Overcoming the Odds: She shares her journey from a dyslexic child and how she built DigiFest into a hub for digital creators.

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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Diane Strand

An award‑winning serial entrepreneur, media producer, speaker, and coach. She is the co‑founder of JDS Video & Media Productions, a seven‑figure production company, and the creator of DigiFest, a major digital‑media and arts festival in Temecula, California.

Diane shares her journey from a dyslexic child discouraged from pursuing the arts, to a Hollywood professional working on television hits like Friends, General Hospital, and Veronica’s Closet, to a successful entrepreneur empowering creative to turn their passions into profitable businesses. She discusses resilience, visibility, storytelling, leadership, the power of the arts, and how she built DigiFest into a hub for digital creators, students, and industry professionals.

🎯 Purpose of the Interview

The interview highlights:

1. Diane’s evolution from Hollywood talent to business owner

Her shift from TV and production work to launching her own media company and coaching others.

2. The mission behind DigiFest

Why she created an annual digital media festival to bridge Hollywood and emerging creators.

3. How the arts empower people personally and professionally

Diane explains how creativity builds communication skills, confidence, resilience, and community.

4. Her framework for turning passion into profit

Through storytelling, visibility strategies, networking, and stepping outside comfort zones.

5. Advice for future generations of creatives and entrepreneurs

Her approach to learning, mentorship, and launching ideas before feeling “ready.”

💡 Key Takeaways

1. Creativity + Storytelling = Universal Power

Diane defines the arts broadly: anything involving storytelling—painting, acting, photography, filmmaking, writing, animation, design, music, digital content.
She emphasizes that the arts are inclusive, accessible to all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.

The arts train:

• Communication
• Confidence
• Problem‑solving
• Thick skin
• Resilience
• Adaptability

These skills transfer directly to business and leadership.

2. Overcoming Dyslexia and Early Discouragement

As a child, she struggled with reading and undiagnosed dyslexia.
People—including her parents—told her she shouldn’t pursue the arts. She refused to listen.
Her determination led to winning the role of Betsy Ross in her second‑grade play, igniting her lifelong creative path.

3. A Successful Run in Hollywood

When Showtime rejected her, she went back to school to get her bachelor’s degree, then returned and worked on major productions such as:

• Friends
• General Hospital
• Veronica’s Closet

Hollywood taught her professionalism, creativity, and authenticity—but also that the industry can be cutthroat and subjective.

4. Passion → Purpose → Profits

Diane explains that passion alone isn’t enough.
The real breakthrough comes when passion turns into a purpose, which then creates profits. [

She discovered this when she left Hollywood within 15 seconds of agreeing to start her own production business after realizing reality TV’s lifestyle conflicted with being a present parent.

Her success framework includes:

• High visibility
• Networking
• Leveraging the “Hollywood effect”
• Storytelling as authority
• Consistency
• Constant learning

5. Building a Seven‑Figure Media Company

JDS Productions creates professional video content, marketing media, casting calls, and digital products.
She used door‑to‑door outreach, chamber of commerce networking, public speaking, and visibility strategies to grow.

6. Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

Diane repeatedly stresses:

• Growth happens in discomfort
• Saying yes leads to opportunity
• Visibility requires vulnerability

Today she speaks on national stages, podcasts, and industry events—something that once required tremendous courage.

7. DigiFest: Her Digital Media Festival

DigiFest was created when the long‑running Temecula film and music festival shut down, and the city asked her to take over. She refused to run a traditional film festival and instead created something aligned with her expertise—digital media.

DigiFest is:

• A competition
• A networking event
• An educational conference
• A celebration of digital storytelling

Festival features include:

• Workshops (AI, film, podcasting, animation, scriptwriting)
• Celebrity speakers (Curtis Young, Colin Egglesfield, Sam Larsen, Justin Guarini)
• Film screenings
• Performances
• Red carpet
• Awards
• Professional‑student collaboration

It spans three days every April (Fri–Sun) at her 10,000 sq ft studio space in Temecula.

8. Women in Hollywood & Finding Her Voice

Diane acknowledges that Hollywood can be sexist, abusive, and insensitive to women.
She faced inappropriate situations during her work on reality TV—but quickly made clear she “does not play like that.” [

She helps other women and young creatives find confidence, courage, and professional boundaries.

9. Resilience, Ethics, and “Haters”

Diane remains grounded in:

• Ethical behavior
• Professionalism
• Strong documentation
• Karma
• Leading by example

She believes leadership gets more public as you climb, and criticism is inevitable when you challenge others.

10. Advice for the Next Generation

Her advice is timeless:

“Start before you’re ready.”
If she waited for perfection, she never would’ve launched DigiFest or her company.

Say yes, show up, be visible, and trust that your purpose will reveal itself through action.

🗣 Notable Quotes On dreams and action

“A dream is direction, realization, evaluation, and taking action to create momentum.”

On the power of the arts

“The arts are inclusive. They teach resilience, confidence, and how to get back up.”

On her Hollywood departure

“I said yes within 15 seconds… I wanted something more for me and my family.” [

On growth

“When you get comfortable being uncomfortable, you’re going to grow.”

On DigiFest

“It’s anything that lives in the digital space—from film to AI to podcasting to animation.”

On overcoming discouragement

“I was told I shouldn’t or couldn’t… but I said, ‘Just watch me.’”

#SHMS #STRAW #BEST

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