Editing Career of Ava Zinn

{{short description|Overall career of Ava Zinn}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
''{{Redirect|Aeverine Zinn Holdings|the article|Ava Zinn|filmography|Ava Zinn filmography|discography|Ava Zinn discography|personal life|Personal life of Ava Zinn}}''
{{Ava Zinn series}}

'''The overall career of [[Ava Zinn]]''' consists of her tenure as a broadcast journalist since 1989, principal webmaster from 1999 to 2020, film/television producer and director since 2000, animator since 2004, and muscian/singer since 2011.

In the early 1990's, she worked in a series of media giants until being inspired to work for the temperamental [[Patrice Rafferty]] at ATE Media.<ref name="AZBio"/>

After working at ATE Media for nine years, Zinn, tired of "the rages and the bullying and violence", decided that the way to further advance her career was to study webmastering. (While at ATE Media, she met [[Holly Everman]], later her [[Vote for the Girls (U.S.)|''Vote for the Girls'']] co-host and long-time closest friend from 1990 until Everman's death in May 2017.) From there, Zinn moved from ATE Media to NoSirGifts, which was founded by her mother in 1987, to work with Jackson Steele and Bob Imperial, both news anchormen. At one time, Ava Zinn states that Jackson Steele was her mentor. She continued her training at NoSirGifts for tweleve years, before giving in to the physical and mental stress of the television news industry and taking five years to work as a retail production associate.<ref name="AZBio">{{fact}}</ref>

==Broadcast journalism (1989-present)==

Zinn first came to prominence in 1999 while serving as [[wikipedia:news director|news director]] at WRDS-FLP (channel 47, now [[WXXC (FDT)|WXXC]]) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. WRDS station owner Rachel Dean, Sr. founded the station while at the same time Zinn launched [[INNewsCenter]]. Dean invested heavily in pouring most of the station's resources into its news department. With Dean's backing, Zinn adopted the "News Directors and Producers Have a Choice, Viewers Don't" format heavy on two-woman anchor teams. Zinn was often criticized for an emphasis on all-female news teams, as it was often overlooked that diversity was a major concern for the people of Fort Wayne at the time. However, the "INNCD 47 News" format revived a station that had low ratings prior to its merger with WTOR (channel 41). It also heavily influenced what other NoSirGifts stations' newscasts would look like for many years to come.

At WXXC, Zinn co-anchored with Justin Planck on RAT TV in 2001 and was best known for creating LGBT news formats which pair a news anchorwoman and a transgendered anchorwoman or two anchorwomen presenting newscasts to make news more attractive for LGBT audiences.

On February 5, 2007, Zinn revived her news anchoring career anchoring ''INNCD News at 10'' (now ''INNCD 47 Action News at 10:00'' and produced with WTOR). Zinn, as a transgender woman, did what other transgender women almost never did at that time. Fellow transgender anchorwomen [[Julia Passalt]] from Minneapolis and Denver, [[Fiona Johnson]] from San Fransisco, [[Kendra Ray]] from Des Moines would all do the same in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

In 2008, NoSirGifts acquired stations owned by Imperial Broadcasting (longtime owner of WTOR, Lafayette Fox affiliate WLIN-FTV, now-CBS affiliate WIFX-FTV Indianapolis, and NBC affiliate WVTH Vincennes), NT Communications (owner of now-ABC affiliate WXWI Milwaukee), and DakMedia (owner of Fox affiliate KDNC Denver). Like WXXC, WLIN, WIFX, WVTH, WXWI, and KDNC had long been in third place in the local news ratings. Zinn implemented changes with the hope of turning the stations around. By this time, Zinn's reputation in television news was such that many of the station's veteran reporters in Inddianapolis and Milwaukee resigned. Zinn relaunched stations with a considerably watered-down version of the WXXC format, which was still shocking by Indianapolis and Milwaukee standards.  Nonetheless, it led to a ratings boost, especially after WIFX and WXWI respectively switched affiliations from Fox to CBS in 2009 and Fox to ABC in 2012. WXWI soon rose to second place in the Milwaukee ratings while WIFX soon rose to first in Indianapolis and in Fort Wayne, WTOR overtook long-dominant WMRI in key time slots in the 2010's.

==Principal webmaster (1999-2020)==
[[File:AvaZinn2000.jpg|200px|thumb|left|alt=|Zinn (then as Frank) in 2000 after launching INNewsCenter and what is now AvaZinn.com]]
Zinn's largest effect on American culture came from her popular web sites [[INNewsCenter]] and [[Vote for the Girls (United States)|Vote for the Girls]]. Shortly thereafter, Patrice Rafferty re-entered her life, offering to set her up with a webmaster position and 10% share in ATE Media. The show was named ''Wheel of Fortune''. Despite the show's success, a dispute with Zinn's business owners and Zinn's dream of running her own web site led to her leaving the partnership in 1998.<ref name="AZBio" />

In December 2020, Zinn retired from webmastering to focus on other work and declares herself semi-retired.


===INNewsCenter===
====Original site (1999-2011)====

At age 16 in November 1999, Ava Zinn had launched two web sites--her web site (currently known as AvaZinn.com) and INNewsCenter, a site devoted to discussing the television industry in Indiana's 10 markets (initially Fort Wayne and Indianapolis) that serve all of 's 92 counties. Both were launched on November 1, 1999 while Zinn was a junior at [[wikipedia:Mississinewa High School|Mississinewa High School]] in [[wikipedia:Gas City, Indiana|Gas City]], [[wikipedia:Indiana|Indiana]].  The site covered the changes in the ten [[wikipedia:media markets|media markets]] that serve the state (originally the Indianapolis and Fort Wayne markets until 2004). 

