Derek Westerman is an American
screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
,
film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
, and
film producer
A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
born and raised in
Toledo, Ohio.
[http://www.toledo.com/news/2011/02/28/frogtown-features/michael-cera-s-shorts-toledo-s-derek-westerman-aims-high/ "Michael Cera's Shorts: Toledo's Derek Westerman Aims High" by Ryan A. Bunch] His debut work was the independent web comedy series Bad Dads, a series of five, three-minute shorts
featuring
Michael Cera and Will Hines, which premiered on the website
CollegeHumor during its 2011 Spring Season of original web shows.
''Bad Dads'' premiered at the
Dallas International Film Festival,
Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films
The Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films (a.k.a. Palm Springs International ShortFest) held annually in Palm Springs, California is the largest film festival for short films in the United States.L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival
The L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival (LACS) is an annual film festival held in the spring in Los Angeles, California. LACS programs short films exclusively in the comedy genre, and is the largest festival of its kind in the United States. During ...
, and was featured at the 2011
Just for Laughs comedy festival in
Chicago, Illinois and
Montreal, Quebec.
Westerman has worked with many comedians of
Upright Citizens Brigade
The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Adam McKay, Ri ...
and wrote sketch comedy with Michael Cera while he was involved in the filming of
Arrested Development. His senior thesis film from
Loyola Marymount University starred
Clark Duke
Clark Duke (born May 5, 1985) is an American actor, comedian, and director known for his roles in the films '' Kick-Ass'', ''Sex Drive'', and ''Hot Tub Time Machine'', as well as playing Clark Green in the TV series ''The Office'', Dale Kettlew ...
alongside Michael Cera. He attended film school at Loyola Marymount University from 2002 to 2006 in
Los Angeles, California and received his master's degree in Visual Culture Theory in 2010 from
NYU
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-United States Secretary of the Treasu ...
.
[ ] In 2019, Westerman partnered with screenwriter Yolanda Ruiz to create Ruiz Westerman Screenwriting Services. He currently lives in
Los Angeles, California.
References
External links
Toledo.com, "Michael Cera's Shorts: Toledo's Derek Westerman Aims High" by Ryan A Bunch
Slashfilm "VOTD: 'Bad Dads' Starring Michael Cera and Will Hines" by Peter Sciretta, March 10, 2011
"Bad Dads director returning home for screening" by Emilly Gibb, Toledo Free Press, April 7, 2011
"Area filmmaker works with Michael Cera" by Jeff McGinnis, Toledo Free Press, Mar 4, 2011
College Humor "Bad Dads" Stream Episodes
*
Exclusive Interview with Director Derek Westerman, Pearl Snap Discount
"Palm Springs International ShortFest sets program" by Variety Newsroom, Jun 8, 2011
- "Ohio native goes 'Bad'" by Nick Chordas, Columbus Dispatch, March 2, 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westerman, Derek
American male screenwriters
Writers from Toledo, Ohio
Living people
Film directors from Ohio
Year of birth missing (living people)
Screenwriters from Ohio