Derek was born and raised in Chicago. He moved to Los Angeles after college for his first career in Federal Law. Derek entered the Art of acting later in life but brings a lifetime of experience to the craft. Every teacher and director he study/works under is amazed at the drive, dedication, and work ethic he brings to a role. "Derek is a beast. His willingness to dive into a role/character and do the hard work to bring out all the deep ugly and scary stuff that most actors are afraid to really live in and explore - that's what separates him and makes him an amazing actor".

Hard work and a strong work ethic were instilled in him early on by his blue collar parents. By the time he was a teenager he was working construction jobs to help support his family and raise his brothers. Derek later went on to College where he worked two jobs while maintaining a full class load. He was the first in his family to receive a degree and was an outstanding scholar that graduated at the top of his class in Criminal Justice. Not bad for someone whose teachers thought was just a class clown and trouble maker. Subconsciously, he always knew he wanted to act and Los Angeles would be the best place to do so. 14 years into a very busy career is when he finally made the leap to pursue a life long need to act. Since then he has maintained two separate lives. One in the public service realm and one in the Arts. Two very challenging full time careers that require extreme training, sacrifice, and a tenacity that few seem to possess. He began studying acting in a Two Year Meisner Program at the Ruskin School of Acting and would not even consider auditioning until he finished the program and established a solid acting foundation. When he graduated the program- he auditioned and landed a role in the Indie Film "A Young Man's Future / A Nice Quiet Life" where he plays the hardened yet emotional role of a single father who loses his only son to Schizophrenia and struggles to find him and bring him home.

Derek was mesmerized by the art of film making after his first day on set and vowed to learn the job of every crew member so he could understand and appreciate how each role contributes in the collaboration of every project. This inquisitive nature and a desire to learn the art of film led him to pursue Directing and Producing. Derek started a Production Company and began creating his own content as well as producing other artists passion projects. To date he's learned quite a few of the jobs on set - Actor, Director, Producer, Casting Director, Sound, Lighting, Editor, Colorist, and Sound Engineer to name a few. Derek is a self taught Editor and continues to learn more crew roles on each new project. His latest quest is to learn the DP side and looks forward to working behind the lens. Derek is the all around artist and lives to learn and grow. Each new learned skills helps him to grow and progress as an actor.

Derek is currently a Show-Runner and Co-lead in the Adult Comedy Series - B@RBEE REHAB "Get Addicted" - where he acts opposite the legendary Tom Sizemore, Janice Dickinson, Bai Ling, and his Co-lead Vanessa Bednar. This project is Derek's Directorial debut. The Adult Parody is in now in the final stages of Post production ( Aug 2020). Derek Co-wrote, Produced, Directed, Edited, and Stars in the hilarious new comedy. While filming the show, he taught himself to edit and learned the post production side so the project could be finished properly. Like some of the greats: Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese and others- he tried several editors before realizing what he already knew - only he would put in the time and energy that could pull off the vision. So he forced himself to learn to edit and has become a master at story telling in this art form as well. He admits that learning to edit is a monster endeavor but it has allowed him to gain a new understanding about story, directing, and acting. Especially how acting and the nuances of actors can make or break a scene. Derek actively seeks roles that will challenge him to make new discoveries and push him as an artist. He continues to study acting and believes every role is teaching him more about the art and about himself. He strives to become one of the most respected actors in the business. He hates the idea of being famous and wants nothing to do with fame or fortune. Instead, as he always tells people- "I want to be like Chris Mulkey, that highly respected, super talented actor that's been in everything and you know his face but you have to look up his name. Especially because Mulkey is known as one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood and has been working for decades refining his craft and art". Derek met Mulkey at the Ruskin School of Acting where he was teaching a scene study class and was immediately affected and influenced by his drive, humility, and passion for the craft.

Derek brings 18 years of specialized training and experience to his craft. He spent those years training over 1,000 armed men and women as well as military personnel in Firearms, Hand-to-hand combat techniques, Ground fighting, Arrest and Control techniques, and many other specialty skills. He is a weapons specialist and master trainer of handguns, assault rifles and other special weapons. Derek is looking forward to the opportunity of working as a Technical Adviser/Subject Matter Expert on future TV and film productions - "It just ruins the scene when we see the actor(s) that are playing the roles of a Navy Seal, Delta Force, Special Agents, or Police Officers do things incorrectly with weapons on camera- It just removes all credibility and take us out of the story. It is easily avoided by using experts on set to train and guide the actor. It's part of story and should not be overlooked. Proper training leads to proficiency as well as looking the part".