The story of DaniMation starts with its founder, Dani Bowman. She was diagnosed with autism at age three in 2001. Like many children with autism, she had challenges communicating with others. She didn’t speak at all until she was six years old. Even when she started talking, her family found it difficult to have conversations with her. However, she also showed passion and creativity in the realm of art. One could find Dani’s drawings all over the house, and she would draw on every loose piece of paper she could find. When asked about her drawings, Dani would explain in great detail the characters, worlds, and stories she’d built in her head. By age eleven, she’d come up with no less than eight separate storylines and could talk about each one at lengths. However, she displayed little interest in discussing anything else.

Instead of becoming frustrated, her family (especially uncle Patrick Eidemiller and aunt Sandy Vielma) decided to use her love of art to connect with her. They found ways to communicate with her through the lens of her characters and stories. Eventually, Dani became more comfortable having discussions with other people. While she still preferred conversations about her interests, she was also able to discuss other topics. They didn’t know it at the time, but Dani’s family stumbled upon the concept of “Affinity therapy.” Affinity therapy is being able to connect with autistic people through their interests and using those interests as a gateway to both understand them and teach them social, academic, and life skills. For Dani, those interests have always been art, animation, and storytelling. You can read more on affinity therapy here.

Her love of art wasn’t just a hobby to her. She wanted to turn it into a career. In 2007, Dani presented a hand-made book held together with staples to her aunt Sandy. She proclaimed that she wished to sell her stories to the world. When Sandy reacted skeptically, Dani walked away with her head down. “No one ever listens to me,” she said. Sandy and Patrick realized that Dani was serious about her career aspirations, and began encouraging her to pursue them. She learned how to animate her original characters and bring her drawings to life. In 2009, DaniMation Entertainment was born. It began with just Dani, Patrick, and Sandy, but members of the autism and animation community quickly took notice of it. The animation software company ToonBoom sponsored the company, and a filmmaking company called Inclusion Films showed interest in collaborating with DaniMation.

From 2009 to 2011, both Dani and DaniMation Entertainment began to find success. Dani landed her first animation job in 2010, where she animated a music video for Joey Travolta of Inclusion Films. The same year, she illustrated the first book in the children’s series Danny and Goliath as well as its 2011 sequel. Inclusion Films invited Dani to teach animation to youth on the spectrum through its summer camps in Jacksonville Florida, Tenafly, NJ, and Detroit Michigan. She began production on her first animated short (Mr. Raindrop), which would premiere at ComicCon in 2012. Since then, DaniMation has partnered up with various organizations and entertainment companies (such as Spectrum Laboratories, EDUDesigns, and Strange Flavor Ltd.) to produce no less than eleven animated shorts. These works of art have been recognized and awarded by film festivals from Studio City to New York and abroad.

Dani has continuously traveled around the country, teaching animation and delivering speeches at autism-centered conferences and events. Now that she’s found her voice, Dani’s become an advocate for autistic people everywhere. Instead of being overlooked and sidelined by society, Dani wants to bring attention to the ways in which autistic people can improve it and the ways it can be improved to accommodate all disabled individuals. She hopes her story can bring hope to children struggling with the same experiences she did when she was younger. Ever since 2011, Dani and her team have strived to give opportunities for autistic and neurodivergent people to enter the world of art and animation. She employs animators, voice actors, and musicians on the spectrum to work on animated shorts and other projects.

Today, DaniMation has taught over 2,500 kids and adults the principles of animation, putting them on the paths to lifelong careers. While it started in conjunction with Inclusion Films, DaniMation now boasts workshops, summer camps, and online programs of its own. DaniMation is proud to have a close partner in Woodbury University, where Dani graduated with a BFA in Animation in 2018 followed by an MBA in Management and Leadership in 2020. This partnership allows DaniMation to recommend its students to the animation track at Woodbury, one of the only ones taught with neurodiverse students in mind. DaniMation UK launched in 2019 with workshops at the University of Plymouth and Brunel University London. In 2020, DaniMation began offering online classes which continue to this day. With more ambitious goals and projects each year, DaniMation will continue inspiring, uplifting, and educating both neurodivergent creatives and their families.