David W-S

Hi, I'm David Wright-Spaner, a Senior Creative specializing in Web, Graphics, Sound, Digital Systems & Innovation with 15 years of experience working with startups, productions, and global agencies.

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Step 1 : I ask lots of questions about the project.

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Step 2 : I organize & outline the important aspects.

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Step 3 : I establish the style, tools, and techniques.

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Step 4 : I create the core pieces for quick feedback.

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Step 5 : I refine and build upon the confirmed direction.

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Step 6 : I finalize and deliver the project as a whole.

During the pandemic my disparate network of friends grew into a small online community that bonded entirely through games and creative projects. One of those friends, Kelsey Dionne, decided to make her own table-top roleplaying game called Shadowdark.
I was lucky enough to be a regular playtester from the beginning, which soon led to a contract with Kelsey’s studio, The Arcane Library. Not long after that, I was given the humbling opportunity to work on Shadowdark’s Kickstarter campaign and create its trailer, which was released two weeks before the campaign and generated an overwhelming amount of positive buzz and brand awareness.
When the campaign launched in February 2023 it quickly became the #1 project on all of Kickstarter, outranking 578k others around the world, and held that spot for a solid week. I’ll always remember the moment when we passed the $1M mark while playing Shadowdark together at Gary Gygax’s house on 330 Center St, the birthplace of Dungeons & Dragons. In the end, Shadowdark raised $1.3M with 13k backers. Then, in 2024, Shadowdark went on to win the Three Castles Award for best game design, as well as four gold ENNIEs: Product of the Year, Best Game, Best Rules, and Best Layout & Design.

As the Producer and Director of Xibalba, I led a five-person student team over three months to create a haunting, mythology-rich game that won Best Student Game at Spilprisen 2025, the national awards show of the Danish game industry. Inspired by my journey through the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave in Belize, the legendary gateway to the Maya underworld, I developed the concept, creative vision, and production pipeline that guided the project from ideation to final showcase.

Beyond leading the team, I contributed across nearly every department as Audio Lead, Art Director, Game and Narrative Designer, Voice Actor, Researcher, and Translator. One of my proudest contributions was translating our script into ancient Mayan through scholarly texts and linguistic reconstructions, then voicing and recording all the Mayan dialogue myself to help create a more authentic and immersive experience.

Xibalba blends nostalgic aesthetics, atmospheric horror, puzzle-solving, and mythology-driven storytelling. I am proud of how I unified the team around a clear creative vision, fostered close collaboration, and helped bring a deeply personal narrative experience to life, leading to public recognition at Copenhagen Gaming Week and a featured booth at Nordic Game.

At DADIU, Denmark’s national game development program, I was selected to serve as both Director and Producer for Team 5, a 13-person interdisciplinary student studio. As the only team with a combined lead role, I guided the creative vision while managing production, communication, scope, scheduling, team alignment, and cross-department collaboration.

Our graduation game, Manorism, was developed in just 6 weeks and later featured by Arkaden in its “Best Student Games” article from Copenhagen Gaming Week. Throughout the project, I built team infrastructure, led ideation, defined deliverables, identified bottlenecks, and helped the team recover from difficult production challenges by refocusing our process around trust, shared ownership, and clear communication.

Leading a large team to make 3 games in 3 months was one of the most demanding and formative experiences of my career. It taught me that directing a game is not only about vision, but about listening, adapting, and actively creating the conditions where ambitious work and humane collaboration can coexist.

  If you’re sensitive to gore, don’t watch The Muffin Man.

Warning: this video is extremely gory!

The Muffin Man was a dream project that my friend and I worked on for two years. It was inspired by all the cheesy, ultra-gory horror movies we watched together as teenagers. I was the Sound Supervisor and directed all audio, including the narration, music, sound design, and sound editing. I also made the ‘Muffinomicon’ book and oven effigy props. Last, but certainly not least, I’m the guy whose head is blended up by the Muffin Man.

In 2019 it went on to win Best Short at Filmquest and the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Best Killer at Sin City Horror Fest, Best Horror Trailer at Oregon Scream Week, Best International Short at Night of Horror Tienen, and Best of the Fest at the Simply Weird Film Festival.

My work with digital systems & innovation focuses on automation and unconventional solutions. A standout example is the project management process within Omnicom Media Group’s Creative Operations Department, which I spearheaded. This process begins with a guided questionnaire, powered by Typeform, that all requests must pass through. It features over 100 possible questions with branching logic, ensuring a smooth and relevant user experience. The questionnaire covers a wide range of projects, from pitches and prospecting materials to design, production, and editing across various mediums.
Upon submission, the request is emailed to the Creative Operations Department and sent to Zapier, which integrates with Box and Trello for task management. A formatted document is uploaded to Box for backup, and a new directory is created for the project. Trello converts the data into a project card, which includes pertinent details and a link to the full brief on Box. Over 50 custom rules on Trello handle tasks like labeling, sorting, creating to-do lists, and assigning leads, while also managing day-to-day organization and maintenance.
The development of this project management process was extensive, but highly beneficial. As the Senior Director of Innovation & Multimedia, I saved the company thousands of hours that would have been spent on calls, emails, messages, meetings, and manual organization. This streamlined process provided standardized briefs, detailed project directories, and an updated overview of all projects, empowering the team to consistently exceed expectations.

Ardefact : Rare International Goods

Such & Such Farm : Sustainably Grown Produce

Useful Capital : ESG Investment Platform

2 Point Media : Multimedia Design & Consulting

Noend Designs : Boutique Home Furnishings

3D Handyman : Industrial Design Tutorials

I was the sound designer, editor, and music producer for a Ford motion simulator ride featured in trade shows across the country. I rarely compose rock, so this was a fun opportunity to push myself. In addition, due to issues with the original recorded audio, I had to remake all of the sounds. Yep, even for the engines and dirt.
An attempt to fulfill my childhood dream of a Terminator sequel full of the battle scenes from the first two movies. All video editing and music production by yours truly.

  You made it! Here are some Star Trek cats with weird breakfast sandwiches. 🥳

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