VBJ December 22 Online

THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL
8 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com
December 2022
JDS Studios: Year in Review 2022
by Yanessa Hernandez
JDS Studios is grateful to have experienced
another eventful and successful
year, full of opportunities providing the
community with creative and digital art
experiences.
In 2022, JDS Studios strived to give
back to the community through its five
entities: JDS Creative Academy, Spirit
of Innovation, DigiFest Temecula®,
JDS Actors Studio, and JDS Video &
Media Productions. Co-founders Scott
and Diane Strand are always seeking
ways to promote growth, inclusion, and
accessibility and this past year has been
filled with just that.
JDS Creative Academy (JDSCA)
kicked off 2022 as Positive. TV’s nonprofit
of the month for January, an opportunity
where the #JDSFamily shared
their message with the network’s viewers.
JDSCA is excited to be asked back
to collaborate with them this December
and throughout 2023 - make sure to keep
a lookout for a familiar face!
In March, JDSCA welcomed the
Temecula Valley Chamber (TVCC) and
its members to the Studio for the March
evening mixer, and the following month
JDSCA was honored with winning the
TVCC Emerald Nonprofit of the Year
Award, which brought buzz and excitement
to staff, job training participants,
and creative arts students! It was an
award-winning year for JDSCA as they
also won two Anthem Awards: a bronze
Anthem award for “Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion,” and a silver Anthem
Award for “Best Local Engagement”
which recognized the JDSCA job training
participants’ hard work on SOI Update -
their weekly local news program.
While being recognized for hard
work and dedication is an honor, the
#JDSFamily also has a passion for giving
back.One of their largest donations of
2022 was their Art in a Box donation to
Michelle’s Place, a local nonprofit that
serves as a free cancer resource center
for the community.
Diane was inspired to put together
this thoughtfully curated art curriculum
with supplies for Michelle’s Place when
Kim Gerrish mentioned that offering art
classes was becoming an unobtainable
expense for the organization. As an advocate
for the arts, Diane knew that if
anyone could help them, it was JDSCA!
This is just the beginning for JDSCA, as
the Arts Across California campaign is
set to launch in 2023.
JDSCA also had a successful year
of creative classes and events during the
spring and fall. The spring showcase was
a hit with its production of West Side
Story, which showcased the dedication
and talent of musical theater and fashion/
backstage design students. This month,
the community can enjoy the winter
showcase performance on December
17 and 18. Fall classes also held their
7th annual Haunted Studio fundraiser,
presented by the design, build and haunt
class, which raised over $4,500.00 in
scholarship funds.
DigFest Temecula® celebrated its
6th annual event, bringing in digital
work from around the world along with
renowned Emmy-winning presenters and
speakers.Submissions for DigFest 2023
are open. Get your digital entries ready
and plan to attend the 7th annual event
on April 21, 22, and 23, 2023.
Spirit of Innovation, JDSCA’s magazine-style
news showu\, had a great year
of sharing Riverside County’s good-toknow
and need-to-know news. In June,
the Spirit of Innovation team sent host,
Mia Digenan, off with good wishes due to
her Achilles heel injury, which provided
an opportunity to highlight community
stakeholders as guest hosts.
JDS Actors Studio and JDS Productions,
also kicked off the year with
the exciting news, with a nomination
for Bronze business of the year by the
TVCC. This fall, JDS Actors Studio
launched some new acting careers with
their industry showcase, not only was the
showcase a success, but JDSCA connected
five participants from the job training
program with an agent who specializes in
representing adults with developmental
disabilities. Scott and Diane Strand’s
personal highlight was the release of
their highly anticipated published book,
SHOW BUSINESS Breaking into the
Industry as an Actor, which quickly became
a #1 best-seller in the performing
arts industry. Be on the lookout for their
next book on entrepreneurship coming
in 2023. The little actors acting class is
back for ages 4-6 on Mondays beginning
January 9 from 4-5 p.m.
Going into the new year, the community
can expect another year dedicated
to creating pathways in the visual,
performing, and digital arts. JDSCA
spring classes kick off Monday, January
23, 2023. Actors Studio classes resume
Thursday, January 5. Be sure to keep up
with the #JDSFamily, on JDSCA.org and
JDSActorsStudio.com. or, call the studio
at (951) 296-6715.
Scott A. Wilson Celebrated for Dedication to
the Field of Tourism
Scott A. Wilson has been included
in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis
Who’s Who biographical volumes,
individuals profiled are selected on the
basis of current reference value. Factors
such as position, noteworthy accomplishments,
visibility, and prominence in a
field are all taken into account during the
selection process.
Backed by years of practiced expertise,
Mr. Wilson presently excels as the
President and Chief Executive Officer
of Visit Temecula Valley. Previously, he
worked as the director of hotel sales with
Pechanga Resort & Casino, and Vice
President of Sales for Monterey County
Convention & Visitors Bureau. During
the early stages of his career, Mr. Wilson
also gained valuable expertise in executive
roles with Aramark, the Las Vegas
Convention and Visitors Authority, and
Caesars Entertainment Corporation.
Outside of his current work, Mr.
Wilson contributes to his community as
a board member of Visit California, a
member of the board of directors for the
California Travel Association, and he
works with the Temecula Valley Chamber
of Commerce on their community workforce
development committee. Scott has
also been involved with the Temecula
Murrieta group of business professionals
and often partners with the Temecula
Valley Wine Growers Association and the
Old Town Temecula Association. Scott
and his wife Deidre are supporters of Michelle’s
Place, a local full-service cancer
resource center. Before embarking on his
professional journey, Mr. Wilson earned
a Bachelor of Business Administration in
Finance from Michigan State University.
In recognition of his professional
achievements, Mr. Wilson won the
Director of Sales and Marketing of the
Year Award through Omni Orrington
Hotels in 1998 and the Home Run Award
from Starwood Hotels in 2001. Over the
years, he also won the Rookie of the
Year Award through the Pacific Grove
Chamber of Commerce, the Sales Excellence
Award through Aramark Sports
& Entertainment, and the Ambassador
Award at the Visit Temecula Valley Xenia
Awards. While his career has been
filled with highlights, he takes the most
pride in being able to grow responsible
tourism for his community. In the coming
years, Mr. Wilson intends to continue to
work with his Board of Directors and
community leaders to expand responsible
tourism within Temecula Valley and
surrounding communities. Scott and his
wife Deidre have three grown children
and four grandchildren.