DIY Network: Brought to you by the makers of HGTV and Food Network, DIY Network is the television source for the best know-how and how-to when it comes to any type of do-it-yourself project. DIY’s programs and experts answer the most sought-after questions and offer creative projects for do-it-yourself enthusiasts in a broad range of home, auto and hobby-related categories.

Launch Date: September 30, 1999

Programming Categories: Home Improvement, Landscaping & Gardening, Crafts, Automotive, Woodworking

Where to Watch: Nationwide – DirecTV, Ch. 230 and DISH Network, Ch. 111. For cable, check local listings. DIY has distribution within top markets, including New York City and Los Angeles, and can be seen internationally in 27 countries.

Distribution: Heading into January 2007, DIY was available in more than 42 million subscriber households.

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About DIY Network

Executives:

Bob Baskerville, President

Kathleen Finch, General Manager

Freddy James, VP of Programming

Companion Web Site:DIYnetwork.com features step-by-step instructions totaling up to 15,000 projects, 50,000 resources and 360 DIY Kits. The site averages more than 2.5 million unique visitors per month.

Parent Company:DIY, one of the fasted-growing networks in cable, is an emerging network of Scripps Networks, which is part of The E.W. Scripps Company, a diverse media concern with interests in national lifestyle cable networks, newspaper publishing, broadcast television stations, electronic commerce, interactive media and licensing and syndication. Scripps operates daily and community newspapers in 18 markets, 10 broadcast TV stations, five cable and satellite television programming networks and online search and comparison-shopping services.

Media Contacts:

Gary McCormick, Director of Public Relations 865.560.4143, gmccormick@scrippsnetworks.com

Brandii Toby, Manager of Press/Public Relations 865.560.4280, btoby@scrippsnetworks.com

Sheila Feren, FerenComm 212.983.9898, sheilaf@ferencomm.com

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Shows DIY to the Rescue, Blog Cabin, Freeform Furniture, DIY Inside: The Builders’ Show

Amy Devers is a finish carpenter and a metal, plastic and upholstery fabricator. She has undertaken several commercial design projects, including work for the Pasadena Museum of California Art bookstore. Her original furniture has been exhibited in museums and galleries from Boston to Milan. When Devers lived in San Diego during college, she was a hard-working woman in a man’s world, making a living as a machine-shop foreman at a design and manufacturing firm. Her responsibilities included prototyping and fabricating environmental designs, streamlining production operations and monitoring product quality.

Devers’s how-to instruction and enthusiasm on DIY to the Rescue and Freeform Furniture are contagious to homeowners and viewers alike. Surprisingly, she did not grow up in the field but decided she wanted to design furniture and learn the ins and outs of construction after graduating from college. While searching for affordable furniture for her first apartment, she realized she would need to create it herself. In fact, the first time she ever picked up a hammer was during her college years.

Devers has an AAS degree in fashion buying and merchandising from SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology, a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in furniture design from San Diego State University and an M.F.A. in furniture design from the Rhode Island School of Design. This former machine-shop foreman also is a fine artist and designer and has exhibited internationally in galleries and museums. She resides in Los Angeles with her rock-musician husband.

Amy Devers

Carpenter, Furniture Designer, Metal, Plastic and Upholstery Fabricator

carpentry and furniture-making, upholstery fabrication, fine arts and design

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Karl Champley

Master Builder and Certified Home Inspector

DIY to the Rescue, Wasted Spaces, DIY Inside: The Builders’ Show

remodeling and renovating, contracting, building consultation and design, project management, construction

Shows

Australia native Karl Champley is a true craftsman who loves to help homeowners learn to use tools correctly and acquire new do-it-yourself skills. Involved in the building trade for more than 20 years, Champley is a qualified tradesman, contractor and building consultant for residential and commercial construction. He is a member of the Master Builders Association of New South Wales and is a Registered and Certified Housing Inspector in the United States.

He won the New South Wales State award in Australia for a remodel and additions project to a four-story home in one of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs. He also picked up the 2001 Australian Achiever Award for his Australian Design and Construction Company.

Some of his accomplishments include the project management and construction of a Sydney landmark, the award-winning glasshouse situated in the Royal Sydney Botanical Gardens, as well as libraries, schools, homes and a convent. Champley has also renovated and remodeled fire stations, factories, colleges, restaurants and hundreds of homes from basement to attic. Many of his homes that he designed and built have been published in newspapers and magazines such as Home and Garden and Vogue.

