Animal Fair magazine's Founder Wendy Diamond: True Gem
Wendy Diamond's business savvy and instinctive inclination towards posh affairs is well grounded in a love for people and animals.
Wendy will never get lost in a crowd for a number of reasons:
- Her trademark eyes fall between blue-green pantone shades of backlit Capri and air-brushed stratosphere-like tones.
- She has an infectious laugh that is often compared to the sound of a siren.
- Her undeniable talent is to be able to spark a conversation with anyone including dogs, cats, cockatoos and every A-Lister in Hollywood.
- Her drive. She's determined and justified in talking up her latest project; a dogumentary: In Search of True Puppy Love.
- Lucky, her rescued Maltese and Animal Fair's mascot, drags Wendy to every event. She is a true party pooch that lives for red carpet adventures.
- Both Wendy and Lucky are single women that are irresistible, unavoidable and available.
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Wendy grew up in Chagrin Falls, a picturesque village of 4000 residents, about 40 minutes from downtown Cleveland. She majored in marketing at Pine Manor College near Boston and afterwards traveled Europe. Her entrepreneurial instincts led her to London,
where she lived for awhile and exported designer clothing to Russia. Early on, she realized success would come from being flexible and not judgmental. Her guiding principal was to accomplish her goals by adapting to necessary changes as needed and, when making deals, to do so in win-win fashion.
In 1995, her area code changed from 440 to 212, but in New York City her sensibility and common sense remained rock solid. A 23 year old success story, Wendy felt a need to redefine her career goals. She began volunteering for the Coalition for the Homeless. The experience inspired her to self-publish two cookbooks, "A Musical Feast" and "All Star Feast," compilations of recipes by famous musicians and well known sports figures. The proceeds from the sales were donated to charities. It was during this time that Yvonne Conza, WOOF Patrol's Founder, working at that time for artist Peter Max, met Wendy.
CONZA: "At that time Starbucks didn't populate Manhattan but you'd swear when meeting Wendy for the first time that she had already downed two double Mocha Frappuccionos. Her energy level likens itself to a blast off at the Kennedy Space Center on a sunny day. She introduced me to her beloved rescues: Pasha, a Russian Blue cat, and Lucky, a formidable Maltese. Both had big plans for Wendy to pursue."
DIAMOND: "Animal Fair came about because Pasha and Lucky had rescue issues. They were both in challenging places. There was little published material to guide me to better care for them."
Seven years ago with $2 million borrowed from family and friends, Wendy started
Animal Fair Magazine, a lifestyle publication for animal lovers. The magazine's focus provides a positive light that promotes animal welfare. It was the forerunner in creating a platform for the pet industry to be unleashed. Wendy, ahead of the times and with a heavy foot on the gas pedal, was not daunted by the critics that felt she was too eccentric.
Considered almost recession-proof, the pet industry touts average annual revenues of 35-49 billion. Critter-loving-pioneer Wendy saw the opportunity to make a difference that goes beyond profit. Her philanthropic endeavors far exceed her own personal income. She has spearheaded fundraising $1 million to benefit animal rescue charities. When asked for her charity of choice, her response: "Favorite charity . any that is an underdog."
Wendy may look familiar to you. She's a regular on the morning talk show circuit having appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The View and many others. She is also the host of her own show
Paws for Style. Currently, Diamond is wrapping up her first dogumentary titled:
In Search of True Puppy Love. A heartfelt film she describes as: "A movie about singles and how their pets play a role in the relationships they are in. Everyone remembers their first puppy love ... feeling you can spend the rest of your life with that person. That's what I wanted to capture."
Lucky Diamond is no ordinary mascot. She's busy as well with a career that began with,
'WHO GOT LUCKY?' Wendy penned the canine column to accommodate celebrity requests to hold and pet Lucky for the cameras. Borat's the first person from Kazakhstan Lucky has every met. She has also been in the company of Warren Beatty, Hugh Jackman, Barry Diller, Paris Hilton and many others.
Books by Wendy Diamond:
A Musical Feast
An All-Star Feast
What a Lucky Dog! How To Understand Men Through Their Dogs
How to Understand Women Through Their Cats
Television Firsts:
Single in the City - playing herself
Special on Animal Planet - Lucky Travels (This dog has been everywhere and met everyone!)
Web Adventure:
DearLucky.com
Dogumentary:
In Search of True Puppy Love
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