Wendy Diamond

After moving to New York, Diamond had a chance encounter with a homeless man in front of the Plaza Hotel, which inspired her to volunteer at the Coalition for the Homeless. She rode the van to distribute food to the homeless and gained first-hand experience of the issue. One day on the van, she met ABC News anchor Peter Jennings, which motivated her to make a difference.

Diamond saw a friend's self-published cookbook for her family with their recipes and had an idea to create her own cookbook featuring the favorite recipes of celebrities to raise funds for homeless charities. This was the start of her entrepreneurial career in New York, and she self-published two cookbooks, A Musical Feast and An All-Star Feast.[10] 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.[11]

The recipes featured in the cookbooks are from more than 100 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 (a surprisingly mild shrimp curry), and Dolly Parton (a very good version of floating island, the classic French custard and meringue dessert). The cookbook also featured work from artists and photographers, and Nabisco agreed to underwrite the production costs.[11] A Musical Feast was featured all over the media including 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 over 130 star 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, Oscal De La Hoya, Nancy Lopez, Armond Palmer, Mario and Michael Andretti, Adam Graves, Brian Boitana, Scott Hamilton, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, Alexi Lalas, Frank Gifford, John Harkes, and Joe Theismann.

In addition to its culinary appeal, 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.

Diamond's ability to gather top athletes for the cookbook highlights her impact as a leader in the world of philanthropy and her dedication to improving the lives of others through her efforts. The All Star Feast Cookbook is a testament to Diamond's ongoing commitment to promoting charitable causes and her unwavering passion for bringing people together for a good cause.[12]

Her chance meeting with Marvin Girouard, the chairman of Pier 1 Imports, led to her cookbooks being sold in stores, further increasing the reach of her charitable work.[13]

Diamond is the founder and CEO of Animal Fair Media, Inc., a prominent 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.[14]

Diamond has been recognized as a pioneer in the pet industry for successfully merging the realms of celebrity and pet advocacy. Bloomberg has described her as the "first to cross-breed two American passions: celebrity and pets."[15] Under Diamond's leadership, Animal Fair Magazine has played a significant role in the pet world as a pioneer in promoting animal adoption. The magazine has been at the forefront of featuring celebrities and their pets, establishing a trend of showcasing adopted pets in the media. Animal Fair Magazine was the first publication to feature well-known figures and their adopted pets, helping to bring attention to the importance of animal adoption and the rewards of providing a loving home for shelter animals.

Animal Fair Magazine’s premiere issue featured Renee Zellweger and her dog, Dylan, on its cover.[16] The magazine is dedicated to highlighting non-profit animal organizations, providing pet parenting and health tips, and showcasing celebrities and their pets. It has featured a host of A-list celebrities including Beyoncé Knowles,[17] Halle Berry, Paris Hilton,[18] Regis Philbin, Charlize Theron, Pamela Anderson, Ashley Tisdale, Shania Twain, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Serena Williams, Kim Cattrall, Matt Leinart, Hilary Duff, Eric McCormack, Kristen Bell, Bo Derek, Diane Lane, Alicia Silverstone, Hayden Panettiere[19] and LeAnn Rimes.[14]

Diamond and Animal Fair gained recognition for promoting rescue dog adoptions through media appearances. They have made regular 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.[20][21]

By highlighting the bond between celebrities and their rescue pets, Animal Fair Magazine has helped to destigmatize adoption and promote the idea that rescue animals can make wonderful companions. The magazine's efforts to increase awareness about the benefits of adoption have inspired countless readers to adopt pets of their own. As a result, Diamond and Animal Fair Magazine's contributions have made a lasting impact in the world of animal welfare.[22]

Animal Fair Magazine is known for its advocacy for animal welfare, and its coverage has brought attention to various non-profit organizations dedicated to animal rescue and protection. It has also been instrumental in educating pet parents about responsible pet parenting and providing them with valuable tips for the health and well-being of their pets. Overall, Animal Fair Magazine has had a positive impact on animal welfare and has helped to raise awareness of important issues related to pet care and responsible pet parenting. The Cleveland Plain Dealer quoted Diamond as saying, "There's a perfect dog for everyone, and there's a perfect dog parent for every dog. It's actually incorrect to say 'owner'." It has been influential in shaping public opinion and has helped to inspire people to take action to improve the lives of animals."[23]