The INNewsCenter site closed on June 30, 2011. The final story posted on the site was Fox's announcement on June 20, 2011 that it would end its affiliation with [[wikipedia:WFFT-TV|WFFT]] and its Fort Wayne affiliation moved to [[wikipedia:MyNetworkTV|MyNetworkTV]] affiliate [[wikipedia:WISE-DT2|WISE-DT2]] on August 1. Nexstar had earlier lost the Fox affiliation for [[wikipedia:WTVW|WTVW]] in [[wikipedia:Evansville, |Evansville]] following a dispute with the network over [[wikipedia:retransmission consent|retransmission consent]] that it wanted its stations to pay to the network.<ref name=tvnc-wfftnofox>{{cite news|title=Fox Moves Afills In Springfield, Ft. Wayne|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2011/06/20/52002/fox-moves-affils-in-springfield-ft-wayne|accessdate=June 20, 2011|newspaper=TVNewsCheck|date=June 20, 2011}}</ref>

====Revival site (2014-2020)====

On June 26, 2014, Zinn announced that she would bring INNewsCenter back online.<ref>{{cite news|author=Ava Zinn |url=http://avazinn.com/2014/06/26/confirmed-ava-zinn-to-revive-innewscenter/|title=Ava Zinn to Revive INNewsCenter |publisher=AvaZinn.com |date=June 26, 2014 |accessdate=December 27, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR1Oi22Ry8M|title=INNewsCenter is Back! |publisher=YouTube |date=July 21, 2014|accessdate=December 27, 2014}}</ref> 


The revived ''INNewsCenter'' debuted on December 28, 2014. Sites that also carried the original site, such as Florida News Center, have picked up the revived site as well. Unlike the previous adaptation of the site, the 2014 version is relegated to a section of Zinn's AvaZinn.com web site. As with the original adaptation, the site still discusses the television industry in the state's 10 markets and five significantly viewed markets that serve all 92 counties.  The first story posted on the site was the third Indianapolis affiliation switch in over 35 years as [[wikipedia:WISH-TV|WISH]] (channel 8) and [[wikipedia:WTTV|WTTV]] (channel 4) swapped affiliations, with WISH-TV becoming a [[wikipedia:The CW|CW]] affiliate and WTTV becoming a CBS affiliate, after Tribune Broadcasting announced on August 11, 2014 that WTTV would become the market's CBS affiliate through a deal that renewed affiliations on the company's five existing CBS stations; the WTTV deal was spurred by a dispute between station management at WISH-TV and the network during affiliation renewal negotiations over reverse compensation demands.<ref>{{cite news|title=CBS Moving Indianapolis Affiliation to WTTV|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/78359/cbs-moving-indianapolis-affiliation-to-wttv|work=TVNewsCheck|date=August 11, 2014|accessdate=August 11, 2014}}</ref> WTTV originally planned to move its CW affiliation to a [[wikipedia:digital subchannel|digital subchannel]] upon the January 1, 2015 switch until Tribune decided to sell The CW's Indianapolis affiliation rights to WISH owner [[wikipedia:Media General|Media General]] (which had completed its merger with that station's former owner [[wikipedia:LIN Media|LIN Media]] three days earlier) on December 22, 2014, with WTTV operating its subchannel as an independent station instead.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tribune Sells Indianapolis CW Affiliation to Media General|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/tribune-sells-indianapolis-cw-affiliation-media-general/136613|author=Michael Malone|work=Broadcasting & Cable|date=December 22, 2014|accessdate=December 23, 2014}}</ref> The switch was an upgrade for The CW, due to WISH's prior history as a major network station and the fact it had a news department; it was also an upgrade at least for WTTV even if it was arguably one for CBS, as the station had not been a major network affiliate since losing the ABC affiliation to WLWI (channel 13, now NBC affiliate [[wikipedia:WTHR|WTHR]]. It is interesting to note that thirty-five and a half years earlier on June 1, 1979 WTHR and WRTV (channel 6) swapped affiliations with WRTV taking WTHR's outgoing ABC affiliation) in 1957, had not maintained a news department since 1990 or aired any newscasts of its own since 2002 (the newscasts Tribune re-established for WTTV upon the switch use resources from Fox affiliate [[wikipedia:WXIN (TV)|WXIN]] (channel 59)'s existing news department, but compete against and maintain anchor teams largely separate from its sister station). In fact, the major impetus of the deal was that it allowed WTTV to become the local broadcaster of the [[wikipedia:Indianapolis Colts|Indianapolis Colts]] through CBS' rights to the AFC.<ref>{{cite news|title=CBS affiliation switch means major changes at WTTV|url=http://www.ibj.com/cbs-affiliation-switch-means-major-changes-at-wttv/PARAMS/article/48994|author=Anthony Schoetle|work=[[polis Business Journal]]|publisher=[[American City Business Journals]]|date=August 11, 2014}}</ref>

In another notable difference from the previous site, the site will often feature clips of stories from [[Vote for the Girls (U.S.)|the American adaptation of ''Vote for the Girls'']] when a female contestant appears on a reality based singing competition (notable examples are Alisha Bernhardt and Marrielle Sellars of American Idol 11 and 13, respectively, Valerie Rockey of So You Think You Can Dance 11, Addison Agen and Christiana Danielle of The Voice 13 and 14, respectively) and local (Marion and Fort Wayne) stories appearing on AvaZinn.com (a notable example is the death of Ashley Rheam in 2013).

Another difference from the previous site is the absence of the INNewsCenter Weather Wall, a feature that has since moved to AvaZinn.com.

