Creating What Matters to You

Armenian-American creator Diana Madison joined the Marlborough community for an All-School Meeting (ASM) hosted by the Armenian Student Association (ASA) on January 20. Ms. Madison is a multi-hyphenate creator and storyteller who shared her wealth of experience working in digital media, film, and beauty. Her visit provided insight into her impressive career and recent work in documentary storytelling that honors her Armenian heritage.

ASA President Alene A. ’26 introduced Ms. Madison at the start of the ASM: “We are so excited to host Diana Madison, a proud Armenian female entrepreneur, to speak about her inspiring journey and the role her Armenian heritage plays in her work.” 

The discussion with Ms. Madison was moderated by ASA members Kat B. ’28 and Sara B. ’27. They were eager for students to hear about, and be inspired by, Ms. Madison’s passion-filled career. Kat invited Ms. Madison to introduce herself, and Ms. Madison led by sharing the ways in which she carved out space for herself in the entertainment industry: “I grew up in a traditional Armenian immigrant home and I had no contacts in the industries I wanted to work in. I wanted to make it in Hollywood, I loved beauty and fashion.” She described betting on herself early in her career and branching out on her own, starting a YouTube channel in the early days of the platform. Through these efforts, her channel HollyScoop grew into Shandy Media, a digital production company and network generating billions of views.

After selling her media studio to Urban One in 2020, Ms. Madison dove into other passions. Sara asked, “You’ve had an incredible career in media, and then you pivoted to create your own beauty line. What was that 'lightbulb moment' when you realized you needed to create Diana Madison Beauty, and how did you find the courage to start over in a new industry?” 

Ms. Madison answered by sharing her definition of an entrepreneurial spirit: “When I see something that's missing, I put on my creator hat and create it. If you think there's a need—if you need it and you can't find it—then somebody else needs it too.”

Of her long and dynamic career, Kat inquired, “How has the Armenian community supported you throughout your career, and what advice do you have for us on how we can better support one another’s ambitions?” 

Ms. Madison spoke about the power of community, particularly her Armenian community, noting, “I am so lucky that the Armenian community has had my back from the HollyScoop days—on YouTube watching my first show, buying my first product. A lot of the ingredients I use for my beauty brand come from Armenia.” 

Another project driven by her heritage and supported by her community is her documentary, There’s No Place Like Home. Ms. Madison produced and directed this film focused on the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Artsakh. Lending her skills and platform to this important story, Ms. Madison emphasized students’ ability to use their own voices, saying, “Your voice is so powerful and your story is so powerful. Every single one of you here has a story, you have your ancestral heritage that affects you today. And what a beautiful thing for you to be able to know that you have a voice and a story to share with the world. And you just never know how it could affect the future generations to come.”

Ms. Madison’s visit showed students a shining example of what it means to bet on yourself, create what matters to you, and honor your unique voice in the process. To close the ASM, Sara asked, “If you could go back to when you were our age, what is the one piece of advice you would give your younger self?”

Ms. Madison replied, inspired in part by advice from her own 4th-grade daughter: “You are the author of your life, you write your book, you are the main character. And this is just one chapter, so make it good and have fun.”