David Quinn is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

, entrepreneur

Entrepreneur

An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...

 and teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

, currently serving as IB Coordinator and instructor of IB English and IB

IB Diploma Programme

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...

-Theory of Knowledge

Theory of Knowledge (IB course)

Theory of knowledge is a course in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme which is, in essence, similar to Epistemology courses offered in university.-Course description:...

 at a high school in the Seattle area.

Quinn began acting at the age of four, starting our as a regular on the enduring children's program Sesame Street

Sesame Street

Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...

. Between 1986–1988, he was the host of 3-2-1 Contact

3-2-1 Contact

3-2-1 Contact is an American science educational television show that aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988, and an adjoining children's magazine. The show, a production of the Children's Television Workshop, teaches scientific principles and their applications. Dr. Edward G...

, the educational science series produced for PBS. In 1988, he hosted "I Have AIDS, A Teenager's Story" with noted AIDS advocate, Ryan White

Ryan White

Ryan Wayne White was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States, after being expelled from middle school because of his infection. A hemophiliac, he became infected with HIV from a contaminated blood treatment and, when diagnosed...

. The program won the Peabody Award

Peabody Award

The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...

. As a teen, Quinn went to noted performing arts training center Stagedoor Manor

Stagedoor Manor

Stagedoor Manor is a performing arts summer camp located in Loch Sheldrake, New York. Over the past 36 years, it has trained thousands of young actors, many of whom have gone on to success in film, television, and theatre....

 in New York for many summers, and roomed with friend Jon Cryer

Jon Cryer

Jonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer. He is the son of actress–singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his motion picture debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but gained greater fame as "Duckie" in the 1986 John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink...

. In 1985, Quinn performed in the original Live Aid

Live Aid

Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...

 concert in Philadelphia, singing in the show's finale with the group "Children to Children". During his television career, Quinn appeared in numerous commercials and television programs before embarking on simultaneous careers in business and education.

In 1993, Quinn left acting for the field of secondary education. He earned a B.A. (English/Anthropology-Archaeology) and an M.Ed. from the University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

. While at the University of Washington, Quinn co-founded Allrecipes.com

Allrecipes.com

Allrecipes.com is a global social networking service and forum, which encourages users to post recipes, comment on and make changes to existing recipes and search for specific recipes. In addition, it allows users to create recipe blogs, vote on pictures of finished dishes, and receive awards based...

 and became a founding partner of the Pinpoint Venture Group, which invests in startup companies

Startup company

A startup company or startup is a company with a limited operating history. These companies, generally newly created, are in a phase of development and research for markets...

 in the Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...

. In April 2006, Quinn sold Allrecipes to Readers Digest.

Quinn also founded ZC Entertainment in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, which creates celebrity

Celebrity

A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...

-based charity events for major corporations. In August 2007, Quinn sold ZC Entertainment to SportsQuest, Inc.

Currently, Quinn is on the Board of Trustees of the Seattle Repertory Theatre

Seattle Repertory Theatre

Seattle Repertory Theatre is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and Theatre Communications Group. Founded in 1963, it is led by Artistic Director Jerry Manning and Managing Director Benjamin Moore...

., the 5th Avenue Theatre

5th Avenue Theatre

The 5th Avenue Theatre is a landmark theater building located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It has hosted a variety of theatre productions and motion pictures since it opened in 1926. The building and land is owned by the University of Washington and was once part of the original campus...

., and on the Advisory Board of the International Human Rights group Olympic Dream for Darfur

Olympic Dream for Darfur

Olympic Dream for Darfur is an organization and campaign to pressure the Government of the People's Republic of China to intervene on the side of civilians in the Darfur conflict. It claims that the Chinese government has the requisite influence to pressure the Sudanese government to accept...

.

In 2003, he was a recipient of the Puget Sound Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Award, honoring young leaders in Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

's business and philanthropic

Philanthropy

Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...

 community. Quinn is a 2009 Recipient of the US Presidential Scholars Program’s Teacher Recognition Award.

In 2010, Quinn returned to filmmaking, serving as Associate Producer of Order of Chaos, starring Milo Ventimiglia

Milo Ventimiglia

Milo Anthony Ventimiglia is an American television actor best known for his role of Peter Petrelli on the TV series Heroes...

.