==Film/TV producer and director (2000-present)==
Zinn began her film and television producing career as a producer for [[WXXC-FDT|INNCD 47]] (now "CBS 41 Plus") in 1999.
=== ''Amanda & Elisa'' (2004-2009)===
{{main|Amanda & Elisa}}
Zinn previously had a first running, successful [[wikipedia:adult animation|adult]] [[wikipedia:animated sitcom|animated series]] in ''Amanda and Elisa'' which was in production from 2004 to 2009. To date along with ''Hoosier Anchorwoman!'', ''Amanda & Elisa'' are Zinn's animated series to have suffered an official cancellation.

The series ended on June 27, 2009, with a total of 5 seasons and 100 episodes, and the title characters moved to ''Queen of the Willis'' in the episode ''[[The Story of Amanda and Elisa]]''.

=== ''Queen of the Willis'' (2006-12 and 2019-26) ===
{{main|Queen of the Willis}}
Although Zinn enjoyed her career as a webmaster and journalist, she felt her real calling was for the small screen and animation, which would allow a much edgier style of humor. She first pitched ''Queen of the Willis'' to ABC Fantasy TV Stations, CBS Fantasy Televsion, NBC Owned Fantasy TV Stations, and DakMedia. ATE Media offered the then young writer a strange deal: [[Patrice Rafferty]] gave her a budget of US$5,000 to produce a pilot that could lead to a series (most episodes of animated prime-time productions cost at least US$1-2 million). Zinn recalled the experience in an intervie, Zinn stated, "I spent about four years with no sleep and no life, just drawing like crazy in my kitchen and doing this pilot".

In 2002, Zinn returned to ATE Media with a "very, very simply, crudely animated film – with just enough to get the tone of the show across" to present to the executives, who loved the pilot and ordered the series immediately. In Feburary 2006, ATE Media Corporation announced the purchase of ''Queen of the Willis'' for a August 2006 debut. At age 24, Zinn (tying with [[wikipedia:Family Guy|''Family Guy'']] crator [[wikipedia:Seth MacFarlane|Seth MacFarlane]] in 1997) television's youngest executive producer.

''Queen of the Willis'' first aired August 12, 2006. Zinn's work in animating ''Queen of the Willis'' has been influenced by Jack Klugman along with examples from ''King of the Hill'', ''Family Guy'' and ''Growing Pains''.<ref name="personal">??</ref> In addition to writing various episodes, including "[[Pilot (Queen of the Willis)|Pilot]]", "[[Ten Years to Life]]" and "[[The Rape of Heather Willis]]", Zinn voices ''Queen of the Willis''{{'}}s main transgendered female characters – [[Ava Willis (Queen of the Willis)|Ava Willis]], [[Tabby Willis (Queen of the Willis)|Tabby Willis]], Zach Mullins, Addison Ellissong, Michelle Wilson – as well as male characters [[Ron Willis (Queen of the Willis)|Ron Willis]], Dr. Mario Coxson, [[Zach Mullins]], Robert "Crob Bob" Craven and Mullins' grandson Caleb Mullins – and female characters [[Shushu Willis (Queen of the Willis)|Shushu Willis]], [[Heather Willis (Queen of the Willis)|Heather Willis]], [[Anna Pamhouser]], Angelika Mullins, Amanda Dawson, and Elisa Donovan and additional characters. 


Despite its popularity, ''Queen of the Willis'' has often been [[criticism of Queen of the Willis|criticized]].<ref>??</ref> The Parents Television Council frequently criticizes the show for its content, once organized a letter-writing campaign aimed at removing it from a network's lineup (although it airs in syndication),<ref>??</ref> and has filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission alleging that some episodes of the show contained indecent content.<ref>??</ref> Zinn has responded to the criticism by saying, among other things, "I've been used to getting a butt load of hate mail and these terrible human beings act like Commies or Nazis."<ref name="Advocate">{{cite news |title = Ava Zinn's One and Only Male Interview |quote = ..... these  terrible human beings act like they are Commies or Nazis. I've read their newsletter, I've visited their website, and they're just complete idots to the core. For an organization that prides itself on Catholic values—I mean, I'm a Methodist and a transgendered woman that still likes women, so what do I know?—they spend their entire day hating people.
}}</ref>

''Queen of the Willis'' has been cancelled twice, although strong fan support and YouTube views have caused CBS Television Distribution to reconsider. Zinn mentioned how these cancellations affected the lineup of writers each time. "One of the positive aspects of ''Queen of the Willis'' constantly being pulled off [the air] is that we were always having to restaff writers and recasting". In Fort Wayne, the show has moved from then-ATE Media owned ABC affiliate [[WMRI-FTV|WMRI]] (now an ABC O&O) to NoSirGifts-owned CBS affiliate/independent station (and flagship) duopoly [[WTOR-FTV|WTOR]]/[[WXXC-FDT]] in 2007 where it aired since while in Indianapolis, the show has moved from [[WHOO-FTV]] to [[WIFX-FTV]] in 2007 where it aired from 2007 to 2018 before moving to United Broadcasting owned CW affiliate [[WEVI-FTV|WEVI]].

=== ''Hoosier Anchorwoman!'' (2009-2013) ===
{{main|Hoosier Anchorwoman!}}
Zinn has a third running, successful [[wikipedia:adult animation|adult]] [[wikipedia:animated sitcom|animated series]] in ''Hoosier Anchorwoman!'' which was in production from 2009 to 2013. To date along with ''Amanda & Elisa'', ''Hoosier Anchorwoman!'' are Zinn's animated series to have suffered an official cancellation.

