David L. Snyder's fascination with show business began in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, where he nurtured his passion from an early age.
After experimenting with various careers, including rock 'n' roll drummer, architectural designer, graphic designer, and theatrical stage designer, David started his Hollywood journey as the assistant art director at the 50th Annual Academy Awards.
Following a year in live television, David was recruited by MCA Universal Studios and spent a year and a half art directing science fiction television series such as Galactica 1980, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Incredible Hulk, and Captain America.
David then went on to design Taylor Hackford's feature directorial debut, The Idolmaker, before returning to science fiction as the art director of Ridley Scott's 1982 future-noir classic, Blade Runner. This film earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction, which he shared with Lawrence G. Paull, the film's production designer. The film also received the British Academy Award (BAFTA) for Best Production Design/Art Direction.
Since then, David has designed nearly fifty feature films, including Netflix's The Most Hated Woman in America, Crave, The One, Soldier, Demolition Man, Super Mario Bros., The Whole Nine Yards, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and Tim Burton's cult classic feature film directorial debut, Pee-wee's Big Adventure.
In 1994, David designed Rainbow, the motion picture industry's first live-action, digital-to-35mm theatrical feature film, starring and directed by Bob Hoskins. In 2022, he appeared as himself in the documentaries In Theaters Only and 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!
Snyder has appeared as a guest speaker on the subject of motion picture design at various events, including the 1st Annual Tokyo International Film Festival, the American Film Institute, the University of California at Los Angeles, and the 45th Annual New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center.
David was invited by the Museum of Modern Art to introduce Pee-wee's Big Adventure at the 2009-10 Tim Burton Retrospective and was a member of the Blade Runner @ 30 panel at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con.
In 2015, David appeared at the MAGI 3D seminar with Douglas Trumbull at the China Central Television / CCTV headquarters in Beijing, China, and in 2017, he spoke on the subject of the art direction of Blade Runner at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival production design panel.
David was invited by the Academy Museum along with colleagues Linda DeScenna and Mark Stetson to screen Blade Runner and returned to SCAD in 2022 along with Joanna Cassidy, costume designer Michael Kaplan, and Final Cut producer Charles de Lauzirika to celebrate the film's 40th Anniversary screening and panel discussion.
David is a member of several industry organizations, including the Directors Guild of America, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the Art Directors Guild, IATSE.
