Getting To Know: Social & Style Influencer Diana Madison

Content queen, Diana Madison is the co-founder of Obsev Studios, a digital media content powerhouse reaching over 500 million viewers each month.  A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, Diana landed coveted internships at E! And Entertainment Tonight, but noticed the lack of positions available for her to become an on-camera host.  Always a “go-getter” she decided to take matters into her own hands and generated the opportunity for herself, becoming one of the first You Tubers to develop a web-based talk show and interview series based on the same content you’d find on network television shows.

Diana’s shows air weekly on AOL, Amazon, Roku, YouTube, MSN, Daily Motion and Style Lab where she speaks to the most influential artists in the industry, such as J.Lo, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent, John Legend and supermodel Alessandra Ambrosia.

Diana gave BELLA the inside scoop on her drive and success and how she created her ultimate dream job…

Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I was born in Little Armenia (Los Angeles) to immigrant parents. I grew up looking at the Hollywood sign everyday in my backyard and dreaming of making it big. As a child, I greatly admired Oprah and wished to one day have a talk show like hers.  After realizing that getting an on camera hosting job was seemingly impossible, I decided to launch a blog and a YouTube channel and from there my career began in the digital world.

I was lucky enough to get interviews with major A List stars: Angelina Jolie, George Clooney and Brad Pitt for Hollyscoop, a blog and YouTube channel that I co-founded and began to get a lot of attention from my red carpet interviews.  That’s when I realized the true potential of the internet!

2017 has been one of the most successful years of my career. My interview with Amanda Bynes for the Lowdown went viral and has been seen by people in countries that I didn’t even know existed! Two of my shows Lowdown and Style Lab got picked up by Amazon Prime and DIRECTV and was a huge deal because I now syndicate my online shows to YouTube, AOL On, Amazon Prime, and DIRECTV.

I am also very excited for Glam Masters, a show that I created and am executive producing with Kim Kardashian to air on Lifetime February 28. Along with that I have four more shows – reality and scripted that are in the pipeline.

Can you tell us more about Style Lab?

Style Lab is my beauty tutorial and style show. I have talented artists from the hair and beauty world stop by my studio and give me tutorials on how to do amazing looks. I also get to talk about my personal style from seasonal fashion to makeup. I am very open and personal on this show and it’s something I love doing for my followers each week.

What kind of beauty regimes do you swear by?

I am very big on skincare and have been working on creating a skincare line for the past two years. I will showcase my first product in 2018. As a young girl, my mom taught me the value of taking care of my skin and I have been seeing the same facialist (Ruth’s Skin Care on Melrose in Los Angeles) since I was 14 years old.

They have the “Diana Facial” that I have been doing for years and I love to use a lot of face masks. I usually make trips to Koreatown and buy cool products that you can’t purchase anywhere else. I am a sucker for cool and innovative skin care products that will make your skin glow. I am also a new mom, so I like to use products that hydrate my skin and make it look like I’ve slept. I am also a big fan of L’Oreal’s clay masks that I use religiously.

How has it been working with Lifetime and Kim Kardashian on your new show, Glam Masters?

Kim is very inspirational…she’s a mom like myself and such a hard worker – it’s been such a pleasure working with her, Shed Productions, and the amazing team at Lifetime on this passion project.

I see that you’ve gone to New York and Paris Fashion Week. Who are your favorite designers?

I always go to New York to support designers that I have personal relationships with such as Michael Costello. I love attending Christian Siriano’s show because he always makes a statement by using diverse models.  I am Armenian and have curves so it’s always fun to see women who look like me on the runway.

In Paris, I love attending the Elie Saab show. He has the most beautiful gowns that are made for the red carpet. Since I do a lot of red carpets, it’s fun attending shows where I can scope out what dress I want to rock to an award show. I also love are Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, and Dior. The statements Dior are making for women is just remarkable, and I believe it’s such an amazing time in fashion for women.

Diana’s style tip: Ever since I was a little girl, I would look at fashion magazines and try to find versions of the look at more affordable stores. I love trends and always opt for looks that you can see on the runways of New York, Milan or Paris Fashion Week. I have kind of mastered how to get the looks for less. I have learned that when it comes to fashion, I like to splurge on accessories like shoes and handbags and go with more affordable fashion when it comes to clothes.

Are you excited for Awards Season? Which shows are you covering this season?

I LOVE Awards season – it’s literally my favorite time of year! This year I will be covering the Golden Globes and Oscars, which are my two favorite. It’s always so much fun getting dressed and walking the red carpet alongside so many talented individuals that I love and respect.

Who is your style icon?

I have always loved and admired Jacqueline Kennedy’s style. She always made a statement with what she wore and had such elegant and grace. I love to always make a statement with my own personal style. I am a big fan of Jennifer Lawrence and J Lo’s style. These girls definitely get it right. From their hair to makeup, they are on top of the style game.