Diane Strand Of JDS Creative Academy: They Told Me It Was Impossible And I Did It Anyway

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Cultivate a Positive Mindset: Surround yourself with supportive individuals and engage in positive self-talk. This helps counter negativity and builds resilience against doubt. Mindset is everything. Fear will play tricks on you but you have to stay in a positive and goal-oriented mindset. This will help you walk through the fear and make it to the other side. People say to be fearless but you need to fear less. Believe in yourself a little more than you do. Starting the business I knew I needed to be positive, move through the challenges, and believe that we could make it work.

As a part of our series about “dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Diane Strand.

Diane Strand is a multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur, executive producer, best-selling author, speaker, and nonprofit founder. She is the majority owner of JDS Video & Media Productions, Inc. and JDS Actors Studio, and the founder of the 501(c)3 nonprofit JDS Creative Academy (JDSCA). She is also the creator and co-host of Spirit of Innovation: Arts Across America, the first of its kind for Riverside County magazine-style news and information television show.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?

Yes of course! I have over 30 years in the entertainment industry. I started as an actor and found my way behind the scenes. After completing my associate’s degree, my then-boyfriend, now partner in life and business, Scott Strand, and I decided we would produce plays in Hollywood in hopes of getting noticed. We rounded up all of our unemployed actor friends and this is where I fell in love with producing, writing, and directing. Eventually, I moved on to television and began producing for public access. In my career, I have worked on shows such as Friends, General Hospital, and Veronica’s Closet. However, 21 years ago my husband and I decided to leave our Hollywood careers behind and start our own business. We opened JDS Video & Productions, where we created corporate marketing and training videos. This evolved into my second business, JDS Actors Studio when we realized that the Temecula Valley needed more arts in the area. Then, in 2014, we created our community nonprofit, JDS Creative Academy. We started as a small self-funded non-profit that is now a thriving seven-figure organization that helps turn dreams into reality. We have helped launch over one hundred careers, from actors to producers to directors, and have won numerous Telly and Communication Awards.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I am currently writing a book. This will be my third time being published, the first being a chapter in a business book and the second being the co-author with my husband, Scott. This will be my first book written on my own titled The Creativepreneur. This book will help creatives who want to launch their own business but need advice on how to be a little more business savvy. My words will teach them how to market, leverage, and scale their business while upholding their creativity. Alongside this, I will also be working on my mission to spread the arts across America. I will be speaking at more events to spread the message. My goal is to create more creative academies by inspiring more people to become entrepreneurs using the same business model. We are taking a different approach. Rather than building a franchise, we want to give people the blueprint to do it on their own. We want to encourage others to replicate what we have and turn it into their own creative programs that are inclusive and innovative. We can coach them or provide them the roadmap to success.

Another exciting project is our annual multimedia extravaganza, DigiFest® Temecula 2025. It is so much more than a film festival! Our event brings together like-minded creatives for a weekend of networking, presentations, and entertainment. As we enter into our 9th year hosting this event, we are looking to grow and expand the event to provide new and creative ways to launch people into the industry. In alignment with our Title-17 day program that provides workforce development for adults with developmental disabilities, DigiFest® Temecula will help connect our participants with industry professionals and provide them with opportunities to turn their new skills into a career.

In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?

We stand out through our philosophy of turning dreams into reality and creating pathways to open doors for others. Our business model leads with inclusiveness and encouragement, believing anyone can achieve their dreams. Whether you are a part of mainstream or neurodiverse populations, we show people how to invest in their passion so it turns into a purpose, which will lead to profits.

Ok, thank you for that. I’d like to jump to the main focus of this interview. Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us? What was your idea? What was the reaction of the naysayers? And how did you overcome that?

As a woman in a male-dominated industry, I have been told to sit down and shut up many times. But I have never once listened. Instead, I have joined organizations like the Economic Development Coalition where I was not only a member but became the president of the organization. One of the first moments in my professional career that I was told no and I said “watch me” was when I began doing more behind-the-scenes work and moved onto television. I wrote a screenplay and presented it to a popular network. They told me they would like to purchase my script but only to shelve it. Turns out, they already had a similar script but because mine was registered first, they couldn’t move forward. Then, they told me something that changed the trajectory of my life and career. They do not hire anyone who does not have a Bachelor’s Degree. From that moment, I decided I would never have someone tell me that again. I took the script money and used it to return to college, where I earned my Bachelor’s in Radio, Television, and Film. I went to work on shows such as Friends, General Hospital, and Veronica’s Closet. This is when another moment I was told something was impossible occurred. I started as a Production Assistant but I knew that was not where I wanted to be. However, I was told to be patient and eventually, after several seasons, I would be able to move into producing. I was told that no one ever started producing within one season. I ignored the negativity, put my work ethic, drive, and skills in front of me, and began to shine. I was promoted to a Production Coordinator and by the end of the season, I was line producing. I did not allow the naysayers to tear me down and instead proved to be invaluable to the team.