''Hoosier Anchorwoman!'' was first shown in April 2009, three months after the [[wikipedia:Super Bowl XIV|the Indianapolis Colts' loss]] to the [[wikipedia:New Orleans Saints|Saints]] debuting with the episode "[[Pilot (Hoosier Anchorwoman!)|Pilot]]", which Zinn co-wrote. Zinn has described the initial seasons of ''Hoosier Anchorwoman!'' as being ''INNewsCenter'', likening [[wikipedia:title role|title character]] [[Kendra Kendall (Hoosier Anchorwoman!)|Kendra Kendall]]'s originally [[wikipedia:bigotry|bigoted]] persona after a sex change. Zinn has also stated that her inspiration to create ''Hoosier Anchorwoman!'' derived from her experience of never seeing to anchormen anchor a newscast after the main female anchor takes the day off for any reason from 1987 until 2009, yet does not mind watching two anchorwomen on a tellevision news broadcast.<ref>"Ava Zinn, Hoosier Anchorwoman Interview"].</ref>  Zinn was described as having difficulty understanding the series in its early going; however, she heavily warmed up to the series after its early seasons once he felt the show truly came into its own. Her fellow co-creators have sensed this through Zinn's greatly increased attention to the series after its early seasons. Zinn has also revealed she is a ''Hoosier Anchorwoman!'' fan herself. She has taken note of the positive reaction to the "[[Joyce (Hoosier Anchorwoman!)|Joyce]]" character by fans via her Twitter.

The show focuses on the Kendall family: Kendra Kendall, the endangering, [[wikt: dog-eat-dog|dog-eat-dog]], rash and inconsiderate head of the household. She has an exaggeratedly large chin and feminine manner about her. As the family's [[wikipedia:breadwinner model|breadwinner]], she works as a news anchor/reporter  and was initially portrayed in the series as an old-fashioned conservative bigot but has since grown out of these traits ; Kendra's [[wikt: paradox|paradoxically]] moralistic yet simultaneously inappropriate, corrupt wife, [[Miles Kendall (Hoosier Anchorwoman!|Miles]]; and their three children, new-age hippie daughter [[Samantha Kendall (Hoosier Anchorwoman!)|Samantha]], daughter [[Allison Kendall (Hoosier Anchorwoman!)|Allison]] and nerdy daughter [[Jackie Kendall (Hoosier Anchorwoman!)|Jackie]]. Accompanying the Kendall family are three additional main characters, two of which belong to non-human species: zany, shocking, blithely cruel and rascally cow [[Joyce (Hoosier Anchorwoman!)|Joyce]], who's [[Joyce (Hoosier Anchorwoman!)#Disguises and alter egos|full of disguises/alter egos]] and has few if any limits on her behaviors. She was rescued by Kendra from a slaughterhouse; [[Kayla (Hoosier Anchorwoman!)|Kayla]], the woman-in-a-snake-body pet. Kayla's unenviable situation came about from the brain of an Russian [[wikipedia:Olympics|Olympic]] gymnist being shrunk and transplanted into a snake body; and [[Alec Dailey (Hoosier Anchorwoman!)|Alec Dailey]], Samantha's boyfriend turned "whipped" husband, known for his homosexual infatuation with Samantha's mom, Miles.

The series ended on May 19, 2013, with a total of 4 seasons and 88 episodes, and the character of Kendra moved to ''Queen of the Willis'' in the episode ''[[The Girls Are Back in Quillsville]]''.

===''Vote for the Girls'' (2010-21 and 2024-)===
{{See also|Vote for the Girls|Vote for the Girls (United States)|Vote for the Girls (United Kingdom)|Vote for the Girls (Australia)|Vote for the Girls: Junior Edition}}
[[File:AvaZinn2012.jpg|200px|thumb|left|alt=A Strange blond woman|Ava Zinn has presented the American, British, and Australian versions of Vote for the Girls since their launches]]

The 2004 gender transition and 2018 move to Fort Wayne provided a major windfall for Zinn in 2010, with [[Holly Everman]], [[Robyn Hurd]], and villain [[Archibald Coolranch]], Zinn was a moderator and host on [[Vote for the Girls (U.S. season 1)|the first season]] of the American web site ''[[Vote for the Girls (U.S.)|Vote for the Girls]]'', which she created using her production company, Aeverine Zinn Holdings. ''Vote for the Girls'' was a surprise hit and success with the public launched the Vote for the Girls franchise in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Owing to Zinn's lesbian sexuality as a woman and Zinn's 11 of her 13 closest friends are female (as of February 2012, Alec Dailey and Justin Planck are the only remaining male close friends of Zinn's) being longtime fixtures with Zinn, the social status of Zinn are consistently among the highest-rated during the seasons of The Voice and American Idol. Also due to the the popularity of former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning quarterback as well as Fort Wayne's status as a reality-based competition hotbed with local contestants [[Addison Agen]] and Christiana Danielle; Indianapolis based contestants Alisha Bernhardt, Marrielle Sellars, and Valerie Rockey;  Louisville natives Olivia Henken and Allison Bray; Chicago-based Haley Reinhart and Alice Lee; Detroit-based Amy Yakima, Jena Asciutto, RoxXy Montana, Malaya Watson; Ohio-based Alexis Gomez and Crystal Bowersox being supported contestants on the web site, Vote for the Girls is consistently among the highest-rated site in Indiana (as well as being the most viewed on the web site's YouTube channel) during the live shows of all competitions in both Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. In 2015, for instance, Vote for the Girls USA (along with some edited from the UK version) attracted a 21.6 rating and a 36 share, the highest viewership for the broadcasts in the United States.