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Amy MatthewsExpert

Licensed Contractor

Bathroom Renovations, 10 Things You Must Know, Sweat Equity

remodeling and renovating, outdoor and indoor repairs and projects

As a licensed contractor, personal trainer, television star and host of DIY Network’s Bathroom Renovations and 10 Things You Must Know, Amy Matthews is constantly working on something. But she doesn’t mind … she’s always looking to take on a new project!

At the ripe old age of 14, Matthews got her first taste of home improvement when she traveled with her church youth group to repair homes for families in need. For the next several years, she tackled similar fix-it-up projects through various organizations. From underpinning to building porches to tarring a tin roof, she learned the most important tools for home renovation are patience and a good sense of humor!

After studying at Boston University and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, Matthews returned to her native Minnesota where she continued to hone her do-it-yourself skills at The Family Handyman magazine. For the magazine, she’s done everything from outdoor repairs and projects to new-product demonstrations. She is also a personal trainer, certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

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Paul Ryan

Kitchen Renovations, Weekend Handyman, Home Energy Savings

construction, building, remodeling, renovating, carpentry, plumbing, fiberglass repair

Paul Ryan has been in the construction industry since his teens. He began his career as a carpenter-inspector at Valleyfair Amusement park in Shakopee, Minn. Because the park was basically a small city, all aspects of home improvement were needed. Ryan built everything from rides to structures. He was a lead carpenter, which meant he was often sent to locations to troubleshoot problems and determine what needed to be done to fix the problem. In addition to carpentry, he is experienced in plumbing, fiberglass repair and other aspects of construction.

In the early 1990s, a company needed someone to host a video project who could talk about tools while using them. He was the perfect fit, and ever since that video he has hosted four different television series.

Licensed Contractor, Home Inspector and Handyman

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Finders Fixers, Home Maintenance Workshop

Expert Tim Hockenberry

home inspection, maintenance, construction, renovation and demolition

Tim Hockenberry has been a professional home inspector for more than 12 years and in that time has inspected more than 6,000 houses. Since 2001, he has been the featured resident home inspector on Home & Garden Television’s House Detective series, hosting more than 200 on-air segments of his “Inspector’s Notebook,” which offers tips on home repair and maintenance.

Hockenberry sharpened his knowledge of what makes a house tick from the ground up – by building houses. Prior to becoming a home inspector, he worked in new-home construction, renovation and demolition.

He was trained in mechanics in the United States Marine Corps and there he honed his innate skills in taking things apart to figure out how they work and how to fix them. Hockenberry lives with his wife and three children outside Washington, D.C., where he is most likely at this very moment dismantling a persnickety dishwasher or uncooperative vacuum cleaner!

Professional Home Inspector

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Rick Yerger

Finders Fixers

home inspection and building

“Hollywood” Rick Yerger is a third-generation builder and certified home inspector with more than a decade of experience. Since 2001 he has been a featured inspector on Home & Garden Television’s House Detective series. For nearly a decade, Yerger has run a home inspection services company, overseeing other home inspectors in Southern California. Prior to that he ran his own contracting and homebuilding company and remains a licensed contractor in the Greater Los Angeles area.

Certified Home Inspector, Licensed Contractor

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Wally Conway

Finders Fixers

home construction and inspection

Licensed Contractor and Certified by the American Society of Home Inspectors

Wally Conway has inspected more than 4,000 homes since he founded his own professional home inspection company more than a decade ago. He is a frequent home inspections contributor on Home & Garden Television’s House Detective series. He also hosts his own weekly call-in radio show in North Florida called The Happy Home Inspector, where he’s honed his witty bedside manner. His book, Secrets of The Happy Home Inspector, was published in 2004.

Conway gathered his knowledge of homebuilding firsthand from years as a licensed contractor in the Jacksonville area. Overseeing a growing group of inspectors, he is certified by the American Society of Home Inspectors and teaches courses on home construction and inspection for the Florida Association of Realtors. This retired Navy pilot is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. That helps explain why such an expert on home construction and inspection doesn’t own a home or even live in a house. Instead, he lives on a boat!

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Adam Berlin

Licensed Contractor

Sweat Equity

general contracting, construction and remodeling

As a general contractor and business owner, Adam Berlin has been in construction and home remodeling for over 15 years. He got started in the industry by painting houses and then worked his way into home repairs and remodels as a means to pay for college. After earning a degree in education, he devoted himself to managing his home remodeling business. Berlin’s focus today is on kitchens and bathrooms, with a special interest in tile work. Whether or not the house is about to be sold, he also works closely with Realtors and homeowners to maximize home value. Hosting DIY’s Sweat Equity is Berlin’s first foray into the world of television. As an educator, he hopes to continue making a difference for those interested in tackling their own home improvement projects. In his spare time, he enjoys many outdoor activities including skiing, hunting, kayaking and camping.

