Dan McGuiness

About Dan

Hi, I’m Dan McGuiness.

I’m an Australian author, illustrator, creative designer and entrepreneur based in Adelaide, South Australia. For over 15 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to build a career doing what I love, creating stories, characters and worlds that entertain people.

My professional journey began with Pilot & Huxley, a children’s graphic novel series that I created, wrote and illustrated. Seeing my first books published and released internationally was an incredible experience and taught me the importance of visual storytelling, pacing and creating characters that readers could connect with.

Since 2016, I’ve had the privilege of illustrating Anh Do’s bestselling Hotdog! series for Scholastic Australia. Working alongside one of Australia’s most successful children’s authors has allowed me to help shape one of the country’s most recognisable children’s book franchises. It’s incredibly rewarding knowing the books have encouraged millions of children to discover a love of reading, and seeing the series receive awards and recognition has been a career highlight.

Outside of publishing, I’ve always enjoyed finding new creative challenges.

In 2017, I founded Miasma Skateboards, where I created the company’s branding, marketing, skateboard graphics and promotional videos. It gave me the opportunity to combine illustration, filmmaking and design while learning what it takes to build a creative business from the ground up.

From 2020 to 2024, I co-created and co-hosted the TerrorVision Horror Podcast with my good friend Jen. Every episode celebrated our love of horror films as we broke movies down scene by scene, discussing filmmaking, practical effects, behind-the-scenes stories and everything that makes horror such a unique genre.

I’m also the co-owner of Greenlight Comics, one of Australia’s leading independent comic book stores. Working in comics for more than 15 years has allowed me to meet incredible creators, help readers discover amazing books and remain connected to an industry that has inspired me since I was a kid.

In 2024, I co-founded Bad Plan Studios, an independent video game studio where I serve as Creative Designer. I’m currently leading the development of our debut title, End of Ember, a hand-drawn 2D action roguelike that combines fast-paced gameplay with horror, dark humour and over-the-top action. The game has been featured by Australian and international gaming media and was optioned for film and television adaptation, making it one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever worked on.

When I look back over my career, every project has taught me something new. Whether it’s writing comics, illustrating children’s books, filming skate videos, running a comic shop or designing a video game, they’ve all contributed to the way I approach storytelling and creativity today.

At the heart of everything I do is a simple goal: create worlds people want to spend time in, characters they’ll remember and stories they’ll want to experience again and again.