[[wikipedia:Haley Reinhart|Haley Reinhart]] and [[wikipedia:Lauren Alaina|Lauren Alaina]], two female contestants on [[wikipedia:American Idol (season 10)|the tenth season of ''American Idol'']] were prominently featured on the site after the elimination of [[wikipedia:Pia Toscano|Pia Toscano]]. Zinn returned for a third season alongside Everman and Hurd, as well as auditioning for the [[wikipedia:American Idol (season 11)|11th season]] of ''[[wikipedia:American Idol|American Idol]]'' herself and exposing [[wikipedia:American Idol (season 10)|the previous season]]'s gender bias, the site gained popularity and overtook [[wikipedia:Vote for the Worst|Vote for the Worst]]. After launching [[Vote for the Girls]] (which was launched to compete with VFTW), in response Zinn stated "It's becoming clear that people want a change that we all believe in. It's only about what you're doing and supposed to do, and I l like I'm supposed to be doing this." The site's YouTube videos featured screaming matches among Zinn, her guests, and audience members. Using a large black bowl for an ashtray, she would chainsmoke during the video and blow cigarette smoke (later e-cigarette smoke) in her guests' faces. Zinn's fans became known as "FWLGBT," patterned after the LGBT Ava Zinn logo used since 2013.

Zinn's signature phrases "WGWG Commies" (in reference to white guys with guitars and communism) and "shush it!" briefly enjoyed some popularity in the contemporary vernacular. She particularly enjoyed making her guests angry with each other, which on a few occasions resulted in physical confrontations.

Because of the controversial format and content of the show, Zinn had problems selling the show to a number of advertisers. Even Zinn's subscribers were so fearful of advertiser and viewer backlash that they would air one or even two local disclaimers during the videos.

Zinn returned for the fourth season in 2012, with Everman, and two new moderators [[Hillary Matthewson]] and [[Michelle Steele]], as Hurd passed away after the site's third season ended. Zinn only appeared in the latter part of the American Idol 12 competition, as she was launching ''Vote for the Girls'' in Great Britain. 

Zinn also launched ''[[Vote for the Girls UK]]'' in June 2013. It was announced that she would be a moderator and host both on the UK and U.S. editions of the site, which air at similar times of the year. She was joined by [[Ariel Swaringen]], [[Kathi Jameson]], and [[Khayla Chow]]. Zinn's pick of Leah McFall of ''The Voice'' finished runner-up of ''The Voice UK 2'' as Andrea Begley won that series, and Zinn's pick of [[wikipedia:Sam Bailey|Samantha Bailey]] won ''The  X Factor'' 10, making Zinn not only the winning moderator, but both victories for the site. Zinn returned for a second series of ''Vote for the Girls'' in September 2014 with Swaringen, Jameson, and Chow not returning and were replaced by [[Tracia Ward]], [[Nermal Everman]], [[Rhonda Rhodes]] and [[Kendra Ray]]. Zinn's pick of [[wikipedia:Caroline Flack|Caroline Flack]] on ''Strictly Come Dancing'' won that series, marking Zinn's second series as the winning moderator after she won with Samantha Bailey in 2013. 

''[[Vote for the Girls (Australia)|Vote for the Girls Australia]]'' and ''[[Vote for the Girls: Junior Edition]]''  both launched in 2015. It was announced and confirmed that she would be a moderator and host on the Australian, UK, and  U.S. editions of the site, which air at similar times of the year. However, Zinn currently does not appear on ''Vote for the Girls: Junior Edition'' due to concerns that Ava Zinn's style of cursing of the supported contestants on ''Vote for the Girls USA'' would carry over to ''Vote for the Girls: Junior Edition''. Karly Jameson said that Zinn had only cursed seven times during the production of the episode and never at anyone younger than 18. In the final editing of the pilot, Zinn cursed three times off stage and once in front of (but not at) the supported contestants.

Shortly before Kymberly Alvaraz began the long-term relationship with Ava Zinn, Zinn announced that Alvaraz would be joining Zinn as a duo moderator on the purple team from the pink team (where Alvaraz served as a solo moderator). This means both Zinn and Alvaraz will have at least one supported contestant on ''Dancing with the Stars,'' beginning in the spring of 2015, though former ''So You Think You Can Dance'' alums Lindsay Arnold, Witney Carson and Allison Holker are mainstays in ''Dancing with the Stars'' will be supported by Alvaraz, owing to Arnold, Carson, and Holker being from Salt Lake City (an adjacent market to Alvaraz's home market of Denver) and the Rocky Mountain's status as a reality-based competition hotbed. Advertising within Studios 41 (where WTOR/WXXC's newscasts are produced) and 47 (where Vote for the Girls is taped) are also included in the deal. Additionally, both Zinn and Alvaraz will have whichever celebrity is paired with Derek Hough, with Littleton, Colorado native and R5 singer [[wikipedia:Riker Lynch|Riker Lynch]] (partnered with Allison Holker) as their final pick finishing overall runner-up in the 20th season and [[wikipedia:Bindi Irwin|Bindi Irwin]] (partnered with Derek Hough) winning the 21st season. The only time Derek Hough, Lindsay Arnold, Witney Carson, and/or Allison Holker were not be supported by Zinn and Alvaraz would be if both Hough and either Arnold, Carson or Holker are respectively the winner and runner-up, of which the following season of ''Dancing with the Stars'' would be chosen by Kylie and Ann Dwyar, Maribel Mort, or before their deaths, Holly Everman and Perri Johnson on the pink team, or chosen by Kathi and Karly Jameson or Rachael Passalt on the purple team.<ref>??</ref> After Zinn and Alvaraz's relationship ended and since then, the only time Hough, Arnold, Carson, and/or Holker are not supported contestants by Zinn on ''DWTS'' would be chosen by fellow [[Purple Team (Vote for the Girls USA)|Purple Team]] moderators Kathi & Karly, Lanise & Danni or [[Pink Team (Vote for the Girls USA)|Pink Team]] moderators Nadine Cole, Kylie Dwyar, Maribel Mort, or Alexandra Moffitt.


