Born and raised in Cannon Falls, MN, Derek is a writer, and an award-winning producer with Zoic Studios in Los Angeles. As a post and VFX producer, he’s helped create national and international projects for clients including Marvel, Fox Studios, Fox Sports, and too many ad agencies and brands to count. Working with Capital Records, he produced the Grammy nominated video Safe and Sound for Capitol Cities, which also garnered him an MTV VMA win (his identical twin brother went to the award show). Then like a cheesy Hallmark movie he might one day write, Derek left Los Angeles for his rural home and became the caretaker for his ailing Grandfather. Seeing a need for a true community space within this rural community, he bought a run-down bank where his Great Grandfather was a janitor, and set about turning a cherished piece of local history into a place that brings community together. In his limited free time he reads, swims in frozen rivers, and spends far too little time in the BWCA.