Profile
Born into a musical family in Leeds, in the north of England, David was trained as a pianist and by the age of nine was performing at classical concerts. He left school at 15 and with no academic qualifications, set out into the business world by opening a market stall. When he was 21, David spent a year as a Butlin's 'Redcoat', playing his ukulele and entertaining holiday makers from across the UK.
He sought for decades to break into showbusiness management but despite his best efforts, doors were slammed in his face as he was turned down time and time again. Many years of struggle and rejection followed, but it was his talent, business skills and determination that eventually proved to be the key to his fortune. He would not take 'no' for answer. His working class roots propelled him forward and, not daring to look back, his perseverance ultimately paid off when in 1996 he wrote and created his first hit musical, an Irish Dance show called 'Spirit of the Dance'. It became the biggest dance show in the world, with 14 troupes performing in 14 different countries on the same night, and playing to more than 30 million people worldwide.
David has remained a hands-on executive producer and he still creates and produces all the shows in his massive portfolio of over 25 productions.
He owns three major theatres In America: The Palace Theatre in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which is the largest theatre on the east coast of America, with 3,000 seats; The King's Castle Theatre in Branson, Missouri, where his shows plays year round; The Broadway Theatre, inside the New York - New York Casino in Las Vegas where three of David's shows appear. His American operations are handled from his US headquarters, located at his theatre in Myrtle Beach, and European operations are handled from offices in Bushey, Hertfordshire. He has several ongoing contracts to supply major casinos in the US with entertainment. He is also one of the principal suppliers of entertainment to the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco, where he lives for part of the year.
David's shows have toured in more than 30 countries across the globe, and he is credited with 'bringing musicals to the masses'. David is the first producer from the Western world to have three consecutive tours in China, playing to over a million people.
Spirit Artists is David's international artist management agency, which supplies some of the biggest music acts in the world to corporate events and private clients. He has worked with Sir Elton John, Andre Bocelli, Liza Minnelli and Lionel Ritchie, to name but a few.
He owns three major theatres In America: The Palace Theatre in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which is the largest theatre on the east coast of America, with 3,000 seats; The King's Castle Theatre in Branson, Missouri, where his shows plays year round; The Broadway Theatre, inside the New York - New York Casino in Las Vegas where three of David's shows appear. His American operations are handled from his US headquarters, located at his theatre in Myrtle Beach, and European operations are handled from offices in Bushey, Hertfordshire. He has several ongoing contracts to supply major casinos in the US with entertainment. He is also one of the principal suppliers of entertainment to the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco, where he lives for part of the year.
David's shows have toured in more than 30 countries across the globe, and he is credited with 'bringing musicals to the masses'. David is the first producer from the Western world to have three consecutive tours in China, playing to over a million people.
Spirit Artists is David's international artist management agency, which supplies some of the biggest music acts in the world to corporate events and private clients. He has worked with Sir Elton John, Andre Bocelli, Liza Minnelli and Lionel Ritchie, to name but a few.