In 2016, as she celebrated 10 Vote for the Girls victories (So You Think You Can Dance victories of Lauren Froderman, Melanie Moore, Eliana Girard, and Amy Yakima; The Voice victories of Cassadee Pope, Danielle Bradbery, Tessanne Chin and Alisan Porter and Chloe Kohanski; American Idol victories of Nick Fradiani and Trent Harmon; The Voice Moderators Saves of Christina Grimmie and Meghan Linsey; American Idol Moderator Saves of Angie Miller and Jena Asciutto) in the United States and four United Kingdom victories (Strictly Come Dancing double victory of Caroline Flack and Frankie Bridge; X Factor Moderator Save of Fleur East and victory Louisa Johnson; and The Voice UK Moderator Save of Lucy O'Byrne).  with Vote for the Girls site and recently began to wear strapless tops and dresses with thong panties to strongly reflect her gender identity as a woman along with the punishment for failure with Christina Grimmie's third place finish on The Voice and Jena Irene's runner-up finish on American Idol. 


Zinn returned for her ninth consecuitive season in 2017 and did not appear in as much of the season, as she was launching ''[[Vape Back! with Ava Zinn|Vape Back!]]'', ''[[Ava Zinn's Retail Nightmares]]'' and ''Housing Hell'' in addition to her [[Ava Zinn relocation to Fort Wayne, Indiana|move to Fort Wayne]] though her final two picks for ''The Voice 13'' were runner-up [[Addison Agen]] and winner [[wikipedia:Chloe Kohanski|Chloe Kohanski]]. Zinn returned for a tenth consecuitive season in 2018 and did not appear in as much due to her relaunching ''Queen of the Willis'' and [[Ava Zinn relocation to Fort Wayne, Indiana|her move to Fort Wayne]]. Zinn appeared for an 11th season in 2019 on a regular basis and a 12th/final season in 2020.

The series concluded on May 23, 2021 after 12 seasons.

In late 2020, a report that Aeverine Zinn Digital Media Group was in talks to revive the show for [[ABC Fantasy Television Stations]] or for its original syndicator, [[NoSirGifts Fantasy Television Stations|NoSirGifts]].<ref>??</ref> A dispute between Aeverine Zinn Digital Media Group and IdolForums derailed these plans. Later, ABC announced that it had acquired the rights to the series, and that ''Vote for the Girls'' would return for the 2022–23 television season.<ref>{{Cite news |title='Vote for the Girls' Officially Returning at ABC |date=April 19, 2023 |website=[[WHOO-FTV]] }}</ref><ref> ‘Vote for the Girls’: ABC Confirms Plan to Revive Reaction Series </ref><ref name="varietypremiere">{{Cite news |title=‘Vote for the Girls’ Premiere Date Revealed |website=WHOO-FTV |}}</ref>

On April 19, 2023, in a Facebook post by [[Karly Jameson]] it was revealed that ''Vote for the Girls'' was confirmed to return after she launched a Change.org petition in May 2021. Ava Zinn followed up in a Twitter post saying, "Ending ''Vote for the Girls'' in May 2021 is something I regret ever doing and thanks to Karly's (Jameson) Change.org petition, I'm happy to bring the show back!"

In an Instagram post by Ava Zinn, it was revealed that ''Vote for the Girls'' would officially return on April 7, 2024.

==== Record as moderator on ''Vote for the Girls USA'' ====
Zinn also served as a moderator on ''Vote for the Girls'' from its inception in 2010 until 2021, and has won 16 times – more than any other moderator since [[wikipedia:Cassadee Pope|Cassadee Pope]]'s victory on the third season of ''The Voice'' and surpassing [[Archibald Coolranch]] on December 18, 2012. Seven of the victories were with Kymberly Alvaraz.

==== Record as moderator on ''Vote for the Girls UK'' ====
Zinn appeared as a moderator on the British adaptation of ''Vote for the Girls'' from 2013 until 2015, and won six times (including one Double Victory and two Moderators' Saves) – more than any other moderator.

==== Record as moderator on ''Vote for the Girls Australia'' ====
Zinn appeared as a moderator of the Australian adaptation of ''Vote for the Girls'' in its only season, winning twice. As a ressult, she is currently the only moderator to have judged and won as a moderator in three countries: United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, and was the only moderator to have judged in three countries until [[Thia Tola]] surpassed this feat in 2016 as Tola has judged as a moderator in four countries: Thailand, United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

===''The Souzas'' (2020-24)===

{{Main|The Souzas}}
Zinn developed a ''Queen of the Willis'' spin-off called ''The Souzas'', which focuses on the character of [[Deanna Willis]] and her wife, Brandi, and their family. The idea for the show originated from a suggestion by ''Queen of the Willis'' writer and voice of Deanna, [[Rachael Passalt]]. 

This is the only animated series created by Zinn that does not have her voicing the [[Deanna Willis|main character]]. Zinn did, however, play the character Addison the Tiger until season 3. [[Adella Watts]] voiced Addison from season 4 onwards.

===''Caprice & Ella'' (2021-present)===
{{Main|Caprice & Ella}}
In 2021, Zinn began producing the comedy-drama series ''[[Caprice & Ella]]'', in which she also stars. The series premiered during the on February 27, 2021, the day after adopting her cat Caprice Haley Zinn from the Allen County SPCA (now Humane Fort Wayne). Her dog, Gabriella Lauren "Ella" Zinn joined the cast in March 2021. She and Caprice have appeared in every episode since its debut.

==Music career (2011-present)==
{{Main|Ava's American Idol Audition|Ava Zinn discography}}
{{multiple image
|direction = horizontal
|header    = Musical influences

|image1    = John Secada 1996.jpg
|image2    = Phil_Collins_1_(cropped).jpg
|image3    = JanetJacksonUnbreakableTourSanFran2015 (cropped).jpg
|image4    = Alisan_Porter.jpg

|caption3  = [[wikipedia:Janet Jackson|Janet Jackson]]
|caption4  = [[wikipedia:Alisan Porter|Alisan Porter]] 
|caption2  = [[wikipedia:Phil Collins|Phil Collins]]
|caption1  = [[wikipedia:Jon Secada|Jon Secada]]
|width1     = 75
|width2     = 75
|width3     = 75
|width4     = 75
 | footer = Secada and Collins significantly influenced Zinn and her music and to an extent, Jackson and Porter. Zinn admitted in an interview that she had celebrity crushes on Porter and [[wikipedia:Kellie Martin|Kellie Martin]].
}}

On April 18, 2011, Zinn announced on her YouTube channel that she is planning to audition for the eleventh season of ‘’American Idol’’. 

