Wendy Diamond

Last updated

Wendy E. Diamond is an American philanthropist, entrepreneur, and television personality. She is the founder and CEO of LDP Ventures, [1] [2] an investment company focused on socially responsible ventures. Diamond is also the founder of the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization. [3] Diamond is the creator of Animal Fair Media Inc., a media platform related to pets and pop culture.

Contents

Early life and education

Diamond was born in Chagrin Falls, Ohio and in 1992, graduated from Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts with an associate's degree. [4] [5]

Awards and honors

* In 2019, Diamond received the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Award [8] at the United Nations in recognition of her lifetime achievements.

Career

Author

Diamond self-published two cookbooks, A Musical Feast and An All-Star Feast. [9] These cookbooks raised about $200,000 for various homeless charities, including the National Coalition for the Homeless, New York; Empty the Shelters; and the Coalition on Homelessness-San Francisco. [10]

The recipes featured in the cookbooks are from musicians, including Madonna (a "cholesterol" cherry torte made with Dream Whip, margarine, and canned cherry-pie filling), Seal (penne with a broccoli and tomato sauce), Mick Jagger shrimp curry), and Dolly Parton (a French custard and meringue dessert). The cookbook featured work from artists and photographers, and Nabisco agreed to underwrite the production costs. [10]  A Musical Feast was featured in People Magazine, and Diamond made appearances on Oprah and Howard Stern to promote the book as well as raise awareness for the issue of homelessness in America.

Diamond’s next book, The All Star Feast Cookbook, featured athletes and their favorite recipes, including Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Pat Riley, Keyshawn Johnson, Caitlyn Jenner, Joe Frazier, Rebecca Lobo, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, William Perry, David Cohen, Charlie Ward, Wayne Gretzky, Martin Brodeur, Mickey Mantle, Brook Robinson, Andre Agassi, Joe Montana, Martina Navratilova, Oscar De La Hoya, Nancy Lopez, Arnold Palmer, Mario and Michael Andretti, Adam Graves, Brian Boitana, Scott Hamilton, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, Alexi Lalas, Frank Gifford, John Harkes, and Joe Theismann. [ citation needed ] The All Star Feast Cookbook served as a fundraising tool for various charitable organizations, including the Special Olympics, Women's Sports Foundation, and the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. [ citation needed ]

Her chance meeting with Marvin Girouard, the chairman of Pier 1 Imports, led to her cookbooks being sold in stores. [11]

Animal Fair magazine

Diamond is the founder and CEO of Animal Fair Media, Inc., a pet lifestyle media platform that combines celebrity culture with animal rescue and welfare. Diamond established the company after adopting her dog, Lucky Diamond, a purebred rescue Maltese, and her cat, Pasha, a Russian Blue. She was moved to action after learning that 12 million animals were euthanized annually and aimed to promote animal adoption and rescue through popular culture. [12] [ non-primary source needed ]

Bloomberg has described Diamond as the "first to cross-breed two American passions: celebrity and pets." [13] She is the founder and editor of Animal Fair Magazine, which highlights non-profit animal organizations, provides pet parenting and health tips, and showcases celebrities and their pets. It has featured celebrities including Beyoncé Knowles, [14] Halle Berry, Paris Hilton, [15] Jessica Biel, and Serena Williams,

Diamond and Animal Fair gained recognition for promoting rescue dog adoptions through media appearances. They have made appearances on major television networks such as NBC's Today Show, CBS, Good Morning America, and Fox News, as well as media outlets worldwide. During these appearances, they showcase dogs up for adoption and feature lifestyle pet segments to raise awareness about animal welfare issues and promote responsible pet parenting. [16] [17]

Television career

Diamond has appeared on television series including Single in the City on the WE: Women's Entertainment network, Lucky Travels on Animal Planet and Relationship Rehab on the Style Network. [16] She frequently contributes to Today , Fox News Channel, CNN, Good Morning America and has appeared on The View, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Extra (TV series), MTV, VH1, and E!. She was dubbed by The New Yorker as the "Martha Stewart of the Milk and Bone dish", [18]

In Summer 2008, Diamond was featured as one of the judges of the summer CBS series Greatest American Dog alongside Victoria Stilwell and American Kennel Club board member, Allan Reznick. [19] Diamond served as a judge alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Betty White for the American Humane Association's Hero Dog Awards on The Hallmark Channel. [20]

