Our neighborhood makes for a good base from which to launch a TV career if that’s your desire. Casting calls are no problem – most are within a 5 mile radius and there are opportunities to network and get your foot in the door.
For Vanessa Ambatielos Thanos, life-long Hancock Park resident, acting was not part of her plan. But Vanessa is slated to appear on the ABC/Ty Pennington TV Show tonight – The Great Big American Auction as the auctioneer. And that’s a good fit for her because she is a professional auctioneer!
As a little girl, Ambatielos Thanos would help her family run their Christmas tree lot downtown by the train tracks. Their family had an auctioneer who auctioned off trees and Vanessa would watch him day-in, day-out and became fascinated with auctioning! She eventually picked it up from him and started auctioning trees. An article appeared in the LA Times back in 1997 that features the story:
LA Times – Young Auctioneer is Getting Ready to Branch Out, 12/19/97
Vanessa, a Marlborough School graduate, eventually went to auctioneer school in Missouri to fine tune her skills and now has a company called “That Auction Girl” which she runs on the side of her normal everyday job. She has done everything from the MS Auction to the Project Angel Food fundraiser called Divine Design. An ABC talent scout found her for Ty’s show and they shot a pilot back in April. The Great Big American Auction is premiering tonight on ABC at 10 PM. Tune in and catch Vanessa in action!