She auditioned for ''American Idol'' in [[wikipedia:Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh]] not only as a contestant but also went undercover for her “Ava Zinn Wants To Know” segment for her website and “Vote for the Girls.” She sang "[[wikipedia:In The Air Tonight|In The Air Tonight]]." A producer commented that she had a "good voice but not right for the competition." Zinn later stated the [[wikipedia:Katy Perry|Katy Perry]] song “Firework” was extremely difficult. She was eliminated and was denied the opportunity to audition in front of Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson. Zinn said, “my audition not only changed my life but it put ‘Vote for the Girls’ on the map for good.

Zinn had performed  the [[wikipedia:Michael Jackson|Michael Jackson]] song Billie Jean (as her ‘’Queen of the Willis’’ character [[Heather Willis (Queen of the Willis)|Heather Willis]]) in the 2009 episode [[Meet the Pamhousers]]. The first ''Queen of the Willis'' episode to feature Zinn's singing voice was in the 2008 episode "[[Mellencamp Fever]]" when Zinn (as Ava Willis) performed [[wikipedia:Wild_Night#John_Mellencamp_and_Meshell_Ndegeocello_version|Wild Night]].

On April 21, 2001 when she was Frank Zinn, she performed [[wikipedia:Peabo Bryson|Peabo Bryson]]’s “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again” (in what would be proven to be her last performance prior to her gender transition as well as her next to last public event in a suit and tie) in 2001 in the Mississinewa High School variety show. Zinn posted this on her YouTube channel as Classic Ava. In a Facebook and YouTube post by Zinn, it was revealed she re-released “[[If Ever You're in My Arms Again]]” as Ava Zinn in 2020.

On March 6, 2020, Zinn announced she is working on an album titled "[[40 Years, 40 Songs]]" that will be entirely of covers.
=== Style ===
Zinn is said to have a [[wikipedia:Contralto|contralto]] voice as a female. She is a singer who, after her gender transition, retrained with a vocal coach in 2020 following complaints that despite a good voice, Zinn has admitted that her pitch is an issue. Regarding her musical passion, Zinn's music is predominantly adult contemporary and pop. She also uses musical comedy in her shows and movies. 


=== Voice and influences ===
Prior to her transition, when she was known as Franky Zinn, she received positive recognition for her vocal talents as a [[wikipedia:Countertenor|countertenor]].
However, since her transition from male to female, Zinn has been known for her "pitch problems" and sought vocal lessons.


Her musical influences include people like [[wikipedia:Phil Collins|Phil Collins]], [[wikipedia:Whitney Houston|Whitney Houston]], [[wikipedia:Jon Secada|Jon Secada]],  [[wikipedia:Janet Jackson:Janet Jackson|Janet Jackson]], and [[wikipedia:Alisan Porter|Alisan Porter]].


