What is Creative Diversity?

From Disney+ and TikTok to IGTV and YouTube; with endless streaming, binge-watching and yes, tuning in to old school “linear television,” we’re seeing creative diversity in the deepest and broadest sense. And with that comes new career opportunities for our visual artists on the autism spectrum.

Original content is high on our list of priorities as is game design and development. As we continue to leverage what we’ve learned from the creative masters in Hollywood, we are migrating that learning to new platforms and outlets. 

Creative diversity is at the very heart of Exceptional Minds and it has greatly evolved at our studio and school over the years. Let us not forget trailblazing series like HBO’s Game of Thrones, groundbreaking event films like Marvel’s Black Panther, and new voices like Netflix’s Atypical: just three of the 350+ shows that Exceptional Minds artists worked on since 2014. Each explore very diverse worlds and themes and hep to inform the creative choices and chances our artists are increasingly taking.

Shot clean-up on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” by Exceptional Minds

 

They believe in us not only because our artists are talented, but because our artists are creatively authentic. Since having worked on countless A-list films and series learning many tricks of the trade, our artists are now able to contribute at whole new technical levels. They also bring to the table perspectives and a view of the world all their own.

For example, when the creators of Netflix’s Atypical wanted to convey a specific character perspective, they looked to our animators on the spectrum to bring it to life. The resulting animated sequence captures the essence of how the lead character Sam feels as he’s leaning up against his locker in isolation and fear while students rush the halls between classes. It’s an experience that is both universally understood by so many and yet so authentic to the autism experience.

Still from Netflix’s Atypical animation sequence by Exceptional Minds

And it is increasingly finding its way across other creative platforms, as well.

Consider Exceptional Minds third-year student Nick Dodge and graduate Jacob Lenard who have a combined following of over 150K YouTube subscribers on their respective channels. Nick’s love of Anime, dinosaurs, and original content and Jacob’s latest original series launch of “Loose Ends” has in total, drawn 150 million views.  

In fact, Jacob one of our many talented animators, in the Exceptional Minds studio, has produced, under his “Lenstar Productions” banner, more than 245 original cartoons. At the same time, he has also worked on original creative for Sesame Street, Special Olympics, and countless other EM partner projects.