David Griffin was born in New York to sculptress Roberta Griffin and musician Vincent Griffin and was the first of four children. Home-schooled by their parents, Griffin and two of his siblings would later enter Vassar College, where he graduated in 1999. Raised in an art-intensive environment, Griffin was the first child employee of the New York State Parks department, when he was hired as a costumed interpreter at Old Bethpage Village Restoration at the age of seven.

Museum work since then has included salaried and volunteer positions at a number of arts organizations, including Wilderstein Preservation, The Mills Manison State Historic Park and the Francis Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College.

While a student at Vassar College, Griffin founded the Vassar College Croquet Club, an arts-related organization, which became one of the largest student organizations on campus. Visiting artists to the Club's programs included Ismail Merchant, of the acclaimed Merchant-Ivory cinematic team, and Sarah Plant, director of the Baroque ensemble The Olive Trio.

Since 1988, Griffin has edited Carnage Hall Magazine, a Gothic Revival publication called "The best publication of its kind" by former Omni editor Ellen Datlow, whose contributors have included Margaret Atwood, Jean Williams, Jeff VanderMeer, Pauline Kael and Ursula K. Le Guin. The next issue will include work by Denise Dumars and Scott Peacock.