- Nicknames
- Dewood
- Dedrick
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Born in Toledo, OH. Derek Vandegrift found his knack for entertainment at a very early age. While attending St. Catherine's of Sienna elementary school, Derek was encouraged to join a creative writing team.
During his Sophomore Year at Whitmer High School, Derek made his debut as a student director for the stage play "Night Watch". Shortly thereafter, Derek tried his hand at stage acting, receiving roles in several plays and musicals including "All In The Timing", "Grease", "Beauty and the Beast", "West Side Story" and "High School Musical". During which time he also attended several drama, creative writing and improvisation classes.
From 2006 to 2007, Derek joined the Toledo-based talent search program "StarBound", which formally included such stars as Katie Holmes and Alyson Stoner. He left soon after in order to focus more on his writing and directing.
It wasn't until 2010 when Derek Vandegrift, with the help of co-writer Jo Ellen Jacob, did he finally write the screenplay to his first feature length indie film Road to Kingsville (2013).- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jacob Strong
- Excessive amounts of vulgar dialog.
- Several key characters doing drugs.
- His favorite director is David Fincher.
- The first movie Derek ever saw in theaters was Jurassic Park (1993). He was four-years-old.
- Favorite movies are Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and La La Land.
- Is best friends with Katie McCormack.
- As much as I appreciate entertaining others with my stories, I don't write for anyone else but myself.
- I guess the biggest challenge I face is surprising myself when it comes to my characters. If I find I'm liking them too much, I have to cut them down a peg or two. Life isn't safe, so why should my characters be safe?
- Creating a completely original character, based on no one in particular, is hard to write for. You dive into these emotionally internalized characteristics and suddenly you begin exposing your own skeletons without even realizing it.
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