What if the thing everyone told you that you couldn't do... was actually the thing you were meant to build your life around?
CreativePreneur is Diane’s memoir and business playbook in one: the story of how the tools she picked up on stage became the same tools she used to build companies, survive a recession and a pandemic, and turn creativity into a career, a calling, and a legacy.
In this book, you will learn:
- The D.R.E.A.M. framework — a step-by-step approach to turning a creative idea into a real, sustainable business.
- How to use “The Tools of the Arts” — as transferable business and leadership skills, whether or not you’ve ever set foot on a stage.
- Why visibility (not talent alone) creates opportunity — and how to build credibility and community on purpose instead of waiting to be discovered.
Your creative side is calling; time to answer.
About The Author
About
The Author
Diane Strand is a serial entrepreneur, executive producer, bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and founder of nonprofit JDS Creative Academy. Known as the CreativePreneur, Diane is on a mission to help the world rediscover creativity—not just as an art form, but as a way to lead, innovate, and build a life of purpose.
After a career in Hollywood, Diane founded JDS Video & Media Productions, an award-winning multimedia company that has partnered with businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies to tell authentic stories through video, television, and live events for over two decades.
With her husband, Scott Strand, Diane co-founded JDS Actors Studio, coaching aspiring actors, filmmakers, and storytellers, and launching hundreds of careers. Believing the arts transform lives, she also founded JDS Creative Academy, a 501(c)3 nonprofit advancing education and workforce development in the arts—honored in 2026 as Riverside County Third District Nonprofit of the Year.
Diane’s philosophy: businesses need more creativity, and creatives need more business structure. This belief anchors the CreativePreneur movement, inspiring leaders to combine imagination with strategy. At the heart of her work is another guiding principle: The ART is in the heART—the idea that impact comes from leading with authenticity and compassion.
As a producer and speaker, Diane champions creativity as a competitive advantage, with a special passion for inspiring her local high schools. Her core philosophy, H.O.P.E.—Helping One Person Every Day—drives her life’s work of helping others discover their gifts and build lasting impact.
"A rare business book with heart. Strand's journey from Hollywood soundstages to founding a nonprofit arts academy reads like a story you can't put down — and a strategy you can't ignore."
"This is the book every working artist wishes someone had handed them before they walked away from their day job."
"Part memoir, part masterclass — CreativePreneur proves that the same instincts that build a great performance can build a great business."