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Gionni Thompson

Stud Finder Special, Stud Finder

high school chemistry, do-it-yourself projects

DIY’s First Stud Finder Winner

Gionni Thompson is an avid do-it-yourselfer and is the first winner of DIY Network’s Stud Finder, a contest to find America’s best handyman. His winning smile and larger-than-life personality made this high school chemistry teacher the clear winner. Thompson will host his very own home improvement series on DIY in 2007.

After a surprise visit by DIY’s camera crew in front of his chemistry class, the Colorado native made his very first trip to New York City and landed appearances on NBC’s Today Show and Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends. Along with other top finalists, Thompson is profiled in DIY’s one-hour special Stud Finder, highlighting the head-to-head challenges he faced that earned him the title of the network’s first Stud.

The ultimate DIYer, Thompson started teaching himself how to do home improvement projects when he bought his first house – a serious fixer-upper – and has continued to gain experience and confidence over the course of restoring several homes and investment properties. He has tackled some very impressive projects, such as installing a 42-inch plasma screen behind a two-way mirror in his bathroom. In addition, he is just as proud of the shoe rack he made for his wife! When he’s not fixing up his house, Thompson spends time with his wife and three sons.

Expert

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Ed Del Grande

Ed the Plumber, Warehouse Warriors

Master Plumber and Contractor

Expertisepipefitting, fire protection, plumbing

Ed Del Grande, DIY Network’s three-time Master Plumber and contractor, was born and raised in a family-owned plumbing business. He has over 25 years of experience in every aspect of construction and he holds current Master licenses in pipefitting, fire protection and plumbing. He is also a licensed private pilot.

Starting on HGTV with shows such as Dream Builders and The Fix, Del Grande grew to become one of the most respected and experienced how-to television personalities.

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Jason Cameron

Desperate Landscapes, Man Caves

carpentry, remodeling, landscaping

A native of Toledo, Ohio, Jason Cameron is experienced in carpentry and home remodeling as well as being an outdoorsman and sportsman. He is a familiar face to home improvement fans as lead carpenter on the series While You Were Out. Jason brings his extensive knowledge of carpentry and landscaping to DIY Network’s Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves.

Jason worked his way through college as a carpenter while attending Northern Michigan University. He is also certified as a personal trainer, specializing in strength and conditioning. In 1999 Jason moved to New York to pursue an acting career but shortly returned to carpentry and general contracting to make ends meet and utilize his skills. He has also worked as a fitness model and spokesman for Men’s Health magazine and has appeared on the pages of Maxim, GQ and Muscle Media.

Carpenter

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Dean Marsico & Derek Stearns

Stone and Mason Craftsmen

Rock Solid

stonework and masonry, landscaping

Cousins Dean Marsico and Derek Stearns are stone craftsmen from the greater Boston area. The duo grew up under the leadership of Arthur Stearns – father of Derek, uncle of Dean and a master in the stone trade. At a young age, both Marsico and Stearns developed a strong work ethic, which set the stage for the stonework they’ve completed and fine-tuned over the last 25 years in the masonry business. They offer a variety of options to their clients including brick work, stucco, cultured stone, concrete and the specialized art of hand-cut stone.

In addition to their business, they hold training workshops at the Plymouth Quarries in Hingham, Mass., where they teach home- owners how to create quality stonescapes and other projects to beautify their homes. Marsico and Stearns believe that everyone has the ability to do stonework, and their goal is to equip people with the knowledge and confidence to tackle all levels of the trade.

These cousins also share a love for acting and comedy. They lived in New York City together in their early twenties while acting in commercials, plays and film projects. In 2000 they moved back to Massachusetts to begin their individual families, as well as start their business together. Four years later, they began shooting Rock Solid on DIY Network. Although these partners may banter and kid each other on the job, make no mistake that their relationship and masonry skills are Rock Solid.

Experts

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Ahmed Hassan

Landscape Gardener

Show The Dirt On …

landscaping, gardening, design, installation and maintenance, ornamental horticulture, irrigation and pruning, soil science

Ahmed Hassan’s growing ambition to be involved in gardening began at a very young age. Raised on a Winters, Calif., alfalfa farm by his father – also a landscape gardener – Hassan learned early on how to master a mower and turn turf into art. Over the past 17 years, his interest in anything outdoors has led him to become one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most sought-after young landscape designers.

