Community Highlights: Meet Diana Dixon of DixonCo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Dixon.

Hi Diana, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m not a natural born risk taker. However, I’ve found that if I am following my dreams, the risk is always worth it.

I’m from a small town and a big family. I grew up in Wisconsin as the youngest of five kids in a long line of overachievers. I was also a big dreamer. I knew from a young age that I loved storytelling. I would sit on our pier, gaze out on the water, and dream about working in the TV and film industry someday.

But my parents had other plans. When I was graduating from high school, my mom told me “You can be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or teacher. Pick one”. This is where I took my first big risk because I said: “None of the above”. I had a dream. A crazy dream. And I wasn’t willing to let it go. For me, following my dream was worth the risk because I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

As a good overachiever, I graduated first in my class and was voted “Most Likely to Succeed”. My parents were happy that I had a full-tuition scholarship to UW Madison—but they weren’t so happy that I was majoring in Communication Arts and Journalism. But I persevered.

I worked at Wisconsin Public Television (WHA) while going to school. I got great hands-on experience in their production department working on TV Shows, news, and live sports. My last year there, I ended up in the On-Air Promotions department. I had no inkling about promotions as a possible creative profession beforehand—but that internship diverted my whole career trajectory. It was still storytelling but in shorter form. I absolutely loved it—and everything about it. I moved from the show side and launched a career in promotions and marketing for television networks.

My first job after college was as a writer/producer in the On-Air Promotions department at Starz in Denver, CO. My mom was happy because I had a corporate job with benefits and a 401k. It checked the boxes for her. I was happy because I was living my dream.

I loved my job and was comfortable at Starz, but I found myself taking another risk when the opportunity to work at Discovery Networks arose. It was the chance of a lifetime. So, I packed up everything and moved to Washington, DC.

After a great run there, I did something a little risky. Again. I left the client side to work on the vendor side of our industry at DZN Design group. Maybe it was the Wisconsin winters, but I had always dreamt of living in sunny California since I was a little kid. I went from client to vendor in the same project…while also moving across the country…during the winter holidays.

After a year there, DZN closed and I found myself starting a company by accident. And out of necessity.

My creative agency began right out of my living room. Because I’d worked in different markets, I had access to top-notch talent around the globe. I had a unique business model, assembling talent to task for a couture client experience.

Something worked because we’re still here 13 years later. We do have an office space and staff now–but with Covid, ironically, I’m back working in my living room.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I did have the unfortunate timing of starting my company during a recession. I got down to 10 dollars to my name. For the kid who graduated first in her class and voted “Most Likely to Succeed”, failure was my worst fear. And here I was looking smack dab in the face of it. I couldn’t believe it. And I couldn’t understand how it happened. I thought I did everything right. Worked hard, studied hard. I was about to move home, live on my family’s couch, and get what my mother fondly referred to as “a bread-and-butter job”. But then I remembered…I still had 10 dollars. And thanks to my corporate career, a 401K I could tap into. I was a dog with a bone and I wasn’t willing to let go. So, I doubled down and turned my company around. In fact, we grew our staff and became more successful than ever. And then Covid happened. I had to downsize my company. It was absolutely devastating. I had to face my fears of potential failure…again.

Luckily, we already had our server and other technologies in place to work with remote teams. So, when the world shut down, we were able to keep operating without a hitch.

And while production slowed down, we were able to pivot by doing live virtual events for clients.

We’ve had our ups and downs, but we’re still here. And still loving what we do. As the girl who was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” I now have a new definition of what success really means. It’s not about fame or fortune. It’s about having the passion and courage to follow your dreams and truly live your life on your own terms. To me, that’s true success. And it’s not defined by the destination…but by the journey.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
All out of capes? We’re here to save the day.

DixonCo is an award-winning full-service creative agency that does everything from writing/producing/editing/print/digital/social/motion graphics/animation/production/ and more. We have been the agency of record for two streaming services. Our clients call us the “Out of house agency that feels like an insider”. We believe in being true partners with our clients. We develop a nice shorthand with them. It’s our job to make their lives easier and to help solve problems before they become a problem.

Our specialty? We honor projects by bringing them to life the best way possible. It all starts with the story. We are storytellers and creative solutionists. We come from the client-side, so we know the drill. We are woman-owned and women empowered. We call ourselves superheroes…well, superheroines.

Our motto? Don’t sweat it. Solve it. We are known for quick turn arounds and pulling off miracles.

We solve our client’s creative problems and work on projects that range from campaign launches, topicals, ad sales integrations, branded content, upfronts, sizzle reels, explainer reels, commercials, key art, social and digital marketing, virtual events, and more. Our client roster includes major television networks and streaming companies—but we also work directly with businesses, non-profits, and other agencies. (Discovery Networks, Motortrend, National Geographic Networks, FOX, Disney+, A+E Networks, Hallmark, UPtv, ITVS, VRV, Crunchyroll, Comcast, Philo, Pop TV, Firstlight Media, Brevet Capital, 2U, The Pew Charitable Trusts, CERAWeek, The Samburu Project, TVOne, YES, Promax, WEtv, Fraser, and more.)

We love what we do and we love our dogs. They are a huge part of our office culture. We even put our pups to work with important jobs like “Ruff Cut Editor” and “Barketing Specialist”. (They of course love working on all of the animal content we produce for our clients at Animal Planet and Nat Geo).

Our mission is: Be Good. Do Good. Create Good. We love what we do and we are passionate about it. That’s why we also work on passion projects that empower women and minorities, amplify voices that need to be heard, and make the world more united than divided. Our goal is to make the world a better place one project at a time.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Even as a child, I loved storytelling and performing. In grade school, I was already putting pen to paper and writing plays for my classmates to perform. As President of the Drama Club, I was involved in every aspect of theater. I loved watching behind-the-scenes as the whole play would come together from inception to performance. I was often lead in a school play, but my true love was writing and producing.

I think I was born to be a storyteller.

I was also president of the AFS exchange program. I was never able to go live in another country, but I was able to live with a Mormon family in California for a few weeks. It wasn’t quite the same as going to another country, but as a small-town girl from Wisconsin, it was still an eye-opening experience of a world beyond my own small town.

What I loved about the exchange program is that it allowed me to meet different students from all around the world while also piquing my interest in travel. It instilled within me a sense of wanting to make the world a smaller and more united, connected place. Not only do I have a huge passion for travel, but I love bringing talent from all over the world together to collaborate on projects. We have clients and talent we work with all across the globe. And before Covid, we were actively pitching travel show content.

I might not have gotten my year to study abroad in high school–but someday, I would love to open up a DixonCo satellite office in another country. That’s the dream. Well, the next part of my dream anyway.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@dixonco.tv
• Website: dixonco.tv
• Instagram: @dixonco_
• Facebook: DixonCo
• Twitter: @dixonco_

Image Credits:
Some of the photos are from Jordan Ring Photography