Genevieve Chappell
Encyclopedia
Genevieve Chappell is an American television personality and owner of GCS Productions.
, to Bob and Lesley Chappell, the eldest of five children. Chappell's father moved the family around the Southern California area quite a bit - San Clemente
, Yorba Linda
, Yucaipa
, Riverside
, and Whittier
(which would end up playing a major role in her automotive passion due to car clubs and customizers who lived in her neighborhood), but she did not spend her entire childhood there. Due to a family issue, Chappell, at the young age of 16, moved her mother and siblings from Whittier to Long Beach, California
. She got a job working as a waitress at the Habor House Cafe in Sunset Beach, California
, working the graveyard shift from 10pm-7am so she could take care of her four younger siblings during the day. Chappell stated: "It was a sink or swim situation. I decided to swim (and hull the family with me) it was one of the most difficult times in my life, I was in survival mode 24/7." She then moved the family to Seal Beach
and continued to support her family physically, emotionally and financially. When Chappell's siblings were all over the age of 14 she moved to Huntington Beach
where she has lived ever since.
and asked to be the official St. Pauli Girl for Oktoberfest
in Huntington Beach. There at the event she caught the eyes of other marketing representatives and began working as an official spokesmodel
and poster girl for Budweiser USA. She also represented many automotive and motorsports companies as a narrator/spokesmodel at numerous trade shows and conventions around the United States and Canada. This led to bookings as a live emcee, narrator, and presenter with a variety of companies including Sony, Microsoft, SEMI Conductors, Quibca USA, IBM, and Hilton Hotels.
, Velocity Magazine
, OC Family, Where OC and more.
. The producers liked Chappell's outgoing personality and knowledge of sports. Two months later, with no prior television hosting experience, the producers hired her on to host a syndicated sports show for San Diego Channel 4. She covered a wide range of sports, interviewing big time sports celebrities such as Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant
and Coach Phil Jackson
, Olympic Stars; Christy Yamaguchi and Tara Lipinski
, MLB's Tony Gwynn
, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk
, several wrestlers of the WWE and motorcross stars from X-Games and Vans Triple Crown Motocross, along with athletes from the NHL, NBA, NFL and more.
In May 2006, Genevieve became the first female host of Mothers Polish Car Show Series on ESPN
. That same season she also hosted ESPN’s In the Drivers Seat where she worked alongside the father of drag racing “Big Daddy
” Don Garlits
. In 2007 Chappell hosted ESPN’s Mothers Polish Car Show Competition alongside co-hosts Griff Allen
and David "Doc" Riley. The group traveled around the country covering custom car shows for the series. Because of her knowledge and passion for custom, classic and vintage cars, another call came in from ESPN executives which offered Chappell a position as a co-host, alongside Griff Allen on Bidding Wars, part of ESPN's Garage Block. In its first season, the program ran during the second quarter of 2007. The second season ran in the second quarter of 2008. In 2007, it was said to be ESPN2's highest rated program in its Saturday morning / Wednesday or Thursday afternoon motorsports block with a high rating of 4.1 - outperforming NASCAR Today. The program was voiced over by David "Doc" Riley, was hosted by Bill Stephens. The entire first and second seasons of programming were shot over the course of four days of the Labor Day weekend at the Kruse International Classic Car Auction and Show in Auburn, Indiana. For the 2008 broadcast season, Genevieve Chappell and Allen returned as co-hosts while Stephen Cox replaced Bill Stephens as the host.
In March 2008, Dean Kruse
, the owner of Kruse International
Auction house, and Vice President Fred Gittin offered Chappell to be the first woman ever to announce a Kruse classic car auction. She accepted and announced at the first annual Alabama Kruse auction later in March 2008. Next came an offer to be the host ESPN's Russo & Steele Classic Car Auction. Her co-hosts were Bill Stephens and Sports Car Market
's Keith Martin. The program was shot in Scottsdale, Arizona
, during the annual Auction Month in January 2008 and aired on ESPN from March 2008 till December 2008. The shows, which reached 91 million households, instantly made her the face of ESPN's automotive programming. Chappell states it was the ESPN executives and car customizers that gave her the nickname "The Queen Of Cars".
