A SAG-eligible character actor with a penchant of playing strong character types, Derek has been cast in roles from redneck heavies (thanks, in part, to his Kentucky heritage) in independent films such as "Don't Worry, We'll Be Fine", "Ronan", and "Candie's Harem" to a prosecuting attorney ("Inventing Karma") and even a CEO of a global corporation ("Bravo 1"). Derek has been described by his peers as a chameleon as he tends to change his looks to serve the characters that he plays. He enjoys playing against type and is always developing new character traits in order to bring many diverse characters to life. 

 

       A large part of Derek's training in character development has come from his improv training at The Second City Training Center in Chicago and The Comedy Shrine where he has worked with some of Chicagoland's best improvisers such as Michael Gellman, Mark Czoske, Bill Russell, Dave Sinker, Matthew Mages, and Tim O'Malley. Derek has also studied with Maureen Cashin Bolog  (Actor's Craft studio - Kenosha, WI) for script analysis using Ivana Chubbuck's technique. 

 

   Derek's most recent work includes being cast in Notebook Entertainment's web-series/TV-show "The Deadersons" where he portrays David Deaderson, a hard-working, dedicated family man trying to balance the pressures of life and family issues. Oh, and did I mention that he and his family are zombies living "normal" lives after the apocalypse?!? The pilot episode for this fun and campy dark comedy can be seen here. In addition to this and other indie film projects, Derek keeps his improv skills sharp by performing in the Dr Who's Line Is It...Anyway Podcast where he provides the voiceovers for many diverse and characters from the popular Dr Who series. 

 

        Aside from acting, Derek also enjoys reading (biographies and auto-biographies are his favorites), learning the guitar and bass guitar, working with accents and learning languages (currently trying to learn German), and watching movies and TV. He also enjoys traveling, but doesn't do it as much as he would like. Someday, he hopes to visit Japan, Germany, and Australia. 

 

        He is looking forward to the next big leap in his career and dreams of working on a Quentin Tarantino movie someday. So Mr. Tarantino, if you're reading this, contact him and let's do this!