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.[20] She frequently contributes to Today, Fox News Channel, CNN, Good Morning America and has appeared in countless other media outlets worldwide, including The View, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Extra (TV series), Forbes, The New York Times, People, Vogue, MTV, VH1, and E!. She has been dubbed by The New Yorker as the "Martha Stewart of the Milk and Bone dish",[24] New York Post called her the "Pet Diva",[25] and Forbes dubbed her the "Canine Queen".[19] In Summer 2008, Diamond was featured as one of the judges of the summer CBS prime-time series Greatest American Dog alongside Victoria Stilwell and American Kennel Club board member, Allan Reznick.[26] Diamond served as a judge alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Betty White for the American Humane Association's Hero Dog Awards on The Hallmark Channel.[27]

Diamond's philanthropic efforts were instrumental in raising awareness and support for K9s for Warriors, an organization that rescues sheltered dogs and trains them as service dogs for veterans with PTSD. After learning from her friend, Craigslist founder, Craig Newmark, that a veteran commits suicide every 65 minutes, Diamond found K9s for Warriors and was motivated to bring them into the public eye.[28][29]

To achieve this, she dedicated her book tour, Bark Breakfast Benefit Tour, of one of her bestselling books, How To Train Your Boss To Rollover, to support K9s for Warriors. During the tour, she enlisted celebrity and high-profile supporters like E's Alicia Quarles, Glee's Jane Lynch,[30][31] Raising Hope star Garret Dillahunt, Hallmark's Home & Family's Mark Steines, NBC's Chicago Fire cast-members Taylor Kinney, Joe Minoso and (former U.S. Marine) David Eigenberg, NBC's Law and Order SVU's Danny Pino, The Go-Go's, Los Angeles Lakers' Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson, Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints Sean Payton, Metropolitan Opera Singer Alyson Cambridge, Showtime's Homeland's Amy Hargreaves, John Ingram, and Fox News Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry, among many others. Sponsors of the Bark Breakfast Benefit Tour included Halo, Purely for Pets,[28] American Express Open, The Loews Hotels, and OMNI pet-friendly hotels.[22][29][32]

The media coverage of Diamond's efforts, including CNN, NBC Today Show, and People Magazine, among others, brought awareness to K9s for Warriors, which was relatively unknown before.[31][33] The Bark Breakfast Benefit Tour raised over $250,000 for K9s for Warriors and helped match 25 veterans with rescue dogs trained to be service dogs.

As a result of the exposure and success of the Bark Breakfast Benefit Tour, Bayer funded the program, further increasing support and recognition for the work of K9s for Warriors.[34][35] Diamond's dedication and tireless efforts have helped to make a real difference in the lives of veterans struggling with PTSD, while also providing loving homes for rescued shelter dogs.[28]

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.[20] The film is based on Wendy's Yappy Hour Rescue Tour that raised over $200,000 for animal rescue and features celebrity appearances and interviews with Warren Beatty, Hugh Hefner, Jeremy Piven, Paula Abdul, Kathy Griffin, Hilary and Haylie Duff, Betty White, Fred Willard, Delta Burke, Moby, Aaron Pike, and many others.[20]

Diamond was appointed to the World Entrepreneurs Day Advisory Board in March 2010 as Chief Pet Officer[36] She later spoke at the World Entrepreneur's Day kickoff on April 14 at the UN.[37] She later founded the Women's Entrepreneurship Day, held annually on November 19, with the first day held in 2014.[38]

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.[39][40][41] Diamond also co-chaired and hosted the unveiling of the Katrina Pet Memorial for animals affected by Hurricane Katrina[42][43]

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+.[44] Her talk examined her projections for the future of pets and the pet industry.[44] That year she also held the Yappy Hour Rescue Tour, which visited 15 different US cities to raise money for local animal rescue groups.[45]

In November 2011, Lucky Diamond earned the Guinness World Record for most photographed dog with celebrities.[46][47] At that date, Lucky had taken a total of 363 photos with celebrities.[46][47] In 2012, Diamond's pet Baby Hope Diamond as a part of the Guinness World Record for most expensive pet wedding. The total cost was $270,000, all entirely 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 used in the ceremony was the winner of an online vote.[48]

In 2015 Diamond sued an online stalker that had been sending false and defamatory emails with the intention of ruining her reputation since 2010, including false claims about the allocation of funds raised in her fundraisers.[49]