Danny De Lillo of Arts District on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Danny De Lillo. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Danny, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me is anything but ordinary. As I stand on the edge of launching my production company, Sweet Humans, each day is an act of devotion, nurturing the operations, the projects, the storytellers, and the filmmakers who trust me with their voices and their dreams. My work begins long before tasks or timelines; it starts with intention.

Every morning, I choose consistency. I choose love over fear. I choose to show up fully and support every area placed in front of me, whether it calls for strategy, care, patience, or courage. This isn’t just about building a company, it’s about building an ecosystem where people feel seen, safe, and empowered to create from their truth.

Sweet Humans is 25 years in the making. It carries every lesson, every risk, every moment of perseverance that brought me here. To feel aligned with the right frequency to lead with integrity, to uphold community, and to powerfully help dreams become reality is a daily reminder of where the energy comes from. It comes from lived experience. From belief. From the understanding that storytelling has the power to heal, connect, and change the world.

A normal day, for me, is leading with purpose and honoring the responsibility that comes with turning vision into something real.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Danny, it’s truly lovely to connect with you. I am the founder of Sweet Humans, a creative-impact film, television, and media production company built on the belief that storytelling can transform lives.

Sweet Humans exists to nurture safe, intentional environments where people are empowered to be their most authentic selves through the power of creativity. We create film, television, media, digital, gaming, and brand storytelling, but at our core, we create belonging. Our work is rooted in trust, care, and teamwork supporting artists locally and globally as they grow, take risks, and tell stories that matter.

This company is not just a business; it is a home. A home for storytellers, filmmakers, and creatives especially those from underserved and underrepresented communities whose voices deserve to be heard and amplified across the world.

Sweet Humans was born from a place of darkness that I chose to turn into light. As an activist, an ally, a deeply caring human, and now proudly queer and a survivor, I believe in better for all of us. I believe in building systems that lead with compassion, creativity, and accountability. I believe in using lived experience as fuel for meaningful change.

I am honored and excited to build this worldwide family together—one rooted in love, courage, and the shared power of storytelling.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I have learned to let go of what no longer serves me, even when it was hard, even when it came from a place of loyalty, love, and deep care. I am someone who shows up unconditionally, who believes in people, and who does not give up easily. For a long time, I held onto things simply because my heart told me to stay.

But growth asked something different of me.

I realized that in order to be at my best in my work, my leadership, and my life I had to release what was weighing me down. Letting go created space. Space for new energy, new alignment, and possibilities I wasn’t allowing myself to receive.

Surrender isn’t giving up, it’s choosing better. It’s the moment you step into your higher power, when you consciously choose love over fear and trust yourself enough to move forward. Sweet Humans could not exist until I was ready to do this work, until I was willing to release what no longer fit and fully step into who I am becoming.

Letting go made room for purpose and for everything that was waiting on the other side.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. My younger self was such a sweet, kind, and deeply caring human and it’s that younger version of me who has always been the Sweet Human I’ve been rooting for.

I would say to baby Danny:
Listen, sweetheart. I know you had to endure so much that was painful and confusing, and none of it was your fault. But I promise you this you will make it through. You will come out on the other side stronger, softer, and more grounded in who you are.

Hold onto your heart. Hold onto your dreams. Every tear, every moment of survival is leading you somewhere beautiful. One day, the love you needed will become the love you give to yourself and to the world. And yes, our dreams will happen.

You are safe now. And everything you hoped for is on its way.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
The project I am deeply and unwaveringly committed to is Sweet Humans. It is my life’s work and my legacy. I first dreamed of it when I was sixteen years old, long before I had the language or resources to build it only the knowing that it needed to exist.

This is years in the making, shaped by experience, resilience, and belief. Sweet Humans is here to make dreams come true, many of them. What we are building is larger than my imagination, wider than I can yet see, and far bigger than me. That is how I know it is right.

Sweet Humans is hope. It is light. It is guidance, love, and possibility. It is a future built on care, creativity, and courage. I cannot let it go because it was never meant to be mine alone. It exists for us or the storytellers, the artists, the next generation of leaders who will carry this work forward.

My responsibility is to build something strong, intentional, and heart-led so that others can lead it, grow it, and take it further than I ever could. Together, we will make our mark. And we will do it with purpose, with integrity, and with our hearts fully open.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Being so immensely hard on myself or allowing my traumas to make me feel I would forever be living in its shadow. I am in control of me now and it feels so delightfully freeing.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www,sweethumans.com
• Instagram: @dannydelillo
• Linkedin: @dannydelillo
• Twitter: @dannydelillo

Image Credits
N/a