Along with supervising a landscaping and gardening team for the City of Redwood City, Calif., he owns his own landscape design, installation and maintenance company.

Hassan is a natural teacher and has an extensive background in educating other landscapers and gardeners on large public projects as well as smaller residential gardening assignments. He has voluntarily hosted local community groups to educate the public on topics ranging from park maintenance to land- scape design. This landscape gardener has a solid educational background, mastering courses in ornamental horticulture, irrigation, soil science and pruning and landscaping with native plants. Hassan has also been a popular expert contributor on several episodes of Landscape Smart, a series on DIY’s sister network HGTV.

Hassan also holds a certificate in horticulture from Merrit College (Oakland, Calif.) as well as a Qualified Applicators certificate, which means he is certified, trained and can train others in the safe use of pesticides. He is studying to become a certified landscape technician in two categories: maintenance and installation.

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Dean

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Dean Hill

Grounds for Improvement

Landscape Designer, Master Gardener, Certified & Master Plantsman, ASLA Member

Dean Hill holds over 15 years of experience in the landscape construction and home improvement profession and more than 10 years of high-quality residential landscape design experience. He has an undergraduate degree in telecommunications and a master of landscape architecture degree, both from Ball State University. He is president and principal designer at a landscape architecture design studio specializing in the use of native plant material and the incorporation of contemporary sculpture in residential and commercial landscapes.

Hill is a full member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and has served on various ASLA national committees. He is a past president of the Indiana Chapter (INASLA) and has served on the Executive Committee and the Annual Design Award Committee for over five years. In addition, he holds certification as a Master Gardener and is a certified Plantsman and Master Plantsman from the Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association.

landscape construction, home improvement

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Jackie Taylor

Grounds for Improvement

Gardener

Expertise gardening and landscaping, do-it-yourself projects

Jackie Taylor is an avid do-it-yourselfer and a speaker and lecturer on “power tools and you” for seminars and workshops at home-and-garden shows and industry trade shows nation- wide and in Canada. She also spent two years as the popular host of the “Do-It-Yourself-Her” segment on KMAX-TV in Sacramento, Calif. Her love for home imrovement projects has led to the pursuit of a Master Gardener Certificate from the Sacramento County UC Master Gardeners program.

Taylor loves to share her quick wit and handy how-to tips with homeowners across the country looking to improve their outdoor spaces. She enjoys getting in the middle of the projects featured on the show and works as hard as the homeowners to transform their yard from drab to delightful.

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Jason Cameron

Desperate Landscapes, Man Caves

carpentry, remodeling, landscaping

A native of Toledo, Ohio, Jason Cameron is experienced in carpentry and home remodeling as well as being an outdoorsman and sportsman. He is a familiar face to home improvement fans as lead carpenter on the series While You Were Out. Jason brings his extensive knowledge of carpentry and landscaping to DIY Network’s Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves.

Jason worked his way through college as a carpenter while attending Northern Michigan University. He is also certified as a personal trainer, specializing in strength and conditioning. In 1999 Jason moved to New York to pursue an acting career but shortly returned to carpentry and general contracting to make ends meet and utilize his skills. He has also worked as a fitness model and spokesman for Men’s Health magazine and has appeared on the pages of Maxim, GQ and Muscle Media.

Carpenter

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Michele Beschen

Artisan

B. Original

decorating, entertaining, holiday, jewelry, sculpting, clay/pottery/ceramics, painting, paper arts, stamping

Michele Beschen, a high-spirited how-to hipster from the Midwest, took a dream and a passion for all things creative and created a television series that’s fresh, playful and unpredictable … all from the comfort of her own home.

Beschen began her professional life at the Fox affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa, where she learned everything there is to know about the television business. After 10 years, she felt it was time to leave the nest and put that knowledge to the test. In February 2003 her experience and enthusiasm for the business led to the launch of her first TV series, Michele Beschen’s Courage to Create. A year later, she formed 2 Chics and a Camera Productions. Along with her fellow creative head, Elisabeth Ballstadt, Beschen’s been rockin’ and rollin’ with her one-size-fits-all creative entertainment ever since.