In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? :-)

They ate my dust. I let them give me the energy and the motivation to work hard at my goal but I did not have time for their negativity. In the end, I never looked back to see what they were saying. I just moved on from them and let my success do the talking.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Over the years, I have had the honor of having many amazing mentors who have taught me leadership skills and how to pick myself up and move past the hard times. And now, I take inspiration from all around me — whether they are someone ahead of me or someone coming up behind me. I am always looking for growth opportunities and know it is important to learn from everyone. With that being said, my biggest support system has been my partner in life and business, Scott Strand. From day one, we have supported and encouraged each other, helping one another through the dark times and celebrating through the highs. Scott allows me to shine and puts me in the forefront. While I know he loves the spotlight too, he gives me the space to step out and be seen. One specific story is the time we started our entrepreneurial journey. It was while I was still working in Hollywood. I had come home for yet another night that week, exhausted from the day and upset that I had missed dinner time, bath time, and bedtime with our then three-year-old son. After ranting to Scott about my job and how it felt like a toxic work environment that I couldn’t escape from, he said something that set in motion a change in our lives. He looked at me and said, “What if we quit our six-figure jobs, sold our house, and started our own production company?” It took me only about ten seconds to enthusiastically say one simple word: “YES!” If it had not been for Scott, we may not have ever started our own business, which led to the thriving nonprofit we have today. Scott made it okay to throw our livelihood to the curb and take the big leap. He has always been a bigger risk-taker than me and has shown me how to be a risk-taker myself. He has helped foster my strength and confidence, reassuring me that we could do this and that everything would be okay. He told me if our first venture did not work, then we would find another — That we are a team and we will make it through.

It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?

My tenacity and resilience kicked in at a young age. My favorite story to share about this takes us all the way back to second grade. I really wanted the part of Betsy Ross in the school play. However, everyone, including my teachers and even my parents, told me I shouldn’t even try — because I couldn’t read. It turns out that I am dyslexic, but at the time I hadn’t been diagnosed. But I did not let the discouragement stop me. Instead, when they told me I couldn’t, I just smiled and said “Watch me.” I worked hard and somehow, against all odds, I taught myself how to read…or at least audition, and I got the role of Betsy Ross. Another moment happened again in second grade when the school had a candy-selling contest. The grand prize winner would receive a 19-inch black and white television and I knew I wanted it for my bedroom. I enlisted help, mainly from my parents, and sold the most candy in the entire K-6 elementary school. I won that television and I still work in TV today.

Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible? (Please share a story or an example for each)

Here are five strategies to harness tenacity and overcome naysayers:

1. Cultivate a Positive Mindset: Surround yourself with supportive individuals and engage in positive self-talk. This helps counter negativity and builds resilience against doubt. Mindset is everything. Fear will play tricks on you but you have to stay in a positive and goal-oriented mindset. This will help you walk through the fear and make it to the other side. People say to be fearless but you need to fear less. Believe in yourself a little more than you do. Starting the business I knew I needed to be positive, move through the challenges, and believe that we could make it work. Everyone says if you make it through your first five years, then you really have something. But we were in our fifth year when we felt everything was imploding and we were dying. But I stayed in a positive mindset and went back to the basics. We put to work what we knew had worked before, the three C’s — community, cold calling, and commitment. We dove deep into the community, picked up the phones, and stayed committed to our passion. And we made it through stronger and better than ever.

