Exceptional Minds

What's better than working on over 40 projects for Marvel? Getting to celebrate with your coworkers at the cast and crew screenings!

Thank you to Marvel Studios for hosting Exceptional Minds and to our VFX studio artists for their contributions to this project. Go see Deadpool & Wolverine now in theaters (and stay for the credits to see our work and our name)!

Congratulations to our Animation Studio Artists on the successful world premiere of their short film, PEPPERMINT SPIRAL. Written and produced by students at Reel Start & designed and animated by our Exceptional Minds artists. This collaboration between RS and EM was made possible through the support of Paramount Nickelodeon Animation and their commitment to a more representative next generation workforce.

Starring Shamon Brown Jr, Brady Noon, Seth Rogen and Romi Dias, Peppermint Spiral follows a high schooler confronting an intimidating, ghastly creature while facing his family’s high academic expectations. As the pressure becomes overwhelming, Angel starts a dangerous path towards relief, rather than asking his loved ones for help.

Watch Now:

Peppermint Spiral - Animated Short Film Peppermint Spiral (2024) Starring: Shamon Brown Jr, Brady Noon, Seth Rogen and Romi DiasSynopsis: Peppermint Spiral follows Angel, a high schooler confrontin...

Only three days until session 2 of summer workshops is complete 😱 While our summer workshops are a fun, low-stakes way to try out animation and VFX, they also provide insight into the entertainment industry's world of quick turnarounds for projects. These photos showcase work that our student artists completed in just ten days or less!

Fall Workshop curriculum + registration information is coming very soon!

Some highlights from session 1 of our summer workshops ✨

Our in-person students got first hand experience at using green screens for VFX and using tablets for 2D animation. And great news: session 2 starts TODAY! If it's anything like session 1, we can't wait to see the final projects next Friday.

To learn more about our summer workshops, visit us at https://exceptional-minds.org/summer-2/

What classes would you like to see us add next year?

Exceptional Minds students and faculty shared their stories on KABC Solutions yesterday, June 13! Thank you ABC News for sharing our journey of ensuring a space exists for adults on the autism spectrum who are looking for gainful employment in the animation and visual effects industries to learn and grow.

Watch the clip:

Exceptional Minds on KABC Solutions Exceptional Minds on KABC Solutions June 13, 2024California nonprofit of the year, Exceptional Minds is a professional training academy and studio preparing ...

Congratulations to the Exceptional Minds Class of 2024!

Together, we will continue to amplify unique underrepresented talent who prove that innovation comes from the most unexpected places. And for young adults on the autism spectrum, it starts here at Exceptional Minds.

Presenting Austin Smith from !

"I was offered a full-time student position at EM and came to the big city from Butner, North Carolina. Being at EM has helped me improve my ability to animate, create storyboards for , and work in 3D programs by leaps and bounds!"

Check out Austin’s “Paul Meadow” website here: https://paulmeadowtoons.wixsite.com/paul-meadow-toons

Presenting Emiliano Villa from !

“I am a man on the spectrum who wanted to become a artist after watching The Empire Strikes Back in my childhood. I started to work on making VFX sequences using After Effects, and have advanced my skills at
Exceptional Minds.”

Check out more from Emiliano here: youtube.com/

Presenting Ben Lee from !

Ben is an aspiring animator with a passion for design and storyboarding and a huge enthusiasm for video games and animals, especially crocodilians. He was born to Korean immigrants in Koreatown Los Angeles, and has a bachelor of art degree from .

Check out Ben’s portfolio here: https://www.artstation.com/akirabenjy1980

Presenting Kyle Eaton from !

"I've been watching movies since I was a kid in Mt. Vernon, Illinois and have continued to be quite a movie fan ever since. After getting inspired by a class on I took in 8th grade, I decided to work in the movie industry and EM has helped me to find where I belonged in it.

Check out more on Kyle here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-eaton-391627178/

Presenting Isabella “Izzy” Francis from !

Call me Izzy! I am a professional 2D artist and designer, with a lot of projects being made under my personal brand "SomeCartoonist Media."

Check out Izzy’s portfolio here: https://www.artstation.com/somecartoonist

Presenting Stefan Morgan from !

"Hello there, my name is Stefan Morgan. I’m A 3D Designer and Freelance Character and Logo Designer who’s venturing to prove myself as an artist. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be part of this EM community."

Check out Stefan’s portfolio here: https://smorgan2024.wixsite.com/rangeo-studios/whoami

Presenting Matthew Rohde from !

Matthew is a and motion graphics artist with a Bachelor’s degree in Theater, Film, and Media Studies from Saint Mary’s College of Maryland. Matthew had an internship last summer and is excited to participate in the Gold program this summer.

Check out Matthew’s portfolio here: https://linktr.ee/Matthew36x

Meet Kris Helmacy from !

Kris is a passionate artist with incredible skills in design, drawing, storyboarding, and 3D. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Kris is now growing his art career in Los Angeles and has an internship this summer at . Intriguingly, he has a particular interest in and has studied taxidermy!

—> https://www.artstation.com/kristheratman

"My pen name is Andy Nava and I have an incredible passion for 2D Animation. It fills me with joy when an adult expresses interest in one of my characters or when a child responds positively to them. I have stories to tell and EM has helped me to do so."

Meet Andy from Exceptional Minds' .

---> https://www.artstation.com/andynava

Thank you for a magical day! From the screening and studio tour, to meeting artists, producers and directors, we are all so inspired and learned a ton! Thanks to the fireside chat panelists, the Once Upon a Studio Filmmakers, and all the people who took time out of their busy schedules to immerse our students in the filmmaking process! We are taking the learnings back to the classroom and into the art and eventually on to !

Celebrating our exceptional instructors! Thank you Miles for your humor and perspective!

Celebrating our exceptional instructors! Thank you for keeping it real!

Celebrating our exceptional instructors! Thank you for your approachability and openness!

Celebrating our exceptional instructors! Thank you Tim for your years of outstanding leadership!

Celebrating our exceptional instructors! Thank you for your sheer “will” and energy!

Celebrating our exceptional instructors! Thank you !