She has made it her mission to inspire others to “b creative.” She builds, she sews, she designs – and her stylish take on all things domestic gives the word creative a whole new meaning. With a taste for the eclectic and a passion for the unconventional, Beschen likes to stir things up and put her own creative twist using materials such as hardware washers, fishing supplies, longneck bottles, PVC pipes, wood, paper, plants … whatever it is, Beschen can find a way to make it beautiful.

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Cathie Filian

Creative Juice

Crafter, Designer

Expertisescrapbooking, stamping, paper arts, painting, clay/pottery/ceramics, decorating, entertaining, holiday, beading, jewelry, needlepoint, sewing, embroidery, cross-stitch, rug hooking, wearables/accessories, photo/treatments, candles/soap making

Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza met on a film set and in 2001 opened a store in Hollywood across the street from Paramount Studios. Seven Ten was the name, as well as the address, of the eclectic boutique/art gallery that showcased new artists and crafters as well as their own handmade items. They taught crafts to hip Hollywood types who would come by and hang out with them as they made unique projects in the back room of their colorful and lively store. Today, armed with the rewarding experience of teaching enthusiastic craft junkies a few new tricks, they’ve turned their attention to inspiring DIY Network viewers with Creative Juice.

Filian grew up in the Midwest and has been thinking and acting creatively since she can remember. As a youngster she spent most of her time designing elaborate homes for Barbie dolls, sewing her own clothes and baking perfect cookies. It was no surprise to her family when she received the Outstanding Senior Design Award from Ohio State University.

For eight years, she worked in the film business creating costumes for Vanilla Sky, Rushmore, Heartbreakers, Twister and Bottle Rocket.

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Steve Piacenza

Creative Juice

Crafter, Designer

scrapbooking, stamping, paper arts, painting, clay/pottery/ceramics, decorating, entertaining, holiday, beading, jewelry, needlepoint, wearables/accessories, photo/treatments, candles/soap making, tile making and woodworking

Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza met on a film set and in 2001 opened a store in Hollywood across the street from Paramount Studios. Seven Ten was the name, as well as the address, of the eclectic boutique/art gallery that showcased new artists and crafters as well as their own handmade items. They taught crafts to hip Hollywood types who would come by and hang out with them as they made unique projects in the back room of their colorful and lively store. Today, armed with the rewarding experience of teaching enthusiastic craft junkies a few new tricks, they’ve turned their attention to inspiring DIY Network viewers with Creative Juice.

It was a suburb just outside of Chicago where Piacenza and his imagination grew up designing forts out of scrap wood and building time machines from coffee cans. He went from drawing pictures of his favorite horror stars to hand painting cells for his animated films. This love affair with film stretched throughout his years at Columbia College, where he made eight short films on his own before graduating with degrees in film communications and art.

He worked in the film business for more than 10 years, working in props and designing movie and TV sets. Piacenza’s keen eye and can-do attitude caught the attention of several celebrities who contracted him to paint their lavish homes.

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Vickie Howell

Knitty Gritty, Stylelicious

Knitter, Designer, Fiber Artist

knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch, rug-hooking, embroidery, sewing, needlepoint, wearables/accessories, jewelry, stamping, paper arts, decorating, entertaining, holiday

A self-proclaimed “crafty gRRRL,” Vickie Howell has been involved in the creative arts for as long as she can remember. Her mother taught her to knit when she was 8 years old, and years later Howell became obsessed with this branch of the fiber arts. Now she rarely puts her needles down.

This busy mother of two boys has managed to find time to serve as owner, designer, Web mistress and CEO of three crafts-based businesses: Mamarama, which offers cool handmade garb for hip moms and their kids; Ruby Goes Retro (RgR), a purveyor of authentic embellished and vintage-inspired clothing and accessories; and her personal website, which serves as home base for her many creative pursuits.

Together with eight other crafty entrepreneurs, she is a co-founder of the Austin Craft Mafia, whose sole purpose is to promote and support independent female-run craft-based businesses. In an effort to do her part to mobilize the feminist-based knitting movement, she has founded successful chapters of the irreverent but socially conscious knitting group Stitch ’n Bitch in both Los Angeles and Austin. She’s on a personal quest to help break the negative social stigma attached to knitting and to bring more recognition to the craft’s hip, creative and edgy sides.

She has been featured in a variety of print and online sources including Celebrity Scarves 2: Hollywood Knits for Breast Cancer Research, a collection of pink scarves knit by famous people to salute the fight against breast cancer. She is author of New Knits on the Block: A Guide to Knitting What Your Kids Really Want (Sterling Publications, 2005), Not Another Teen Knitting Book (Sterling Publications, 2006) and Knitty Gritty Knits: 25 Fun & Fabulous Projects, her first book based on DIY Network’s series Knitty Gritty (Lark Books, January 2007).