Genevieve was also the pit reporter for the 2008 resurrection of the Mint 400
, and used in the 2009 version of the event as well. In 2009, she was hired as a pit reporter for the Lucas Oil
Off Road Series which will air on Speed Channel, Versus
, and Outdoor Channel.
Her other automotive credits include numerous shows on Speed Channel as a pit reporter for Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour, Versus for Lucas Oil On The Edge, Treasure HD's Bonham's and Butterfeilds Live Auction series, World Of Trucks by the Outdoor Channel, ION Networks Lokar car Show Series and an online series for Velocity Magazine (Velocitymag.com/tv) called Velocity TV - which she created, produced and hosted. Chappell has hosted more automotive and motorsports programming on television than any other female.
Through her television programming duties, Genevieve has worked with automotive legends Don Garlits, Rad Rides by Troy designer Troy Trepanier, Chip Foose
, Tom McEween, John Force
, The Force Family and Race Team, Mario Andretti
, Tanner Foust, as well as co-hosts Bill Stephens, Stephen Cox, and Sports Car Market's Keith Martin. Genevieve's career has also garnered much press and attention, as she has been featured in Hot Rod, Hot Rod Deluxe, and Velocity Magazine in 2008. She also served as the Grand Marshall of the Great Pottsville Cruise, alongside Dennis Gage, host of SPEED Channels My Classic Car. She has also been featured in numerous non-automotive press throughout her television career.
player Mark Stitt, and the two were engaged three months later. Chappell and Stitt were married on August 31, 1997. They have a daughter, Kaleila, born in 1998.
Early life
Genevieve Gael Chappell was born in Anaheim, CaliforniaAnaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, to Bob and Lesley Chappell, the eldest of five children. Chappell's father moved the family around the Southern California area quite a bit - San Clemente
San Clemente, California
San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 63,522 at the 2010 census. Located on the California Coast, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego at the southern tip of the county, it is known for its ocean, hill, and mountain views, a pleasant climate and its Spanish...
, Yorba Linda
Yorba Linda, California
Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, approximately northeast of Downtown Santa Ana, and southeast of Downtown Los Angeles....
, Yucaipa
Yucaipa, California
Yucaipa is a city located east of San Bernardino, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 51,367 at the 2010 census, up from 41,207 at the 2000 census...
, Riverside
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
, and Whittier
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
(which would end up playing a major role in her automotive passion due to car clubs and customizers who lived in her neighborhood), but she did not spend her entire childhood there. Due to a family issue, Chappell, at the young age of 16, moved her mother and siblings from Whittier to Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. She got a job working as a waitress at the Habor House Cafe in Sunset Beach, California
Sunset Beach, California
Sunset Beach is a beachfront community in Huntington Beach in Orange County, California. In 2011, it was annexed by Huntington Beach and is now part of that city. Prior to, it was a census-designated place, with a population of 971 at the 2010 census....
, working the graveyard shift from 10pm-7am so she could take care of her four younger siblings during the day. Chappell stated: "It was a sink or swim situation. I decided to swim (and hull the family with me) it was one of the most difficult times in my life, I was in survival mode 24/7." She then moved the family to Seal Beach
Seal Beach, California
-Neighborhoods:Seal Beach encompasses the Leisure World retirement gated community with roughly 9,000 residents. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S...
and continued to support her family physically, emotionally and financially. When Chappell's siblings were all over the age of 14 she moved to Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
where she has lived ever since.
