Adrienne Janic – From Model to Television Co-Host

Ford model and co-host of TLC’s Overhaulin’, Adrienne, AKA AJ, is climbing the road to success one car at a time. Adrienne was hired for a one-time episode on Overhaulin’ and won the producers’ hearts immediately. They asked her to shoot five more episodes then promptly contracted her as a permanent fixture on the popular television show.

“I played the part of a shop owner’s wife. I had on a mini-skirt, stiletto heels, and big hair, just really gaudy. It was what I thought an auto shop owner’s wife would be. The guy came to get his truck, and he thought it was getting done for free. Well, little did he know that I was going to charge him $1,500.00. So, I really got under his skin, and he was so upset with me. He called me every nasty name in the book (which was cut out of the show), and the director loved what I did and asked me to come back for another episode. That one episode led to more episodes on Overhaulin’, and the next thing I knew, the network called me and asked me to be the Co-Host.”

Before joining Overhaulin’ on TLC as a Co-Host, Adrienne hosted several shows on E! Entertainment. She hosted the pilot Music Café, and worked as a spokesperson for Coca-Cola’s Fanta Soda. Adrienne was born and raised in Whittier, California. Her mother was from Mexico, and her father was from Yugoslavia. Adrienne always knew she was an entertainer, and as early as six years old, she acted and danced on stage.  She continued acting and dancing all through junior and senior high school.  Adrienne attended Rio Hondo Community College and even wrote for a local newspaper for a short while.

At a supermarket one day, Adrienne was approached by a scout who asked her if she wanted to enter a modeling competition. At first she thought it was a scam, but the scout assured her it wasn’t and that it wouldn’t cost her anything. She thought about it and brought her dad along to the competition. Adrienne came in second place and won $200.00.

“For a 17-year-old, $200.00 was a big deal. So I did more local contests around the Whittier area. I would win anywhere from first to third place, and put cash in my pocket. One day, a photographer said I should go to Los Angeles to visit the different modeling agencies, and do this professionally. It took me a while, because Whittier seemed so far away from Hollywood to me, even though it was only twenty minutes away."

Adrienne eventually gathered up the courage and went to five modeling agencies. The first one turned her down, telling her she was really pretty but too commercial. The other four wanted to sign her, but she ended up going with Ford. Adrienne had no idea that they were the largest modeling agency in the world.

“When I went to their open call, my hair was down to my waist, and I came in wearing so much makeup, big hoop earrings, red lipstick, too much mascara, blue eyeliner. I thought I was supposed to look like the cover of Cosmo. They actually told me to come back the next day and take off the earrings, get rid of the red lipstick, and remove the makeup. I thought, oh wow! I can’t go there without makeup. But once I came bare-faced, they offered me a contract.”

Adrienne has been with Ford Models for 10 years now. She started off doing Seventeen Magazine, Fitness Magazine, and was featured in so many more popular fashion magazines.

“As I’ve grown more comfortable in my skin, the more modeling jobs I’ve booked. I’ve learned with modeling it’s not so much physically—it’s how you feel about yourself, your confidence, and your personality. And as a result, I’ve been booking a lot more. But now with the show Overhaulin’, it’s been tough, but Ford has been really supportive.”

I asked Adrienne where she saw herself in five years. She would love to be doing films, and has already had some small supporting roles.

“Film is a whole other game. The pace is a lot slower, which it’s hard for me to get used to because I’ve done so much television. You shoot an episode in a week, or a couple of days, and I’m done. But in a movie, you’ll shoot just one scene in a day. On television, I can shoot my whole part in a day. It’s different, but I do love the big screen. So I hope to be there one day.”

Highest High

“Getting a contract with Coca-Cola and being a Fanta girl—that was so much fun. I was with them for four years. And Coca-Cola has probably been one of the best companies I’ve worked for. They are the nicest people and very down to earth. It was one of my biggest contracts with the commercials in the movie theaters and billboards. Everybody has seen it on television. I loved doing the personal appearances, traveling across the United States promoting Fanta, and also being with coca-cola from the very beginning, at the time, years ago before they decided to re-launch Fanta. I was there from the very beginning. I have been able to see the product grow and get into the market.”

Lowest Low

“I couldn’t get an audition for a few months. It was tough. This industry is feast or famine, and I couldn’t even get my foot in the door to even get an audition. I had to sit down and reevaluate things. Was this really how I wanted to live the rest of my life? When I worked, it was great, but when I didn’t work, it was horrible! I had to dip into my savings. It was really hard. I think the industry was just really slow at the time. I even called the model, acting and commercial agents. They all said that it wasn’t me. There was just nothing going on at the time. I even tried different things like getting highlights in my hair, taking new headshots, anything in the book that I could afford to do at the time. This was during the commercial SAG strike. I couldn’t even go out on any auditions. I cried a lot during that period of my life.”

I asked Adrienne if there was a love interest in her life, and she confessed that there was a special guy. She dated enough actors and models to know that she didn’t want to be with them. The more she got involved in those past relationships, the more they turned into a competition. One guy she dated had the nerve to ask her why she had more auditions and bookings than he did.

“A lot of insecurities came out with them. I just didn’t need that. I’m secure with myself in a relationship, and I don’t want to be with someone who’s like that. But at the same time, when I dated a guy that was not in the industry, they didn’t understand the schedule, or the fact that I had to do a kissing scene when it’s just work and doesn’t mean anything. That was tough, too. So I wondered where could I find that balance with someone who understands my schedule and is behind me 100 percent? So the guy I’m seeing is in production. He’s very supportive. He has to travel and be on set for hours at a time. With him, I think I finally found the right balance.”

Adrienne’s father has been her biggest fan since the day she decided she wanted to enter this crazy business that we call show business. He told her that whatever she wanted to do, whether it was basket weaving, or an oil painting in the mountains—he was behind her 100 percent. Adrienne’s mother was a little tougher. Being that she was from Mexico, she was big on education. Her mother had come to this country to better herself, and she had become a nurse.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to travel the world. It’s such a big world out there, and I didn’t want to stay in Whittier in school. So right out of high school, when I got the opportunity to model and travel the world, my dad gave me a little bit of money and told me to have fun. So my dad has been my biggest fan.”

And Adrienne is doing just that, and having fun right now. She is really grateful for her job at TLC.

“After ten years into this business, I’m so glad I didn’t give up. There were many times I wanted to throw in the towel. But to see the famous people that stuck with it succeed, that’s what kept me going. I probably have more rejections than I have had jobs, but you grow from that. You learn to have thick skin; and when something does happen, you’re grateful for it, because nothing is forever. So I’m going to try to ride this wave for as long as I can. I am going to enjoy every minute of it!”

Watch the video.

Interviewed and Written by Kaylene Peoples

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