Biography

Dustin "Spanky" Ward is an accomplished producer, director, and writer from Ogden, Utah, known for his dynamic storytelling and versatile filmmaking. His credits include Hello I Love You, Riot (featuring Dolph Lundgren and Chuck Liddell), Ruling of the Heart, and Christmas Break-In (starring Danny Glover, Denise Richards, and Cameron Seely).

Over the course of his career, Spanky has written, produced, and directed numerous feature films, along with more than seventy short films and commercials. He has optioned or sold over a dozen feature-length screenplays and continues to collaborate with producers on a variety of projects, including his next feature film, which he plans to both write and direct.

Expanding his creative reach, Spanky has begun adapting his screenplays into novels and recently self-published his debut children's book, Charlie's Long Journey, available on Amazon.

His latest feature, The Santa Box, premiered during the holiday season and has earned seven awards, including "Audience Choice" and "2nd Place Best Feature Film" at the Ziff Film Festival. It also received six nominations at the Utah Film Festival, winning "Best Made in Utah Feature" and "Best Actress Under 18."

Spanky recently completed Princess for a Day, slated for release in 2025, and is in post-production on his next project-a psychological thriller titled "The Genesis Project." He resides in Holladay, Utah.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous

Spanky has had an interesting relationship with names over the years. His mother originally planned to name him Damien, but after seeing the movie "The Omen" she opted to name him Dustin, after her favorite actor, Dustin Hoffman. He was originally given the last name "Rhead" even though his mother was divorced and Rhead wasn't his biological father's last name. While in high school, Dustin paid to have his last name changed to "Ward" to reflect the last name of his biological father. Dustin adopted the nickname "Spanky" at the age of 13. It derived from an old black-and-white TV show he watched as a little kid. One of the main characters, "Spanky" was a chubby little tyke who constantly got into trouble. This mirrored Dustin quite well as a small child. Spanky used his new moniker as a marketing tool to acquire a sponsor for his BMX racing hobby. It worked, and the nickname stuck.