Spokesmodeling
When Chappell was 21 years of age she was approached by a representative for the St. Pauli Girl BrewerySt. Pauli Girl
St. Pauli Girl beers are brewed and bottled by the St. Pauli Brauerei, which is located within the Beck's brewery in Bremen, Germany.The brand derives its name from the fact that the original brewery, established 1857 by Lüder Rutenberg, was located next to the former St Paul's Monastery in...
and asked to be the official St. Pauli Girl for Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest celebrations
The Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September and early October. It is attended by six million people each year and has inspired numerous similar events using the name Oktoberfest in Germany and around the world, many of which were founded by German...
in Huntington Beach. There at the event she caught the eyes of other marketing representatives and began working as an official spokesmodel
Promotional model
A promotional model is a person hired to drive consumer demand for a product, service, brand, or concept by directly interacting with potential consumers. A promotional model can be female or male, and typically is intended to be attractive in physical appearance. They serve to provide information...
and poster girl for Budweiser USA. She also represented many automotive and motorsports companies as a narrator/spokesmodel at numerous trade shows and conventions around the United States and Canada. This led to bookings as a live emcee, narrator, and presenter with a variety of companies including Sony, Microsoft, SEMI Conductors, Quibca USA, IBM, and Hilton Hotels.
Modeling
Genevieve gained recognition from the print work she was doing as a spokesmodel. An agent approached her and suggested she put a composite card together along with a portfolio and pursue modeling. She took that advice and has since worked as a model for companies such as Disney, Intex H2O Toys, Von Dutch, Mission Hockey, NAPA Auto Parts, EBC Brakes, NHRA, Scripto Lighters, True Hardware, K&N Airfilter, NOS, Garrett Turbocharger, MSD 6A Ignition, along with many publications: fitness catalogues, bridal magazines, Hot Rod MagazineHot Rod Magazine
Hot Rod is an American monthly magazine devoted to hot rodding, —modifying automobiles for performance and appearance.-History:Hot Rod is the oldest magazine devoted to hot rodding having been published since 1948. Robert E. Petersen founded the magazine and his Petersen Publishing Company...
, Velocity Magazine
Velocity Magazine
Velocity Magazine is a monthly youth culture magazine published in the Omaha, Nebraska metropolitan area. Debuting in November 2005, it became the first publication specifically for and about “Gen-Y” in the eastern Nebraska and western Iowa region. Its monthly content ranges from Education, Sports,...
, OC Family, Where OC and more.
Television
In the fall of 1999, Mission Hockey offered Chappell (their current female spokesmodel) a main role as a host in the company’s hockey commercial. WCEC Productions, the production company hired to produce the commercial, was based in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. The producers liked Chappell's outgoing personality and knowledge of sports. Two months later, with no prior television hosting experience, the producers hired her on to host a syndicated sports show for San Diego Channel 4. She covered a wide range of sports, interviewing big time sports celebrities such as Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
and Coach Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson is a retired American professional basketball coach and player. Jackson is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association . His reputation was established as head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 through 1998;...
, Olympic Stars; Christy Yamaguchi and Tara Lipinski
Tara Lipinski
Tara Kristen Lipinski is an American figure skater. At the age of 15, she won the Ladies' Singles Olympic gold medal in figure skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Lipinski remains the youngest individual gold medalist in the history of the Olympic Winter Games. She is also the 1997 World...
, MLB's Tony Gwynn
Tony Gwynn
Anthony Keith "Tony" Gwynn, Sr. , nicknamed Mr. Padre and Captain Video, is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is statistically one of the best and most consistent hitters in baseball history. He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the San Diego Padres...
, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
, several wrestlers of the WWE and motorcross stars from X-Games and Vans Triple Crown Motocross, along with athletes from the NHL, NBA, NFL and more.
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. That same season she also hosted ESPN’s In the Drivers Seat where she worked alongside the father of drag racing “Big Daddy
Big Daddy
- Politicians :* Idi Amin , President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979* Robert Byrd , American senator * Jesse Unruh , American Speaker of the California State Assembly- Sportsmen :...
” Don Garlits
Don Garlits
Donald Glenn "Don" Garlits is considered the father of drag racing. He is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. Always a pioneer in the field of drag-racing, he, with the help of T.C...