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Allison Whitlock

Uncommon Threads

Fiber and Needle Artist, Designer

crochet, sewing, needlepoint, cross-stitch, embroidery, knitting, wearables/accessories, photo/treatments, decorating, entertaining, holiday

Australian-born crafter, creator and design diva Allison Whitlock has been dabbling in all things needle since the ripe age of 4, when she became mesmerized by the click-clack of metallic knitting needles. Taught by her relatives, friends, neighbors, teachers and anyone who had a skill and five minutes to share it, she has since become a deft hand at several of the fiber arts including crochet, embroidery, cross-stitch, quilting and sewing.

A passion for contemporary design and a love of popular culture led Whitlock down a career path in design and television. It was that path that took her from Sydney to New York, where she has worked as a writer, stylist and producer for such cable programs as Sheila Bridges’ Designer Living, A Swell Holiday and the modern design must-see DWELL. In Australia, her credits include the edgy and irreverent By Design and the award-winning contemporary living series HOME, which she has appeared both in front of and behind the camera.

The self-confessed, design-obsessed DIYer took a diversion from needlecrafts in her twenties, putting down needles in favor of more powerful tools when she renovated two Sydney homes, the second watched by a few million Australian television viewers on The LifeStyle Channel. She then began to focus on interiors, taking on small design consultations in her spare time.

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Jennifer Perkins

Craft Lab, Stylelicious

Jewelry and Accessories Designer

jewelry, wearables/accessories, scrapbooking, stamping, clay/pottery/ceramics, entertaining, holiday, photo/treatments, candle and soap making, stained glass

Jennifer Perkins can see decorative possibilities in almost anything. If it can be drilled, painted, glued or bent, she will make it into a piece of jewelry. She got her start selling earrings made from fishing lures at family garage sales in her home town of McKinney, Texas. Today she still scours aisles for treasures to add to her line of one of-a-kind, revamped vintage pieces for her successful online shopping site, Naughty Secretary Club.

She graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in philosophy. With this lofty degree in hand, Perkins set out to conquer the business world, landing a job as a secretary. With few challenges to pursue and lot of time on her hands, she decided to return to her childhood passion of jewelry making. Perkins combines her favorite things of music, pop culture and vintage goodies in her sassy jewelry and accessories, which are sold at stores throughout the United States and Canada as well as online.

In addition to making her own business a success, she set out to help other young businesswomen of Austin become successes too. She has helped form Babes in Business, a support group for women who own a business or desire to start one. Perkins is a founding member of the Austin Craft Mafia and has been featured in magazines and newspapers such as Lucky, The Wall Street Journal, Teen Vogue, Elle Girl, Vitals, Cosmo Girl, Alternative Press, Tiger Beat and more.

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Shannon Kaye

Fresh Coat

Interior Designer, Artist

decorative and faux painting, decorating, interior and industrial design

While she makes her living as an artist and interior designer for affluent homeowners in the San Francisco Bay Area, Shannon Kaye draws inspiration from her humble beginnings. She is third of seven children born to a mom who enjoyed the challenge of solving decorative problems with fun and thrifty ideas.

She began her career studying interior design and industrial design at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. While working at a furniture boutique to make ends meet, she met Page Kelleher, a well-known decorative painter in the area. A year-long apprenticeship followed during which Kaye honed her artistic skills and gained the experience needed to start her own business. She has painted for Pottery Barn Kids catalog and an episode of Designer Finals on HGTV. Her work was featured in the 2005 San Francisco Decorator Showcase House and has appeared in such publications as California Home & Design, Home Companion and Gentry Magazine.

Although Kaye’s finishes are based on traditional decorative painting techniques, her style has evolved far beyond what is now popularly called “faux” painting. She uses textures, layers and patterns to create rich, deep surfaces that complement her personalized design schemes.

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Cat Wei

Material Girls

Architect, Interior Designer

decorating, interior and environmental design, architecture

Co-host and designer of DIY Network’s Material Girls, Cat Wei is one of 10 “hot” up-and-coming designers to watch, as featured in Interview magazine.

