Derek is a Los Angeles-based actor/instructor/director, who’s accomplishments span stage, film, and voiceover. Growing up in farmland Wisconsin, Derek was interested in theatre at an early age, and has explored it’s various forms of expression ever since. He majored in theatre at UW-Whitewater, a small college, which gave him a chance to play many lead roles in productions on the stage, including CABARET, OEDIPUS, and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. After college, he continued his stage experience in Chicago theatres, and started exploring roles in film projects. He continued exploring film in Los Angeles, where he has landed roles in many independent films such as SOCKET, 3-DAY WEEKEND, and MAKE THE YULETIDE GAY, which won him The People’s Choice Award at San Diego Film Fest. He continues to take on stage roles in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Long Beach, including such productions as HAMLET, CLOUD 9, and CATCHING THE BUTCHER. He also serves as a panel judge for submissions to the national “PANNDORA’S BOX Annual New Works Festival” in Southern California. Derek has recently started work as a director and an acting instructor, teaching classes in both Santa Monica and Long Beach, California. Derek believes in a global philosophy about theatre: staying open to opportunity and community, wherever the location is. Derek is happily married with two cats and a dog, and when he’s not working, you’ll find him in the garden pulling weeds and watching things grow.