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Reuters

A powerful scene ⁠in the action epic Gladiator II (2024) has a problem: a camera crew is visible behind Paul Mescal as his character prepares for a high-stakes battle. Jack Zimmerman, a visual effects artist, erases the intrusion.
Zimmerman works at Exceptional Minds, an American non-profit vocational academy and visual effects studio for adults with autism. The organisation provides training to help autistic artists launch careers in the competitive world of Hollywood.
“It feels like a dream,” Zimmerman says of being a part of Gladiator II. “I’ve ‌always wanted to work on a feature film like this.”
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects social interactions, behaviours and how the brain processes sensory input. It ranges in severity and can present challenges in the workplace.
While many people with autism successfully hold jobs, the United States unemployment rate for adults with ASD is estimated at around 40 per cent, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine in 2021.

Exceptional Minds – the only full-time, post-secondary programme of its kind in the US for artists on the autism spectrum – was created to give school graduates with autism the skills they need to perform meaningful work.
“Autistic artists should be able to work in the field they want to work in,” says CEO Lauren DeVillier, a former Disney and Discovery ⁠executive and the parent of a neurodivergent daughter. “We are training to put these graduates to work. We want them integrated into the studio system and working in the workplace alongside everyone else.”
Many graduates of the three-year programme gain experience in the Exceptional Minds visual effects and animation studio, where they work under the supervision of seasoned professionals for clients including Walt Disney, Netflix and Sony.
Exceptional Minds artists have contributed to 19 Oscar-winning or nominated films including Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), plus ‌dozens of television shows such as Game of Thrones. They have worked on every Marvel film since 2015.
Alumni also have been hired at Marvel, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and ⁠elsewhere. Yudi Bennett, an assistant director and production ⁠manager on films such as Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Broadcast News (1987), co-founded Exceptional Minds 15 years ago.

Bennett and other entertainment-industry parents worried about what would happen to their autistic children after school, when many services that help them adapt come to an end.
The organisation trains about ‌250 adults with autism each year through courses in visual effects and animation. A video game arts curriculum is scheduled to begin in the autumn.
Class sizes are small, and instructors are trained to adjust timelines and accommodate the needs of students with ASD.
On ‌a recent ‌weekday at the Exceptional Minds offices and classrooms, alumni sit in front of computers working on visual effects while students in another room hone their drawing skills.
Graduate Lily Yllescas discusses how she painted autumn ‌colours on trees and removed wires from scenes in the new season of Bridgerton.
“When you see it, it will look so seamless,” she says. “But really when you’re working on it, there’s so many little things you ⁠have to pay attention to.”

The meticulous tasks suit many people with autism, students and alumni say.
“Depending on your level of it, you might be able to be more precise,” student Deirdre ⁠Mills says. “And sometimes you might be able to catch details that others might not be able to see.”
Alongside technical skills, Exceptional Minds teaches how to thrive socially at work, something that can be challenging for people with autism.
“We do mock interviews to get us comfortable talking to people, talking about our work, building our confidence,” student Alex Abrusia says. “I’ve grown ‌a lot because of that.”

Exceptional Minds handles the ‌end credits for Marvel Studios films. Jeff Willis, Marvel’s director of credits and administration, says the studio’s work is “on par with anyone else in town” and the artists tackle creative challenges well.
In the credits for The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), Marvel wanted to have the number 828 expand to become 8/28/1917, the birthday of the late comic book artist Jack Kirby. It was a small detail that thrilled fans. “They just knocked it out of the park,” Willis says.
Co-founder Bennett is proud that Exceptional Minds has changed the lives of young adults.
“The graduates have gone out and moved into their own apartments. They’ve got driver’s licences, they’ve bought cars,” she says. “They’ve done things that were considered impossible.”


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Visual effects studio Exceptional Minds in Los Angeles is preparing adults with autism for careers in Hollywood


Visual effects studio Exceptional Minds in Los Angeles is preparing adults with autism for careers in Hollywood.


How California studio is helping autistic artists break into Hollywood

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Visual effects studio Exceptional Minds in Los Angeles is preparing adults with autism for careers in Hollywood

Visual effects studio Exceptional Minds in Los Angeles is preparing adults with autism for careers in Hollywood