Spencer Riviera is an award-winning director based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He grew up in Seattle and graduated from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration in Writing & Performance. He is represented by O Positive Films and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
Spencer came to directing with an eclectic background in writing, acting and film. He has studied improvisation with Del Close (Second City, SNL), appeared as an actor on Law & Order (charged with murder one), and written for the animated cult comedy series Behind the Music That Sucks. He was an usher at the Film Forum, a janitor at The Actor’s Studio and a clerk at Kim’s Video — the now-shuttered NYC institution devoted to rare and experimental cinema.
In 2014, Spencer vaulted into the commercial directing world with his spot for DailyMVP starring Tom Brady, which got over two million views in one day and was praised by USA Today, Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated and ABC World News Tonight. In 2019, he won the Super Clio for co-directing JOUST, a collaboration between HBO and Bud Light promoting the final season of Game of Thrones in Super Bowl LII. In 2022, Spencer directed WALTER IN WINTER — a 60-second epic about a man, his cat and his Chevy Silverado — which became a viral sensation after it premiered during the Winter Olympics and was named SHOOT magazine’s most-viewed ad of the year.
Spencer has continued to helm an array of high-profile spots for clients around the world. His work has been recognized by the Art Directors Club, Archive magazine, the One Show, the Clios and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild and Costco.