==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==

{{Ava Zinn}}
[[Category:Careers by individual]]
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−	The revived ''INNewsCenter'' debuted on December 28, 2014. Sites that also carried the original site, such as Florida News Center, have picked up the revived site as well. Unlike the previous adaptation of the site, the 2014 version is relegated to a section of Zinn's AvaZinn.com web site. As with the original adaptation, the site still discusses the television industry in the state's 10 markets and five significantly viewed markets that serve all 92 counties. The first story posted on the site was the third Indianapolis affiliation switch in over 35 years as [[wikipedia:WISH-TV\|WISH]] (channel 8) and [[wikipedia:WTTV\|WTTV]] (channel 4) swapped affiliations, with WISH-TV becoming a [[wikipedia:The CW\|CW]] affiliate and WTTV becoming a CBS affiliate, after Tribune Broadcasting announced on August 11, 2014 that WTTV would become the market's CBS affiliate through a deal that renewed affiliations on the company's five existing CBS stations; the WTTV deal was spurred by a dispute between station management at WISH-TV and the network during affiliation renewal negotiations over reverse compensation demands.<ref>{{cite news\|title=CBS Moving Indianapolis Affiliation to WTTV\|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/78359/cbs-moving-indianapolis-affiliation-to-wttv\|work=TVNewsCheck\|date=August 11, 2014\|accessdate=August 11, 2014}}</ref> WTTV originally planned to move its CW affiliation to a [[wikipedia:digital subchannel\|digital subchannel]] upon the January 1, 2015 switch until Tribune decided to sell The CW's Indianapolis affiliation rights to WISH owner [[wikipedia:Media General\|Media General]] (which had completed its merger with that station's former owner [[wikipedia:LIN Media\|LIN Media]] three days earlier) on December 22, 2014, with WTTV operating its subchannel as an independent station instead.<ref>{{cite news\|title=Tribune Sells Indianapolis CW Affiliation to Media General\|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/tribune-sells-indianapolis-cw-affiliation-media-general/136613\|author=Michael Malone\|work=Broadcasting & Cable\|date=December 22, 2014\|accessdate=December 23, 2014}}</ref> The switch was an upgrade for The CW, due to WISH's prior history as a major network station and the fact it had a news department; it was also an upgrade at least for WTTV even if it was arguably one for CBS, as the station had not been a major network affiliate since losing the ABC affiliation to WLWI (channel 13, now NBC affiliate [[wikipedia:WTHR\|WTHR]]. It is interesting to note that thirty-five and a half years earlier on June 1, 1979 WTHR and WRTV (channel 6) swapped affiliations with WRTV taking WTHR's outgoing ABC affiliation) in 1957, had not maintained a news department since 1990 or aired any newscasts of its own since 2002 (the newscasts Tribune re-established for WTTV upon the switch use resources from Fox affiliate [[wikipedia:WXIN (TV)\|WXIN]] (channel 59)'s existing news department, but compete against and maintain anchor teams largely separate from its sister station). In fact, the major impetus of the deal was that it allowed WTTV to become the local broadcaster of the [[wikipedia:Indianapolis Colts\|Indianapolis Colts]] through CBS' rights to the AFC.<ref>{{cite news\|title=CBS affiliation switch means major changes at WTTV\|url=http://www.ibj.com/cbs-affiliation-switch-means-major-changes-at-wttv/PARAMS/article/48994\|author=Anthony Schoetle\|work=[[~~wikipedia:Indianapolis Business Journal\|Indianapolis~~ Business Journal]]\|publisher=[[~~wikipedia:American City Business Journals\|~~American City Business Journals]]\|date=August 11, 2014}}</ref>	+	The revived ''INNewsCenter'' debuted on December 28, 2014. Sites that also carried the original site, such as Florida News Center, have picked up the revived site as well. Unlike the previous adaptation of the site, the 2014 version is relegated to a section of Zinn's AvaZinn.com web site. As with the original adaptation, the site still discusses the television industry in the state's 10 markets and five significantly viewed markets that serve all 92 counties. The first story posted on the site was the third Indianapolis affiliation switch in over 35 years as [[wikipedia:WISH-TV\|WISH]] (channel 8) and [[wikipedia:WTTV\|WTTV]] (channel 4) swapped affiliations, with WISH-TV becoming a [[wikipedia:The CW\|CW]] affiliate and WTTV becoming a CBS affiliate, after Tribune Broadcasting announced on August 11, 2014 that WTTV would become the market's CBS affiliate through a deal that renewed affiliations on the company's five existing CBS stations; the WTTV deal was spurred by a dispute between station management at WISH-TV and the network during affiliation renewal negotiations over reverse compensation demands.<ref>{{cite news\|title=CBS Moving Indianapolis Affiliation to WTTV\|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/78359/cbs-moving-indianapolis-affiliation-to-wttv\|work=TVNewsCheck\|date=August 11, 2014\|accessdate=August 11, 2014}}</ref> WTTV originally planned to move its CW affiliation to a [[wikipedia:digital subchannel\|digital subchannel]] upon the January 1, 2015 switch until Tribune decided to sell The CW's Indianapolis affiliation rights to WISH owner [[wikipedia:Media General\|Media General]] (which had completed its merger with that station's former owner [[wikipedia:LIN Media\|LIN Media]] three days earlier) on December 22, 2014, with WTTV operating its subchannel as an independent station instead.<ref>{{cite news\|title=Tribune Sells Indianapolis CW Affiliation to Media General\|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/tribune-sells-indianapolis-cw-affiliation-media-general/136613\|author=Michael Malone\|work=Broadcasting & Cable\|date=December 22, 2014\|accessdate=December 23, 2014}}</ref> The switch was an upgrade for The CW, due to WISH's prior history as a major network station and the fact it had a news department; it was also an upgrade at least for WTTV even if it was arguably one for CBS, as the station had not been a major network affiliate since losing the ABC affiliation to WLWI (channel 13, now NBC affiliate [[wikipedia:WTHR\|WTHR]]. It is interesting to note that thirty-five and a half years earlier on June 1, 1979 WTHR and WRTV (channel 6) swapped affiliations with WRTV taking WTHR's outgoing ABC affiliation) in 1957, had not maintained a news department since 1990 or aired any newscasts of its own since 2002 (the newscasts Tribune re-established for WTTV upon the switch use resources from Fox affiliate [[wikipedia:WXIN (TV)\|WXIN]] (channel 59)'s existing news department, but compete against and maintain anchor teams largely separate from its sister station). In fact, the major impetus of the deal was that it allowed WTTV to become the local broadcaster of the [[wikipedia:Indianapolis Colts\|Indianapolis Colts]] through CBS' rights to the AFC.<ref>{{cite news\|title=CBS affiliation switch means major changes at WTTV\|url=http://www.ibj.com/cbs-affiliation-switch-means-major-changes-at-wttv/PARAMS/article/48994\|author=Anthony Schoetle\|work=[[polis Business Journal]]\|publisher=[[American City Business Journals]]\|date=August 11, 2014}}</ref>

	In another notable difference from the previous site, the site will often feature clips of stories from [[Vote for the Girls (U.S.)\|the American adaptation of ''Vote for the Girls'']] when a female contestant appears on a reality based singing competition (notable examples are Alisha Bernhardt and Marrielle Sellars of American Idol 11 and 13, respectively, Valerie Rockey of So You Think You Can Dance 11, Addison Agen and Christiana Danielle of The Voice 13 and 14, respectively) and local (Marion and Fort Wayne) stories appearing on AvaZinn.com (a notable example is the death of Ashley Rheam in 2013).		In another notable difference from the previous site, the site will often feature clips of stories from [[Vote for the Girls (U.S.)\|the American adaptation of ''Vote for the Girls'']] when a female contestant appears on a reality based singing competition (notable examples are Alisha Bernhardt and Marrielle Sellars of American Idol 11 and 13, respectively, Valerie Rockey of So You Think You Can Dance 11, Addison Agen and Christiana Danielle of The Voice 13 and 14, respectively) and local (Marion and Fort Wayne) stories appearing on AvaZinn.com (a notable example is the death of Ashley Rheam in 2013).