K9s For Warriors

Diamond supports K9s for Warriors, an organization that rescues sheltered dogs and trains them as service dogs for veterans with PTSD. [21] [22]

She donated the proceeds from her Bark Breakfast Benefit Tour and How To Train Your Boss To Rollover to the charity and enlisted supporters E's Alicia Quarles and Glee's Jane Lynch. [23] [24] [25] [26]

Other ventures

Diamond's production company Lucky Diamond Productions are Executive Producers and Creator of the pilot for NBC Mutt Makeover, Executive Producer and Host of Paws for Style Special on Fox. Lucky Diamond Production's latest project is In Search Of Puppy Love, a docucomedy that premiered at the Boston Film Festival and also played at the Cancun International Film Festival. [16] The film is based on Wendy's Yappy Hour Rescue Tour that raised over $200,000 for animal rescue and featured celebrity appearances and interviews [16] [ better source needed ]

Diamond was appointed to the World Entrepreneurs Day Advisory Board in March 2010 as Chief Pet Officer [27] She later spoke at the World Entrepreneur's Day kickoff on April 14 at the UN. [28] She later founded the Women's Entrepreneurship Day, held annually on November 19 since 2014. [29]

Diamond and her dog, Lucky, served as the celebrity Grand Marshals for the 2010 Krewe of Barkus Mardi Gras parade on February 7, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. [30] [31] [32] Diamond also co-chaired and hosted the unveiling of the Katrina Pet Memorial for animals affected by Hurricane Katrina [33] [34]

On June 12, 2010 Diamond spoke at the H+ Summit (an event considering issues within transhumanism) hosted by the student organization Harvard College Future Society in conjunction with Humanity+. [35] Her talk examined her projections for the future of pets and the pet industry. [35] That year she also held the Yappy Hour Rescue Tour, which visited 15 different US cities to raise money for local animal rescue groups. [36]

In November 2011, Lucky Diamond earned the Guinness World Record for most photographed dog with celebrities. [37] [38] At that date, Lucky had taken a total of 363 photos with celebrities. [37] [38] In 2012, Diamond's pet Baby Hope Diamond served as bride a charity event that set the Guinness World Record for most expensive pet wedding. The total cost was $270,000, donated from donors raising awareness for the Humane Society of New York. The donated amount was about $250,000 higher than the previous record holder. An additional $50,000 was raised for the society on top of the in-kind donations to the ceremony. Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog served as the ceremony's officiant, and the other dog in the ceremony was the winner of an online vote. [39]

Selected bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal shelter</span> Place where stray animals are housed

An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of agricultural communities, where stray livestock would be penned or impounded until they were claimed by their owners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicken Soup for the Soul</span> American self-help, consumer goods and media company

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is an American self-help, consumer goods and media company based in Cos Cob, Connecticut. It is known for the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. The first book, like most subsequent titles in the series, consisted of inspirational true stories about ordinary people's lives. The books are widely varied, each with a different theme. Today, Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC continues to publish about twelve new books per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dogs Trust</span> Largest dog welfare charity (started in 1891)

Dogs Trust, known until 2003 as the National Canine Defence League, is a British animal welfare charity and humane society which specialises in the well-being of dogs. It is the largest dog welfare charity in the United Kingdom, caring for over 15,000 animals each year. Dogs Trust's primary objective is to protect all dogs in the UK and elsewhere from maltreatment, cruelty and suffering. It focuses on the rehabilitation and rehoming of dogs which have been either abandoned or given up by their owners through rehoming services.

Wendy Turner-Webster is an English journalist, television presenter and animal rights campaigner.

The Mystic Krewe of Barkus is a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade where participants are dogs costumed according to a central parade theme. The annual event is organized by the Krewe of Barkus, a nonprofit organization that promotes adoption and rescue of homeless animals in New Orleans. The Mystic Krewe of Barkus makes fun of the more traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras parades and is the only Mardi Gras "krewe" in New Orleans created for dogs.

Best Friends Animal Society, (BFAS) founded in its present form in 1993, is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization based in Kanab, Utah with satellite offices in Atlanta, Georgia, Bentonville, Arkansas, Houston, Texas, Los Angeles, California, New York City, and Salt Lake City, Utah. It also has a partnership network with shelters, rescue groups and members in all 50 states and Washington, DC, to promote pet adoption, no-kill animal rescue, and spay-and-neuter practices. Best Friends has a 3-star 'Give With Confidence' rating from Charity Navigator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocket Dog Rescue</span> American nonprofit organization

Rocket Dog Rescue is a volunteer nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California, devoted to pet adoption and animal rescue. It is the most prominent of several local private organizations that save dogs from euthanasia by caring for them and finding new families. The program places dogs from animal shelters in the San Francisco Bay Area into foster homes while awaiting adoption. It also treats medical and behavioral problems such as socialization issues, neuters and spays the animals, and provides vaccines, so as to make their animals adoptable.

