's new reality show All American Handyman. We were sad to see you go last night but you made it pretty far into the competition. How do you feel you did?
Andrew: Thanks Timothy! I was definitely a little bummed to be sent home, but I was pretty proud of myself for making it into the group of top six contestants. Dennis and I really had great chemistry on the team challenge and I was thrilled with the work we did! Also, working with Carmen De La Paz was a blast!! Admittedly, the door-hang challenge was something I struggled with, mainly due to my lack of experience with that specific task. Even though my door didn't close, I was happy that I got it hung and swinging. Mike and Scott judged that challenge very fairly, and it was obvious my install was the worst of them all.