2. Set Clear Goals and Manifest: Define specific, achievable goals that align with your vision. Break them down into smaller, manageable tasks to maintain focus and motivation. Have a clear vision of what you want the end goal to be and then take the first step. You don’t have to know all the steps to get you there — the how reveals itself along the way. One of my biggest manifestations was in January 2018 when I took out a $200,000 loan to launch our Title-17 video production day program. This was a huge risk because, at the time, we didn’t even have a program yet. I had no clue how to run a day program or how to work with neurodivergent and developmentally disabled populations. But I saw that we could make a difference and I know if we just kept taking the steps that were opening in front of us, we would be successful. So, I made it my goal and manifested that we would be approved– two months later in March 2018, we were. And our program opened in May 2018. Even then, there were still moments of uncertainty. Once we began, I was unsure how I was going to pay myself back. The program itself started to incur a lot of costs. But I kept taking the steps and knew the hows would reveal themself. And once it did, I began my next manifestation.

3. Start Before You Are Ready: Don’t wait for the right time or everything is all set, start now. Fear is always going to tell you you’re not ready. You never know how something is going to roll out but you need to have faith that the next step will reveal itself after taking that first step. There will never be a perfect time, so just go for it and do it now. When I started the nonprofit, I kept putting it off. The idea came to me a couple of months before we had our first meeting. I was telling people they should be on our board… before there was even an organization. But I kept putting it off, unsure how to start a nonprofit or exactly how it was even going to work. Finally, someone said to me, “Just call a meeting. Just do it.” So I did. I started the determination paperwork after that first meeting and decided I had a nonprofit until someone told me I didn’t. And fortunately, the IRS agreed with me and ten years later we are a thriving nonprofit. This also applies to when we began our day program. I had no idea how to work with a neurodivergent and developmentally disabled population or how to even write a Title-17 program. I was given 65 pages of paperwork and reading and I felt overwhelmed. But I knew I could do it again. With one step at a time, I was able to develop the curriculum and our program was approved by the IRC. Looking back on everything, I only needed to take the leap and the hows would reveal themselves. And for everyone wanting to start their new adventure– just do it. Don’t prepare, begin.

4. Celebrate Small Wins Acknowledge and celebrate your progress, no matter how small: This reinforces your commitment and encourages you to persist, even in the face of skepticism. I am a big believer in creating a “Badass List.” Everyone should write down their wins and accomplishments. This helps remind you of everything you have done and refind your confidence when you are in a slump. It creates momentum. Celebrating your tiny wins will lead to big victories. So, make sure you celebrate the small just like you would the big. Make time to feel them and know what they mean to you. Otherwise, you are constantly chasing the next shiny option and never truly happy or fulfilled. When I first started receiving PR offers, I was excited to be featured in magazines and websites of any size. My goal is to be on Sunday Morning but I know I have to work my way up there. I do podcasts and articles to get my name and my business out there. I celebrate the small media wins in the broadcast world from local to national. I celebrate all of them, then go back and do them again. Every bit of recognition and coverage is important and I appreciate every single one.

5. Learn from Setback: View challenges and failures as learning opportunities. Analyze what went wrong, adjust your approach, and keep moving forward with renewed determination. Discomfort is temporary growth is permanent. You must push through that to get to the other side and experience growth. For me, one of my setbacks was becoming a leader. Going from a small mom-and-pop shop where I did everything to having employees I had to manage was difficult. I had to learn how to step back and not micromanage. It was a challenge to loosen the leash and provide more of a vision, rather than hovering over my team. It was uncomfortable at times and I know I had some employees walk out the door because of my inability to let go. However, I have adapted and learned, letting my current employees learn my style and leadership vision, and I know I can trust them to take the reins. Now I have people who walk with me as opposed to following me.

By implementing these strategies, you can strengthen your tenacity and pursue what others may deem impossible.

What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?

“If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” — Dolly Parton

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning about dancing the rain” — Vivian Green

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

The movement I am currently working on — spreading the arts across America. The arts touch every industry. They help communities thrive. They entertain, inform, educate, share history, market, and advertise. They bring collaboration and are inclusive. And, like what it taught me when I was only that younger second grader, it teaches grit and determination. My goal is to inspire creatives and entrepreneurs to start their own creative academies. Through our mentorship and business model, they will be able to provide the arts in an inclusive environment like JDS Creative Academy does. I want others to be inspired by the arts like the way I am every day.

Can our readers follow you on social media?

Yes of course! We have multiple accounts across most platforms to cover all aspects of both the nonprofit organization and the for-profit businesses. Follow me on Instagram @dianestrand and the studio @jdsstudiotemecula. Check out our website jdsstudio.live for more information on us!

Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!