David Wadley

David Wadley wrote, produced and released "Batman Theme" (Digitally Remastered), an electro cover of the opening theme song from the classic Batman (1966) TV series, just two years after graduating from St. Peter Chanel High School in Cleveland, Ohio. He later made the Dean's List as a freshman at Morehouse College. Ernest Tidyman, a Cleveland journalist and Oscar-winning screenwriter of The French Connection (1971), Shaft (1971), and High Plains Drifter (1973), encouraged David to study film production at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He supported himself throughout his college years with various jobs at the The New York Hilton and Towers, The Plaza Hotel and The Waldorf Astoria, where he was given the opportunity to interact with frequent hotel patrons Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, and Jesse Jackson. As a political science major at Hunter College, David interned in Harlem's 15th Congressional District under Representative Charles Rangel. Historically, David is the first college student invited to participate as a guest panelist on the regionally televised "City University of New York Internship Forum," where he discussed "Race Relations in New York City" with local politicians and noted political scientist, Dr. Marilyn Gittell. Intrigued by his studies relating to the Civil Rights Movement, David arranged private, face-to-face discussions with both Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz, the widows of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. He also worked nights as a runner for Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz; the law firm that orchestrated Bank of America's purchase of Merrill Lynch for $50 billion, as well as the hostile takeover of the RJR Nabisco empire which served as the subject of the bestselling novel and film, Barbarians at the Gate (1993). David's desire to work in the film industry led him to Hollywood where he landed positions at Panavision and Technicolor. The former Atlanta Firefighter/EMT also worked as a Production Assistant on several films produced by Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Robert De Niro, and blaxploitation pioneer Melvin Van Peebles; including Panther (1995), Tales from the Hood (1995), To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995), and Minority Report (2002). These films gave him the opportunity to work with noted actors such as Angela Bassett, Tom Cruise, Robin Williams, Patrick Swayze, Chris Rock and Wesley Snipes. David then wrote, produced and directed a feature film entitled Dark Angels (1998) for Stray Dog Filmworks/Maverick Entertainment. Following the release of Dark Angels (1998), he wrote several feature-length screenplays including, "Always and Forever," "Yang," and "Notorious." David became a member of I.A.T.S.E. - Local 700, the Motion Picture Editors Guild in 1999. As Music and Effects Supervisor at Sony Pictures Studios, he worked on the international versions of television programs such as The King of Queens (1998), The Steve Harvey Show (1996), Just Shoot Me! (1997), and Dawson's Creek (1998). David also served in a similar capacity for Warner Bros. Studios, where he assisted the M&E Supervisor on more than a dozen television programs including ER (1994), The West Wing (1999), Third Watch (1999), Smallville (2001), Gilmore Girls (2000), The Bernie Mac Show (2001), The Drew Carey Show (1995), Friends (1994), and the feature films Training Day (2001), Scooby-Doo (2002), and White Oleander (2002). While at Warner Bros., he also edited sound effects for Where's Angelo? (2003) and performed the duties of Supervising Sound Editor on Condemned (2002), which went on to win Best Short Film at the Ankara International Film Festival in Turkey. David then started his own company, Art of Sound, Inc., performing as Supervising Sound Editor on several projects produced by the American Film Institute, as well as MGM's Soul Plane (2004), which showcased Kevin Hart in his first starring role, and featured Oscar winner Mo'Nique, Sofía Vergara, and Snoop Dogg. Soul Plane (2004) is historically noted as the first motion picture to utilize Eastman Kodak Co.'s new method of storing the soundtrack on a thin layer of cyan dye in the film instead of on a magnetic or optical track. Immediately following the film's release, David flew to Hong Kong and the Philippines, where he met with chairmen and studio executives of Viva Films, Star Cinema Productions and Regal Films. He returned to the United States with the task of restoring both sound and picture on three Filipino classics; Sinasamba kita (1982), Bakit bughaw ang langit? (1981) and P.S. I Love You (1981), for both television and DVD release. David later worked in Las Vegas for several years at Caesars Palace, MGM Grand and joined the Surveillance Division of Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in November 2006, several days before Prince opened his own nightclub, Club 3121, in the lower level of the Rio to present nightly performances for Las Vegas patrons. He noticed an overall lack of cultural activities on the gambling strip leading him to create the Las Vegas Film Society (LVFS) which presented monthly screenings of restored 35mm film prints such as West Side Story (1961) and Raging Bull (1980). This innovative film series was presented at the Regal Cinemas Theater inside the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa. David also visited Las Vegas elementary schools as well as senior citizen groups to promote appreciation for classic films and invite local residents to the screenings. In 2008, David secured a position with the U.S. federal government during the transfer of Executive Branch control from President George W. Bush to President Barack Obama. In addition to performing his duties as a public servant with the U.S. government, he created a website, All Women Are Beautiful (AWAB), to provide public service information that is related to inner beauty and women's rights. David utilized AWAB to assist in preproduction fundraising and promotion of a film project, which inspired the film's producers to acknowledge him with "Special Thanks" in the closing credits of The Invisible War (2012), an investigative documentary about the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military. Two days after watching this groundbreaking film, former CIA Director and U.S. Secretary of Defense, Leon E. Panetta, directed military commanders to hand over all sexual assault investigations to a higher ranking colonel and announced that each branch of the United States Armed Forces would establish a Special Victims Unit. The Invisible War was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at The Oscars (2013) and has been lauded by advocates, lawmakers, and journalists for its influence on government policies to reduce the prevalence of rape in the U.S. Armed Forces.