For a long time, live selling has been treated as something celebrities do only when the spotlight starts to fade. Actress, host and news anchor Dianne Medina knows that assumption well, but when she launched DM Studios in Quezon City on March 21, she made it clear she has no interest in apologizing for work that has changed her life.
More than a celebrity sideline, DM Studios is a serious business venture with Dianne at the helm as CEO and president, her husband Rodjun Cruz as vice president for marketing, and beauty queen cousin Maxine Medina as vice president for sales. Together, they have opened a live commerce and creator agency that aims to connect brands and influencers through livestream campaigns, content creation, creator development and brand partnerships.
At the heart of the company is the idea that live selling can be more than a one-off endorsement or quick online transaction. DM Studios is designed to help creators build a stronger and more professional presence in the digital marketplace, while helping brands find more direct, personal and effective ways to reach consumers. In that sense, the launch is not just about Dianne’s own success in the field, but about turning that experience into a platform that can support others as well.
That mission matters because Dianne knows the stigma around live selling remains very real.
“It’s really inevitable,” she said. “When people see live sellers, the tendency is for them to think, ‘Oh, she’s just doing live selling now. She used to be an actress. Maybe she no longer has projects.’ But for me, it all boils down to your vision, your core and your objective. Why are you doing this? What is your purpose?”
For Dianne, who has also become a multi-awarded live seller, the answer goes beyond income or visibility.
“My purpose is to share my God-given talent with others,” she said. “God used me as His instrument to help others too. It’s not just live selling. We are able to help people change their lives.”
That is what gives the launch of DM Studios more weight than the usual celebrity business move. Dianne is not treating live selling as a backup plan. For her, it has become real work, a real business and now, a real leadership role.
“When people say those things, I say, ‘No, I’m very, very proud of my work and I take my job seriously,’” she said. “I’m not ashamed of it, especially since this is a decent and honest job.”
She was even more candid when talking about the life this work has made possible for her family.
“It’s not [money from] flood control or whatever,” she said. “That’s why when Rodjun and I post our [live-selling] achievements, it’s because they come from something good, from decent work and real hard work.”
And while live selling may look easy on screen, Dianne was quick to stress the discipline behind it.
“I really have so much respect for live sellers because this kind of job entails a lot of sacrifice, commitment and dedication,” she said.
That respect also explains why DM Studios is being positioned as a structured agency rather than a casual extension of celebrity influence. With Dianne leading the company, Rodjun handling marketing and Maxine overseeing sales, the studio reflects a deliberate effort to build a professional operation around a growing industry that still fights for recognition.
It is also work that has brought very real returns. Medina shared that live selling opened the door for her and Rodjun to invest in multiple properties and create long-term financial stability.
“This job in live selling allowed us to invest in many properties,” she said. “That’s really what paved the way. So who are we to feel ashamed? We are here to be grateful to the Lord Jesus Christ because He gave us a blessing this big. And we are very, very proud of this.”
She pointed out as well that the old stigma is beginning to crack.
“I don’t think live selling should be something to be ashamed of or something people should look down on,” she said. “There are already many big celebrities doing live selling too, people who already have names in the industry.”
That may be what makes DM Studios timely. Dianne is no longer just proving that live selling works. She is building a company around it that treats creators as professionals and digital selling as a field worth taking seriously. And in doing so, she is turning what many once saw as a sideline into something bigger — for herself, for her team and for the creators she now hopes to help grow.