BAD RAP is an animal welfare and rescue group based in Oakland, California, devoted to caring for and improving the public image of pit bull terriers as pets.

<i>Shelter Dogs</i> 2003 American documentary film

Shelter Dogs is a 2003 documentary film directed and produced by Cynthia Wade about animal welfare in the United States and the ethics of animal euthanasia. Following a particular Upstate New York animal shelter and its staff over a three-year time span, Wade gives her audience a complex, honest look at the situations that arise when it comes to homeless animals and some of the difficult, controversial decisions that must be made within them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human–canine bond</span> Interspecies relationship

Human–canine bonding is the relationship between dogs and humans. This relationship can be traced back to at least 15,000 years ago, to the Bonn-Oberkassel dog, who was found buried alongside two humans. For centuries, dogs have been considered man's best friend. This is most evident in western countries, such as the United States, where over 48% of households have a pet dog.

Cynthia Bathurst is an animal welfare advocate, winner of a national veterinary award, and founder and director of Safe Humane Chicago, a nonprofit which includes the first of its kind Court Case Dog Program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucky Diamond (dog)</span> Female dog

Lucky Diamond was a female Maltese owned by Wendy Diamond, media personality and publisher of Animal Fair Magazine. Lucky is the current Guinness World Record holder for most photographed dog with celebrities.

Clay Myers is an American photographer, videographer and animal welfare advocate best known for his portraits of rescued companion animals.

Dumb Friends League (DFL) is an animal shelter based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1910, DFL is the largest independent, nonprofit community-based animal shelter/humane society in the Rocky Mountain region.

The Southampton Animal Shelter is operated by the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization no-kill pet rescue and adoption center, that cares for homeless animals in the Southampton, New York, community of 22 towns, and places them in permanent homes. It is located at 102 Old Riverhead Road West, Hampton Bays, New York. The facility is also home to a low-cost veterinary wellness center that offers affordable spay and neuter surgeries, vaccinations, pet dental, microchipping and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lychee and Dog Meat Festival</span> Food festival in Yulin, China

The Lychee and Dog Meat Festival is an annual festival held in Yulin, Guangxi, China, during the summer solstice in which festival goers eat dog meat and lychees. The festival began in 2009 and spans about ten days during which thousands of dogs are reportedly consumed. The festival has drawn criticism domestically and internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soi Dog Foundation</span> Thai nonprofit organisation

The Soi Dog Foundation is a nonprofit organisation for the welfare of stray dogs and cats. Its headquarters is in Phuket, Thailand, and it is a legally registered nonprofit organisation in Thailand, the US, Canada, Australia, France, UK, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Its primary goal is to care for homeless and abused dogs in Thailand. It was established by British couple John and Gill Dalley with the help of Margot Homburg Park in Phuket in 2003.

K9s For Warriors is an American charity and veterans service organization that provides service dogs to veterans. The organization trains rescue dogs to help veterans coping with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, post-9/11 issues and other psychological challenges associated with military service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embark</span> Sri Lankan animal welfare organization

Embark is a Sri Lankan animal rescue and welfare organization. Since 2007, Embark has been conducting rescues, adoptions, sterilizations, vaccinations, education programmes and advocacy campaigns for the welfare of homeless dogs, cats and other animals. Embark was founded by the award-winning entrepreneur, conservationist and advocate Otara Gunewardene.

A New Leash on Life: The K9s for Warriors Story is a 2018 documentary film written and directed by Nick Nanton.

