Derek Westerman is an American

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

, and film producer born and raised in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

.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 Michael Austin Cera ( ; ; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor. Over his career he has received nominations for a British Academy Film Award, three Critics' Choice Movie Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Tony Award. Cera beca ...

and Will Hines, which premiered on the website

CollegeHumor Dropout, incorporated as CH Media and formerly known as CollegeHumor, is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles that produces content for release on its streaming service Dropout (streaming platform), Dropout as well as YouTube. Dropou ...

during its 2011 Spring Season of original web shows. ''Bad Dads'' premiered at the

Dallas International Film Festival The Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in Dallas, Texas. The 2025 edition will be held April 25-May 1, 2025. DIFF 2024 was held April 25-May 1, 2024. DIFF 2023 was held April 28-May 5, 2023. Th ...

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. The Palm Springs International Festi ...

, L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival, and was featured at the 2011 Just for Laughs comedy festival in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

.
Westerman has worked with many comedians of

Upright Citizens Brigade The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Amy Poehler, Matthew Walsh, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, ...

and wrote sketch comedy with Michael Cera while he was involved in the filming of

Arrested Development ''Arrested Development'' is an American satire, satirical television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. It follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family and is presented in a Serial (radio and television), serialized format, inco ...

. His senior thesis film from

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...

starred

Clark Duke Clark Duke (born May 5, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films '' Sex Drive'' (2008), '' Kick-Ass'' (2010), '' Hot Tub Time Machine'' (2010), and '' The Croods'' (2013), as well as playing Clark Green in ''The Office ...

alongside Michael Cera. He attended film school at Loyola Marymount University from 2002 to 2006 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and received his master's degree in Visual Culture Theory in 2010 from

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...

. In 2019, Westerman partnered with screenwriter Yolanda Ruiz to create Ruiz Westerman Screenwriting Services. He currently lives in

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