Episode Summary
In this episode of the Autism Blueprint podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Britton Payne, a longtime friend and advocate for autism awareness. We explored Brit’s journey as a parent of an autistic child, discussing the pivotal moment when his son was assessed for autism and the subsequent therapies they pursued. Brit shared his insights on the importance of representation in media, particularly in comic books and animated series, and how these portrayals can foster empathy among neurotypical audiences.
We also delved into Brit’s nonprofit initiative, the Autism Scene, which aims to increase the presence of autistic characters in children’s pop culture through the AweSpec Awards, a spec script competition for writers. This initiative encourages the creation of scripts featuring meaningful interactions with autistic characters, ultimately promoting inclusivity in storytelling.
Join us for this engaging conversation that highlights the significance of understanding autism and the power of representation in shaping a more empathetic world.
Meet Britton Payne
Britton Payne is an entertainment attorney, recently of Warner Bros. Animation and Nickelodeon. On the side, Brit regularly presents at comic cons and elsewhere about autism and pop culture, including “Authentically Creating Autistic Characters,” “Autism in Comic Books,” and “After 50 Years, Why do Spidey Super Stories Comics Still Matter to Autistic Kids and Everybody Else?.” This year, Brit started The Autism Scene, a nonprofit advocating for the inclusion of explicitly autistic characters in kids pop culture. This winter, The Autism Scene is running the AuSPEC AWARDS, a kids animated series spec script competition, which requires a series regular meaningfully interacting with an explicitly autistic character. Brit and his wife Alice are active community members of The Frostig School in Pasadena, which is dedicated to helping children, teens and young adults with learning differences live and learn to their full potential.
Links Mentioned on the Show
Enter the AuSPEC Awards here: TheAutismScene.org
Authentically Creating Autistic Characters
WonderCon 2025
https://drive.google.com/file/
After 50 Years, Why do Spidey Super Stories Comics Still Matter to Autistic Kids and Everybody Else?
WonderCon 2025
https://drive.google.com/file/
Autism in Comic Books
San Diego Comic Con 2025
https://docs.google.com/
Watch This Episode on our YouTube Channel
Join Us On Patreon
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