References

  1. ↑ Team, NEAR (2022-09-12). "NEARCON Highlights". NEAR Protocol. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  2. ↑ "Medha Parlikar Is Lifting Women From Web 2.0 to Web 3.0". Real Vision. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  3. ↑ "Wendy Diamond - Agenda Contributor". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  4. ↑ http://www.pmc.edu/Websites/pmc/Images/bulletin/1011winterbulletin.pdf [ dead link ]
  5. ↑ "Who is Wendy Diamond? Founder and Chief Pet Officer - Animal Fair Media, Inc". June 13, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Celebrating the Former President of Malawi Dr. Joyce Banda, and other 2015 GC4W Global Women Champions – life and health". Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  7. ↑ Honor, Ellis Island Medals of (2018-04-04). "A salute to Women's History Month and some of the powerful women we've honored". Medium. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  8. ↑ "WEDO ANNUAL PIONEER AWARDS 2019". Women's Entrepreneurship Day. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  9. ↑ "February 2007's WOOF Patrol Extraordinaire". woofpatrol.com. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  10. 1 2 Hamlin, Suzanne (May 29, 1996). "Stylish New Cookbooks That Have Charitable Intentions". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ "'MUSICAL FEAST' WILL BENEFIT THE HOMELESS". Deseret News. 1996-03-19. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  12. ↑ "About Wendy Diamond". animalfair.com. June 13, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Pet Project". Bloomberg.com. 1999-11-08. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  14. ↑ "Beyonce's Munchie is top dog". Digital Spy. 2005-01-21. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  15. ↑ "Pet nation". NBC News. June 12, 2005. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Wendy Diamond". IMDb .
  17. ↑ Chuck Yarborough, The Plain Dealer (2010-02-07). "Chagrin Falls' author Wendy Diamond finds humanity and national fame in connection to animals". cleveland. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  18. ↑ "The Talk of the Town". The New Yorker.
  19. ↑ "Reality TV goes to the dogs" [usurped] , Bill Harris, Sun Media, July 4, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Hero Dog Awards Judges". Hallmark Chanel. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  21. ↑ Team, BlogPaws (2013-11-07). "K9s for Warriors Making Big Impact". BlogPaws. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  22. ↑ "PHOTOS: Group Rescues Doomed Shelter Dogs To Save Veterans". HuffPost. 2013-07-23. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  23. ↑ Bonghi, Gabrielle (November 15, 2013). "Help pair war veterans with rescued service dogs at 'Bark Business Tour'". Inquirer. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  24. ↑ "Heidi Klum with Dog: Photo". People. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  25. ↑ EntirelyPets.com (sales@entirelypets.com). "Support the Troops with Every Purchase: Bayer Partners with K9s For Warriors". www.entirelypets.com. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  26. ↑ Staff, Pet Age (2015-03-24). "Bayer Runs Campaign with K9s For Warriors". Pet Age. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  27. ↑ "WED Welcomes Animal Fair Founder Wendy Diamond to Advisory Board". Worldeshipday.com. March 18, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  28. ↑ "WED @ the UN". Worldeshipday.com. April 16, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  29. ↑ Roxana Mironescu (November 20, 2014). "Women entrepreneurs under the spotlight in Luxembourg". Luremburger Wort. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Author of 'It's A Dog's World' named celebrity Grand Marshal of Barkus". nola.com. January 19, 2010.
  31. ↑ "Barkus Parade Mardi Gras". answers.com.
  32. ↑ "2010 Krewe Of Barkus Mardi Gras Parade". life.com. February 7, 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  33. ↑ "ANIMAL ADVOCATES FRANCES HAYWARD & WENDY DIAMOND HOST KATRINA PET MEMORIAL & HUMANE SOCIETY OF LOUISIANA BENEFIT HOURS BEFORE ONSET OF HURRICANE GUSTÅV". blacktiemagazine.com.
  34. ↑ "Animal Fair Magazine's 6th Annual Yappy Hour Benefit". life.com.[ permanent dead link ]
  35. 1 2 "2010 H+ Summit @ Harvard: Wendy Diamond – The Future Of Pets". Hplussummit.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  36. ↑ Carter, Kelly (March 31, 2010). "Q&A: Wendy Diamond on traveling with pets". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  37. 1 2 "GWR Day: From Kim Kardashian to Kanye West – how Lucky the dog bagged the most celebrity pictures world record". Guinnessworldrecords.com. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  38. 1 2 "Animal Most Photographed with Celebrities: 'Lucky' the dog sets world record (Video)". Worldrecordsacademy.org. Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  39. ↑ "NYC Dog Wedding Sets a New World Record". ABC News .
  40. ↑ Canfield, Jack; Hansen, Mark Victor; Newmark, Amy (September 22, 2009). Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Cat. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   9781935096375 . Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  41. ↑ Canfield, Jack; Hansen, Mark Victor; Newmark, Amy (September 22, 2009). Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   9781935096382 . Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  42. ↑ Muniz, Irene (April 24, 2010). "A dogged lifestyle pursuit". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.