Meet Dani Bejarano | Illustrator, Character Animator, & Storyboard Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dani Bejarano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dani, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have loved animation for as long as I can remember. I was always drawn to how many moving parts go into it, and it never really felt like a question whether I’d pursue it as a career. I studied Digital Animation at Kennesaw State University, where I met two close friends and longtime collaborators, Romain de Fromont and Jany Salinas. We worked really well together from the start and quickly became a solid team.

Our senior thesis film, Where the Lotus Blooms, won the first place prize at our university’s film festival and gave us a lot of confidence heading into graduation. We were excited to get started in the industry, but we graduated at a rough time. Between post-COVID shifts, studio slowdowns, the introduction of generative AI into the industry, and the 2023 union strikes, animation jobs were hard to come by, even for industry veterans. A lot of productions were paused or canceled, layoffs were widespread, and the industry as a whole was in a holding pattern.

During that period, we each focused on our own paths. I spent a couple of years freelancing and taking on whatever work I could to keep building experience. Eventually, Romain and I were asked by a former professor to create a short animated video to pitch his Kickstarter project. The campaign did well, which led to more opportunities, and we brought Jany back in so the three of us could work together again.

One of those opportunities was another Kickstarter, one for an animated series about public health awareness, with a $50,000 goal. Working on that campaign really opened our eyes. It showed us there’s still strong demand for animation made by real people with an independent point of view. That experience pushed us to officially band together and form our own independent studio, Lucky Draw Productions.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved to draw. The media I grew up with pushed me to start creating my own fantastical worlds and imagining the lives of the characters within them. For a long time, I was mostly self-taught, developing my own style by pulling influence from artists like Craig McCracken, Jhonen Vasquez, Dana Terrace, and Jamie Hewlett. I gravitated heavily toward the sharp, geometric look of early-2000s cartoons, a style that still defines my work today.

As I started building a more serious body of work, I realized that if I wanted to pursue art professionally, I needed to strengthen my fundamentals. That shift when I first attended college was difficult at first. For the first time, I was surrounded by other artists at a similar skill level, and being “the art kid” no longer set me apart. In hindsight, it was exactly what I needed. It helped me see my work more clearly, understand where I stood, and identify the areas I needed to improve. Over time, that process refined my work significantly. I found myself especially drawn to anatomy and figure drawing, using movement and gesture in the human body as the perfect muses for my work.

While my artistic skills were improving, I started running into challenges on the professional side of things. The entertainment business has a heavy emphasis on networking. Events, panels, introductions, conversations, and self-promotion were all things I wasn’t fully prepared for as an introvert, especially as an artist. I had to consciously push myself to show up and put my work out there, often without knowing if anything would come of it. Each time has gotten a little easier, and the connections I’ve made along the way have been crucial for opening doors and offering guidance, shaping the path I’m on now.

My creative journey has had its share of highs and lows. Some days I struggle with burnout or creative block, other days I’m too focused on managing my business to draw. Most days involve juggling multiple projects at once. It isn’t easy, but it’s still my dream job.

At the core of it all, my goal as an artist is to reach people on a deeper level. Even in a world that often leans toward cynicism, I believe there’s still space for genuine human expression through art of all kinds.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some of my favorite memories I’ve made with friends and family have been made in Midtown Atlanta. Naturally, I’m drawn to the more artsy areas of the city, where I could peruse museums for hours and spend time in the park surrounded by nature. The High Museum is always a recommendation for anyone in the city. When you’re paying attention to the scheduling and planned exhibits, you can get a fantastic experience that is pretty accessible. I’m always in awe of the pieces that are brought in when I have the opportunity to visit. In a more niche sense, I feel a similar way to the Center of Puppetry Arts. It can sound silly at first, but you’d be surprised at the amount of history the art of puppetry has across many cultures across the globe. Definitely a highlight for me. Piedmont Park is also a classic spot in my opinion. The amount of events I’ve been to or the meet ups I’ve had with friends at that park have been some of my best memories of Atlanta.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a shout-out to my co-founders, Romain de Fromont and Jany Salinas, for the support, trust, and shared effort we’ve put into building our business together. Romain, my partner in business and in life, has been with me every step of the way. He’s always believing in me, especially during moments when I needed that push to keep moving forward. Jany, a close friend, has brought constant warmth and encouragement, and helped keep me grounded even during the toughest times.

I also want to recognize my former professor and current mentor, Joseph Karg, who saw my potential early on and took the time to guide and support me in getting to where I am today. He is currently working on his next Kickstarter Project: “I FEEL DOOMED” which Lucky Draw Productions is producing an animated teaser for!

Website: https://danibejaranoart.wixsite.com/portfolio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n0ughtical_n0nsense/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dani-bejarano/

Image Credits
Dani Bejarano, Jany Salinas