PRESTON MUM OF 3 IS STAR OF THE SHOW AT CELEB DOCUMENTARY SCREENING AT LEICESTER SQUARE
She coaches celebrities and has been known to be papped with them, but this week mum of 3, Dani Wallace from Preston, had a very special VIP moment of her own as she rolled out the yellow carpet welcoming TV stars, musicians, influencers and entrepreneurs to celebrate her documentary screening at Vue Cinema, Leicester Square.
Hosted by TV and radio personality, Remel London, the documentary drew a diverse crowd. TV stars such as; BBC presenter Ionica Adriana, Traitors Theo Mayne, The Hunted’s Jean-Pascal Barbe and Channel 4’s Love Triangle contestant Matt Hall, joined independent music stars such as; X Factor finalist and Project Icon’s winner Dylan Holloway and BBC Introducing’s George Alfie, along with influencers and media personalities across the LGBTQIA+ and disability spaces.
The guestlist also included high profile entrepreneurs such as; Killing Kitten’s Emma Sayle and Great British Entrepreneur Awards founder Fran James, as well as several global entrepreneurs who travelled from the US to attend.
Dani, 40, who spent years gigging in local pubs and clubs before building her speaker training business, was homeless and sofa surfing with 2 kids only a few short years ago, and openly shares her experiences of growing up on the council estates of Preston, and overcoming domestic abuse. Knowing how it feels to be unsafe, and to feel lost and worthless, and having moved herself to a place of safety and now success, she has made it her purpose to help others to rise up. She is on a mission to build a 10,000 person stadium event to empower others who want to change their lives.
Founder and producer of The Big Festoon – the UK’s fastest-growing personal and professional development event for ambitious small business owners and changemakers – Dani is focused on bringing people together from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to learn from each other, so more of us can experience success, and safety. Dani has her sights set on growing tenfold over the next 5 years and her documentary, The Festoon Effect charts her journey to achieving this.
Last year’s event featured music legend turned entrepreneur Lisa Maffia, as well as global marketing guru Daniel Priestley and 7 figure entrepreneur and Sunday Times Best Selling Author Lisa Johnson, alongside a range of entrepreneurs from start ups to more established business owners, from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. At her events, and in the documentary she asks ‘Are you sitting comfortably’ as she challenges us all to get out of our comfort zones to have conversations that matter over personal development, growth, success, and diversity and inclusion.
Produced by fellow entrepreneur on a mission Inge Hunter, from Clue, a content creation agency, the documentary screened last Wednesday night, shared behind the scenes insights into the passion driving Dani’s mission, and the ups and downs she’s navigated growing the event to where it is now. She has already grown it from a 30 person event in a bar in Manchester in 2020, to an already sold out 650 people event at Bolton Stadium in 2025, and now is looking for backers to help her take it to the next level when she moves it to Manchester AO Arena in 2026.
Having built what is now a 1 million pound business from scratch over the last 5 years, the documentary screening which saw her stand in the very spot Hollywood A-listers have made their mark, celebrated how far Dani’s come and also showcased others she’s helped. Hosted by Remel London, a panel discussion also explored the need for a place where people can come together, learn from each other and feel safe in the knowledge they can show up unapologetically as themselves, no matter their background, colour, or gender.
Dani, aka The Queen Bee, who is recognised in the business world as someone leading a charge on active and enthusiastic inclusion, is determined to create change in the business and personal development events space, creating “safe spaces to have conversations that matter”. An entertainer at heart she also promises a lot of fun along the way.
Over the years Dani has become an ally for many, and despite being trolled along the way for her efforts she is determined to be a vehicle for enabling significant change in the business space, to make active enthusiastic inclusion more of the norm.
She said: “It’s all about helping people from all backgrounds to connect on common ground. It’s about us all being human and compassionate towards each other, curious about each other, and eager to learn from each other. We gain very little from being surrounded by people who are the same as us – we need richness and diversity to really grow.”
The documentary is her investment into raising awareness of the problem that needs to be solved, and a platform to help her reach out to investors and future supporters, to help her make her vision a reality.
“This documentary is not actually about me”, she said. “Yes I am here to be the mouthpiece but this documentary is about the work that needs to be done, collectively, collaboratively, to make this world a better place, and to make business a more inclusive place”.
“I know how it feels to feel unsafe. Now it’s my priority to create safe spaces for others”.
The documentary opens with the line from Marian Wright Edelman: “You can’t be what you can’t see” and in the end credits we learn that in 2020 just 3% of leaders in the FTSE 100 were from ethnic minorities; women occupy just 20% of board seats globally; 67% of LGBTQIA+ reported to have heard negative comments, slurs or jokes about LGBTQIA+ people at work”
The documentary concludes “There’s so much more to do – will you link arms with us”.
Dani said: “The Festoon Effect” shines a spotlight on the vital importance of diversity and inclusion being ‘a real thing’, not tokenism. This documentary is a must-watch for anyone passionate about exploring and promoting inclusion across race, religion, culture, neurodivergence, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It not only highlights the necessity of diverse voices being represented but also showcases the profound impact such inclusion can have on personal and professional growth. I now need help to get this documentary onto a channel, so we can reach even more people with this message and I need backers who are passionate about inclusion to invest in the event so we can grow it to new heights. This is an exciting time!”