A native New Yorker, Wei returned to the Big Apple after earning her bachelor’s degree in environmental design at the University of Colorado at Boulder. As a graduate student at Columbia University, she gained valuable experience at such high-profile firms as Agrest and Gandelsonas and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

With her master’s degree in architecture, Wei ventured off to a more intimate setting with a design-build firm and later as a designer with Fada Design. There, she joined fellow Columbia classmates to develop and conceptualize design packages concentrating on commercial lifestyle spaces such as hotels, bars and restaurants. Wei further pursued her interest and developed an eye for interior design at UT (a.k.a. Richardson Sadeki), the design firm best known for the Bliss and Skinklinic spas. During this time she learned about the perfect facial while collaborating on many projects, including a new design concept for the art deco Sagamore Hotel in Miami. Simultaneously, she taught architecture studio to freshman at the New York Institute of Technology.

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Steve Magnante

Classic Car Restoration

Automotive Specialist

auto repair, vehicle restoration, vehicle maintenance, vehicle assemblies, engine rebuilding, transmission rebuilding, rear and front overhauls (suspension), body and paint work, cooling systems, fuel systems, brakes, detailing, tires, parts and accessories, car customization, aftermarket additions, hot rods sport compacts, work trucks, fun trucks, off-road vehicles, hot rods, muscle cars, auto trivia and history

Steve Magnante became obsessed with cars at the age of 5 when his mom gave him his first Hot Wheels car. From there it was plastic model kits and then a never-ending succession of full-size cars, some running, some not (yet). With his bachelor’s degree from Clark University and 20 years of hands-on experience, Magnante sees cars as a mixture of engineering, art, fun and trouble. Since his move to Southern California, he has been a frequent contributor to numerous car magazines including Mopar Action, Popular Mechanics, Chrysler Power, Super Chevy and Hot Rod.

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Craig Reynolds

Classic Rides, DIY Inside: The LA Auto Show

Automotive and Motorcycle Specialist

motorcycle repair and maintenance, vehicle maintenance, tires, car customization, aftermarket additions, sport compacts, motorcycle restoration (1948 Indian Chief)

Craig Reynolds is a natural as host of DIY Network’s Classic Rides. Before he could even read, he mastered the building of models simply by looking at the pieces. As he got older, Reynolds moved to the garage to pursue real-life assemblies and restorations, including working with his father on his BSA motorcycle. During that time, he mastered how to change the oil and he learned all about gapping spark plugs! A majority of his automotive experience he gained while working on a 1977 VW Scirocco, focusing on the suspension, intake and exhaust systems.

Reynolds raced BMX bikes for 23 years, retiring in 2004. In 1992 he joined the professional ranks and began reporting on BMX races for ESPN. He is also an analyst for ESPN’s X Games, covering Downhill BMX; commentator for NASCAR’s RaceDay and Live!; and host of NASCAR Nation, which revealed the lives of NASCAR’s personalities away from the track.

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Chris Matthews

Classic Rides

Antique Automobile and Motorcycle Restorer

automobile and motorcycle assemblies, restoration, repairs and maintenance, engine and transmission rebuilding, rear and front overhauls (suspension), body and paint work, cooling systems, fuel systems, brakes, detailing, parts and accessories, car customization, aftermarket additions, work and fun trucks, off-road vehicles, hot rods, auto trivia, history

Chris Matthews was born for his role as host of DIY Network’s Classic Rides. Growing up around his father’s engine-repair shop, he was drawn to antique automobiles and motorcycles. At an early age, he began showing off his talent and love for engine work.

He built his first bike, an antique mini, when he was only 9. Five years later, he refurbished his first car, a classic Studebaker. At age 20, Matthews started his antique motorcycle collection with the purchase and complete restoration of his first antique American motorcycle, a 1948 Indian Chief.

Matthews owns and manages an antique restoration shop, Christopher Matthews Classic Autos, which has restored dozens of 1959 Cadillacs. Much of his work has appeared in commercials and films. Since 1994, he has been a member of the Motorcycle Club of America.

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Andrew Totolos

Tricked Out, Resto Rides

Custom Car Specialist

sport compacts and 1966 El Camino (cooling and fuel systems, brakes), aftermarket additions, car customization, detailing, body and paint work (body kits and accessories), restomods

Andrew Totolos, a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, is a native New Yorker who was born with the bug to customize cars. Even as a child, he spent countless hours perfecting model hot-rods. As he matured, his passion for custom cars grew, and today Totolos splits his time between traveling the country as a professional musician (he knows how to repair the band van!) and staying hip to the latest trends in automotive culture.

