Born in Palo Alto, CA in 1952, Dency Nelson harbored a love for television from a young age. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz as a history major, Nelson began working as a driver for the American Film Institute, as he pursued acting in his spare time. While working more odd jobs in the industry, he encountered his future mentor, stage manager Ray Sneath on the set of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Sneath helped him to get a job as a cue card guy for The Merv Griffin Show. After working at the show for a year, he moved to New York where he found work as a cue card guy for David Letterman on a new morning show. Working with Letterman inspired him to pursue stage managing seriously, and he dedicated himself to that track. His first official stage managing job was at MTV in 1981.
Nelson has worked on virtually every major awards and event show across his career. His credits included 24 Academy Awards telecasts, more than a dozen Grammys and Emmys telecasts, two dozen Kennedy Center Honors, the opening and closing of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and the 1996 and 2000 Democratic National Conventions. In addition, he worked on special live broadcasts of ER, Fail Safe, On Golden Pond and The Drew Carey Show.
Nelson has given much of his time to the Guild over the years. He has served on the Negotiating Committee from 2005-2014. In addition, he has also served on the Western AD/SM/PA Council consecutively from 2001-2016 as an alternate, 1st and 2nd Vice Chairperson. He aided in welcoming new members as the Membership Chair. He has also served on the Political Action Committee since its inception. In 2013, he received the Franklin J. Schaffner award in recognition for his service to the Guild.
Nelson has been a member of the Directors Guild since 1981.