. In 2007 Chappell hosted ESPN’s Mothers Polish Car Show Competition alongside co-hosts Griff Allen
Griff Allen
The diverse career of Griff Allen includes being a motorsports broadcaster, engineer/inventor, actor/performer, on-site announcer/emcee, and communications/media skills trainer...
and David "Doc" Riley. The group traveled around the country covering custom car shows for the series. Because of her knowledge and passion for custom, classic and vintage cars, another call came in from ESPN executives which offered Chappell a position as a co-host, alongside Griff Allen on Bidding Wars, part of ESPN's Garage Block. In its first season, the program ran during the second quarter of 2007. The second season ran in the second quarter of 2008. In 2007, it was said to be ESPN2's highest rated program in its Saturday morning / Wednesday or Thursday afternoon motorsports block with a high rating of 4.1 - outperforming NASCAR Today. The program was voiced over by David "Doc" Riley, was hosted by Bill Stephens. The entire first and second seasons of programming were shot over the course of four days of the Labor Day weekend at the Kruse International Classic Car Auction and Show in Auburn, Indiana. For the 2008 broadcast season, Genevieve Chappell and Allen returned as co-hosts while Stephen Cox replaced Bill Stephens as the host.
Dean Kruse
Dean V. Kruse is an auctioneer and owner and CEO of Kruse International. Kruse started working in the local auction business founded by his father, Russell W. Kruse, and soon became the company's president...
, the owner of Kruse International
Kruse International
Kruse International is an auction firm founded by Russell Kruse in Auburn, Indiana in 1952. The company began as a local auction company selling real estate, farms and personal property run by Russell Kruse and his sons Dean, Dennis, and Daniel...
Auction house, and Vice President Fred Gittin offered Chappell to be the first woman ever to announce a Kruse classic car auction. She accepted and announced at the first annual Alabama Kruse auction later in March 2008. Next came an offer to be the host ESPN's Russo & Steele Classic Car Auction. Her co-hosts were Bill Stephens and Sports Car Market
Sports Car Market
Sports Car Market magazine covers the auctions of vehicles and other aspects of car collecting.The magazine started as the Alfa Romeo Market Letter in 1988 by Keith Martin. The newsletter expanded to become the Sports Car Market Letter in 1993....
's Keith Martin. The program was shot in Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
, during the annual Auction Month in January 2008 and aired on ESPN from March 2008 till December 2008. The shows, which reached 91 million households, instantly made her the face of ESPN's automotive programming. Chappell states it was the ESPN executives and car customizers that gave her the nickname "The Queen Of Cars".
Genevieve was also the pit reporter for the 2008 resurrection of the Mint 400
Mint 400
The Mint 400 is an annual desert off road race that was resumed in 2008 after a 20 year hiatus.The race was for both motorcycles, until 1977, and four-wheel vehicles sponsored by Del Webb's Mint Hotel and Casino. Del Webb, a well known builder and friend of Howard Hughes, was owner of the Mint...
, and used in the 2009 version of the event as well. In 2009, she was hired as a pit reporter for the Lucas Oil
Lucas Oil
Lucas Oil Products is a manufacturer and distributor of automotive oil, additives, and lubricants. It was founded by trucker Forrest Lucas and his wife Charlotte in 1989....
Off Road Series which will air on Speed Channel, Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
, and Outdoor Channel.
Chip Foose
Chip Foose is a hot rod shop owner, automotive designer and fabricator, and former star of the reality TV series Overhaulin on TLC.-Life and career:...
, Tom McEween, John Force
John Force
John Harold Force is an NHRA drag racer, a 15-time Funny Car champion driver, and a 17-time champion car owner. Force owns and drives for John Force Racing. He is one of the most dominant drag racers in the sport with 133 career victories...
, The Force Family and Race Team, Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
, Tanner Foust, as well as co-hosts Bill Stephens, Stephen Cox, and Sports Car Market's Keith Martin. Genevieve's career has also garnered much press and attention, as she has been featured in Hot Rod, Hot Rod Deluxe, and Velocity Magazine in 2008. She also served as the Grand Marshall of the Great Pottsville Cruise, alongside Dennis Gage, host of SPEED Channels My Classic Car. She has also been featured in numerous non-automotive press throughout her television career.
Personal life
During June 1996, Chappell was introduced to Canadian born ECHLECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
player Mark Stitt, and the two were engaged three months later. Chappell and Stitt were married on August 31, 1997. They have a daughter, Kaleila, born in 1998.