Diamond began his career in the entertainment industry as a child actor on Broadway and on television commercials. As a teenager in High School, he created his own stop-motion animation films, ran his own theatre company, and began building puppets. At the age of nineteen, Diamond was introduced to Muppet’s creator, Jim Henson, who gave him a job working on Sesame Street.
Career
In 1976, Diamond created his production company, Bill Diamond Productions. Diamond produced and directed multiple television series in the 80’s and 90’s including, Stuffy’s Place, The Land of the Moonshins, and Dr. Rock’s Dinosaur Adventures, which appeared on Fox. He was also the associate producer of the documentaries, The Phantom of the Opera: Unmasking the Masterpiece, and The Aurora Monsters: The Model Craze That Gripped the World. The off-Broadway version of Audrey 2, the carnivorous plant from Little Shop of Horrors, was originally created by Sesame Street puppeteer Martin P. Robinson. The play became extremely popular, and in 1984, Diamond was hired to build and puppeteer an Audrey 2, and still operates the giant plant puppet for the Little Shop of Horrors road tours to this day. In 2001, a massive blaze completely engulfed Diamond's studio in Peekskill, New York. Over 200 of Diamond's puppets and original creations were destroyed. Diamond rebuilt the studio in an industrial complex in Cornwall, New York, but in January 2012, a six alarm fire destroyed the majority of that industrial complex. Diamond's studio and creations survived the second fire, leaving only water damage in the complex. The smoke from the fire was seen from the George Washington Bridge more than 40 miles away. In 2016, The Jim Henson Company sponsored a fan film competition held on The Dark Crystal website. The competition invited fans to create and submit animated short films inspired by the Jim Henson film. Bill Diamond Productions submitted a short film for the competition titled, “Rise of the Skeksis”, and received an honorable mention.
Awards
In 2015, Diamond won his first Emmy Award for his work on the YES Network's Yankees Post Game Show - Mo’s Last Home Game as the lighting director. In 2017, he won his second Emmy for set design on the YES Network for Brooklyn Nets Specialty Set Design, and was nominated for another for lighting director for YES's Brooklyn Nets Specialty Look. In 2019, Diamond's company, Bill Diamond Productions, was one of the Telly Award's Silver Winners for the Entertainment General-Online category. The company received the award for their production, Gorgo's Christmas Carol Narrated by Vincent Price. In 2020, Diamond won his third Emmy Award. This time for set design for the YES Network's Yankees Buzz in the Bronx.