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Amy Devers

DIY to the Rescue, Blog Cabin, Freeform Furniture, DIY Inside: The Builders’ Show

Carpenter, Furniture Designer, Metal, Plastic and Upholstery Fabricator

carpentry and furniture-making, upholstery fabrication, fine arts and design

Amy Devers is a finish carpenter and a metal, plastic and upholstery fabricator. She has undertaken several commercial design projects, including work for the Pasadena Museum of California Art bookstore. Her original furniture has been exhibited in museums and galleries from Boston to Milan. When Devers lived in San Diego during college, she was a hard-working woman in a man’s world, making a living as a machine-shop foreman at a design and manufacturing firm. Her responsibilities included prototyping and fabricating environmental designs, streamlining production operations and monitoring product quality.

Devers’s how-to instruction and enthusiasm on DIY to the Rescue and Freeform Furniture are contagious to homeowners and viewers alike. Surprisingly, she did not grow up in the field but decided she wanted to design furniture and learn the ins and outs of construction after graduating from college. While searching for affordable furniture for her first apartment, she realized she would need to create it herself. In fact, the first time she ever picked up a hammer was during her college years.

Devers has an AAS degree in fashion buying and merchandising from SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology, a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in furniture design from San Diego State University and an M.F.A. in furniture design from the Rhode Island School of Design. This former machine-shop foreman also is a fine artist and designer and has exhibited internationally in galleries and museums. She resides in Los Angeles with her rock-musician husband.

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David Marks

Wood Works

Award-Winning Woodworker, Furniture Designer, Restorer and Craftsman

fine woodworking, restoration, painting, metallic leaf and chemical patinas, lacquering techniques, bentwood lamination, resawing and steam bending, veneers, marquetry and inlays, woodturning, cabinetmaker, mortise-and-tenon joinery, finishing

Quintessential designer and craftsman David Marks of Santa Rosa, Calif., is a master of woodworking techniques. A leader in the craft community, he is president and on the board of directors of the California Contemporary Craft Association. He teaches workshops in CCCA’s apprenticeship program and his studio in New York City.

He began working with wood as a student, creating small items from driftwood found along the beach and selling them in shops and at street fairs. He then worked as a cabinet maker and furniture restorer, studying firsthand how fine pieces had been constructed and finished. In 1981 he opened his own shop. Upon attending a Baulines Craft Guild workshop, his career took a new direction, and he began drawing on his early exposure to New York City’s art museums to develop his highly personal style: a contemporary fusion of African, Asian and Egyptian; art deco and art nouveau; and arts and crafts influences.

Marks developed an interest in gilding and patina finishes, building a 26-foot-long bar with two inlaid ovals for a Sonoma County winery and creating a sculpture of quilted mahogany, wenge and ebony with gold leaf and patina on silver leaf for the Wine County Film Festival’s 1995 honoree, actor Anthony Quinn.

Marks has received numerous accolades, among them the NICHE Awards (Mixed and Misc. Media & Garden Art/Sculpture, 2001); a featured segment on HGTV’s Modern Masters (2000); and the California Discovery Gold Award (1994), to name a few. His love for woodworking and dedication to its advancement make him a popular instructor. He writes for Scripps Howard News Service, Fine Woodworking Magazine, Furniture Matters, Wood Work Magazine and Woodworker Magazine – and many other publications.

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David Thiel

DIY Tools & Techniques

Custom Woodworker, Furniture Designer

custom woodworking/furniture, tools and techniques

Tools have always been the mainstay in David Thiel’s life. At age 14, he began his career pushing a broom in his father’s custom woodworking shop. Thiel advanced his skills to the point of building custom furniture for homes and businesses during high school and college, where he received a degree in English literature and journalism. After working in public relations for a number of nonprofit health agencies, he returned to his roots and opened up a woodworking company in his home state of Ohio.

Within a few years of building custom pieces for his customers, Thiel combined his college education with his passion for woodworking by responding to an ad for an editor’s position at Popular Woodworking magazine. Now a senior editor, Thiel has been with the publication for more than a decade. One of his favorite aspects of the job is to review tools, which gives him a chance to test the best and latest tools on the market as well as compare an entire class of tools at one time.

Thiel released his first book, David Thiel’s Power Tool Maintenance, offered by F+W Publications under the Popular Woodworking imprint in April 2006. He is also a contributor to many Popular Woodworking compilation books: Authentic Arts & Crafts Furniture Projects, Popular Woodworking Complete Book of Tips, Tricks & Techniques, The World’s Best Storage & Shelving Projects and 25 Essential Projects for Your Workshop.

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