Derek was born and raised in Lorain, Ohio with his older brother, Paul. He was always active as a child, taking part in all the extra curricular activities that his his free time would allow. While he attended Amherst Steele High School his focus shifted mainly toward becoming a star diver on the swim team as well as singing in the top choir. He was a two-time state qualifier in diving and his choir received a superior rating at the state-level competition. During his college years is when Derek became involved with acting and began taking part in community theater and independent films. His first role in community theater was Custus in the musical "Crazy For You." He loved the feeling of being on stage but wanted to do more work with film. After completing his bachelor's degree at Cleveland State University and working on several independent films he decided to relocate to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television.