Sarasota man competes to be next star of HGTV

Jason Champion says he should be the next HGTV "Design Star" because he is "creative and compassionate."

"Compassionate is the key word," he says. "I believe that everybody deserves good design because good design gives people confidence."

The 33-year old interior designer and "outdoor product developer" calls himself a "little bit elegant" and a "little bit circus."

He says that description also applies to Sarasota where he lives, a town which has historical ties to circus legend John Ringling whose legacy includes an elegant mansion and a fine art museum.

"You will see what I'm like when 'HGTV Design Star" debuts on Sunday night," says Champion who is one of the 11 designers competing on the fourth season of the reality show.

Champion, who has lived in Sarasota for four years, runs Jason Champion Design. "I specialize in creating outdoor spaces and furniture," he said. "I also do interiors but four walls couldn't contain me. Outside, the potential is limitless."

He also creates outdoor couture furniture.

Champion will be competing for fame and a shot at having his own design show on HGTV.

"I've always wanted to be on television," he says. "And I've got a few ideas. I would like to do something for children. There are plenty of design programs about makeovers for adults but nothing for children."

But first he has to get past the challenges facing the wannabe "stars" as well as the judges and rival competitors.

Atlanta interior designer Vern Yip is back along with new judges Candice Olson (host of "Divine Design") and Genevieve Gorder (of "Dear Genevieve").

"Design Star," which typically averages 2 to 3 million people viewers per episode, has created two HGTV stars with their own shows: David Bromstad from season one and Kim Myles from season two.

Set in Los Angeles this season, "Design Star" will feature celebrity guests such as Kathy Griffin, Jason Priestley and Tiffani Thiessen. The series was taped in March at a 10,000 square foot, 7-bedroom mansion in the Hollywood Hills where celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball have lived. It also has been used in numerous films and TV shows and was where Marilyn Monroe filmed her last scene.

The contestants were sequestered for six weeks while taping two episodes per week.
Champion says he can't reveal what happens but there will be surprises, meltdowns, frantic moments
and a lot of fun. "I had a great time; it was a wonderful experience," he says.

Champion hails from the small Mississippi town of Grenada where he showed an interest in design at an early age. "I think I was 14 when I started rearranging the furniture in our house," he says. "I moved everything but the piano." He did a makeover in just about every room.

He went to Faulkner State Junior College in Mobile on a tennis scholarship. He transferred to the University of Alabama-Birmingham to study communication and public relations. He left UAB to attend Virginia College in Birmingham and earned a degree in interior design in 1999.

For more than two years, he sold carpet in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia for Atlanta-based Leonard Decorative Art Center.

He quit in 2001 to work as an independent designer for Kolo, which sells outdoor/ indoor furniture, then took a job in New York with Janus, a high-end furniture company. He also started his own company on the side, Great Space.

He moved to Sarasota in 2007 with his partner and two dogs. "I just love this city and the beaches and the outdoor spaces," he says. He loves designing and has a passion for architecture, too. He hosts a radio show in Sarasota and writes a column for a gardening magazine.

Champion says he is hosting a watching party Sunday night at the historic Burns Court Cinema in downtown Sarasota.

Viewers can vote for fan favorite designer on HGTV.com - the winner gets their own online show on HGTV.com

For more information go to www.hgtv.com or Jasonallenchampion.com.