We talk ME/CFS with Dani Hanks.

Dani is a disabled writer/director based in New York City. As a kid, Dani grew up elbow-deep in human organs at their mom’s pathology lab in Porterville, California. A direct result of inhaling too much formaldehyde in their formative years, they dove headfirst into the entertainment industry.

After receiving their BFA in Drama at NYU Tisch, they directed the Banff-nominated comedy web series “Fake News Writer,” which was optioned after winning the Webby Award for Video Entertainment in 2019. Most recently, Dani was named one of I.S.A.’s Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2025 after winning the 2024 Austin Film Festival.

Drawing from their experience as the only purple-haired snowflake in a deeply conservative family, Dani promotes empathy for underrepresented identities through offbeat stories centering diverse found families. They approach the taboo with both levity and nuance, and love finding humor in the mundane.

Dani has worked on projects in development at FilmRise, RKO, and Josephson Entertainment, and is a fellow of Stowe, Disability Belongs, and the WGAE SSTP. They are a full-time meme connoisseur, part-time AD, former member of Mensa, and have 10 years of experience cutting animal tissue for medical research (much to the dismay of their pet rats).

Follow Dani at @dani_hanks on Instagram

Show transcript bit.ly/3UKUymI