Alexi Panos is a Greek-American television presenter, actress, model, author, producer and philanthropist well known for her appearances as a host of HGTV's "Run My Makeover" and co-host of SportsNet New York's sports trivia show Beer Money!.[1]
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Panos was born in Erie, Pennsylvania to parents Greg and Riana and quickly became a part of the entertainment industry at a young age. Her mother, Riana, who was a model and talent agent, helped her book ads early on for Disney, OshKosh and TJ Maxx and enrolled her in acting and on camera classes.
Throughout schooling, she had an affinity for both academics and athletics. She participated in soccer, basketball, track, volleyball, ski club and dance. In school, she was part of TAG (Talented and Gifted program), SWEP (School Wide Enrichment Program) and was a straight A, all honors, student. At 15, Panos moved to Ventnor, NJ with her mother to pursue a singing career when producer Rodney Jerkins, of Darkchild Records, discovered her during an audition Panos is said to have entered on a dare. While in Ventnor, she enrolled at Atlantic City High School, where she graduated a year early. Her time in NJ was spent mostly in studios or modeling out of the Philadelphia market with Reinhard Agency.[2]
Panos has a modeling career with clients such as Kenneth Cole, American Eagle, Levi's, Yeohlee, Burlington Coat Factory, Health Magazine, QVC, Nautica Swim, Miracle Suit, Runner's World Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Oral B, Tide, Modell's Sporting Goods, Ecko, JCPennies, and Grey Goose. She also co-wrote a book with her mother called Watch Me in 2006.
She has been a part of numerous television productions as a presenter, but is best known for her work as host of HGTV's "Run My Makeover", an interactive home design show, and as co-host in SNY's Beer Money!, a sports trivia show, alongside Chris Carlin.
Panos will host HGTV’s “Run My Makeover,” a new interactive series from HGTV, set to debut on the Scripps Networks-owned cable channel in July 2011, which allows viewers to examine photos and videos of a homeowner’s room and select elements including as lighting, flooring, and paint colors—essentially making the viewer the designer. Host Alexi Panos, her design team, and the homeowner will incorporate the winning selections into the space, regardless of the outcome, with the homeowner not knowing the results until the episode is being taped.
She produced the web travel series Ultimate Quest, a series of short online video travel guides, and is currently producing several other series for both web and TV.[1]
Panos co founded the non-profit E.P.I.C. (Everyday People Initiating Change), with friend Tennille Amor, after her music tour with Ja Rule landed her in Africa. It was there she noticed a severe gap in the way people lived and decided to do something about it. E.P.I.C. first project was the Ripple Project, which provides clean, sustainable bore-hole water wells in rural areas throughout Tanzania. The Ripple Project has drilled 6 wells to date, and E.P.I.C. prides itself on its grassroots, slow and steady approach to sustainable development. Both Panos and her partner Tennille stay in Africa each year for about a month to follow up in the villages they drill in with a full hygiene and sanitation program, and stay locally with the people to ensure community cooperation with each project.[3]
In the summer of 2010, E.P.I.C. rolled out it's Pedals to the People program, where the charity provides bicycles to villages that are far removed from main town centers.
Panos and Tennille are both Quiksilver Women's Ambassadors through their work with E.P.I.C., and the charity receives 3% of profits from QSW's Eco-Friendly Line of Tee's. In 2010, JetBlue rolled out it's BE TRUE campaign, featuring Panos and her work with E.P.I.C. Early in 2010, she was asked to speak at the TEDxCalgary event. TEDx was created in the spirit of TED's mission, "ideas worth spreading." The program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.
E.P.I.C. donates 100% of all donations to their projects.[4]