Danielle “Dani” Bowman
Founder, Danimation Entertainment, LLC
Nominated by Woodbury University
Dani Bowman founded her company, DaniMation Entertainment LLC, at age 11. She has worked professionally in the animation industry since she was 14. Bowman uses her passions for public speaking, animation, illustration, fine and visual arts, and teaching to demonstrate to others on the autism spectrum that anything is possible.
Since age 15, Bowman has led summer animation camps around the country, initially with Joey Travolta's Inclusion Films; she then expanded out on her own to teach more than 1,000 teens and young adults with autism and other disabilities. Bowman not only teaches animation, but also works with her students as a role model and mentor, encouraging them to follow their dreams.
Bowman is a national speaker, giving talks about autism and employment nationally since she was 19, keynoting a wide range of conferences throughout the U.S.
Bowman has also premiered eight award-wining animated short films at San Diego Comic-Con each year for the past seven years. Her shorts feature the voices of Joe Mantegna, Tom Kenny (the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants), June Foray, Debi Derryberry, and Stella Ritter, among others.
Bowman graduated from Woodbury University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in animation in 2018, and she is currently completing a Master of Business Administration with a focus in organizational strategy and leadership at Woodbury.