Derek Sitter

Derek Sitter (born September 4, 1967) is an American filmmaker, actor, and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founding owner of the Volcanic Theatre Pub[1][2][3][4][5] in Bend, Oregon and as an award-winning[6][7] filmmaker, producing short films at Smoking Mirror Productions/Born Into This Films.[1]

Early life and education

Sitter was born and raised in McAlester, Oklahoma.[1][3] At 17, he was set to join the Air Force but quickly changed gears to go into the performing arts.[1] In 1986, he and some friends made it to the grand finals and won prize money for their rendition of "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister on Puttin' on the Hits.[1][8] He earned a double degree in Communications and Advertising from Northeastern State University. He studied acting at LSU, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1994.[1][3] He is an elected lifetime member of the Actors' Studio.[3] In Bend, Oregon, he founded the Actors’ Realm and the Volcanic Theatre Pub.[2]

Acting career

Theatre

In 2001, Sitter was nominated for an Ovation Award (Best Featured Actor in a Play) for his role in The Dead Boy by Joseph Pintauro.[1][9][10] Sitter played "Will Draper" in the U.S. premiere of the play at the Laurelgrove Theatre in Los Angeles.[10] He doubled in the role of the "Young Priest of Sheridan's Fantasy,"[11] a Jekyll and Hyde sort of role where he got to play one part good, one part evil.[11] Sitter continued to work as a stage actor in Bend, Oregon,[12] notably as "Mikey" in "The Spin Cycle" at Innovation Theatre Works in 2011.[13]

Television
Year Title Season/Episode(s) Role(s)
2014 The Barista Times[14] Season 1: Episodes 4 and 8 Zombie Customer and Clyde
2010 Leverage[15] Season 3: Episode 13 Husband
2005 Zoey 101[16] Season 1: Episode 9 Keith
2002 Presidio Med[17][1] Season 1: Episodes 1 and 2 Dumont
1998 ER[18][1] Season 4: Episode 14 Chopper Pilot
1997 Chicago Hope[19][1] Season 4: Episode 7 Cop #2
1996 Nowhere Man[20] Season 1: Episode 14 Recruit #1

acting

Early forays into filmacting include a role in The Murder in China Basin (1999) in which, according to Variety, he gave a "standout"[21] performance as Joe.[22]

film production

As a filmmaker, Sitter made his mark with a short film (only 13 minutes)[23] called Tutu Grande (Short 2018).[24] He wrote and directed the film and played the lead role.[3] It was his major breakthrough as a serious filmmaker, earning a lot of attention for its timely relevance to the MeToo movement.[3] It also earned him and cast and crew many awards, including for screenplay at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards[25] and a nomination at the New York Film Festival.[26] Tutu Grande won the Best Dark Comedy Award at the Top Shorts Online Film Festival in March 2018.[27]

Two years later, he made another short film called Bugtussle, starring himself and John Mese.[28][29]

Awards for Bugtussle (2022)
Month/Year/Season Award Festival
July 2022 Best Editing (Taylor Morden) & Best Music (James Hutchens and Johnny Bourbon)[7] Indie Shorts Mag Film Festival
November 2022 Best Actor (Derek Sitter) & Best Narrative Short[30] Vegas Shorts Movie Awards
Fall 2022 Best Actor (Derek Sitter)[31] Southern Shorts Awards
Winter 2023 Best Dark Drama Film Award & Best Acting Performance (John Mese)[32] Oregon Short Film Festival
December 2022/16th Edition Best Actor (Derek Sitter)[33] Chicago Indie Film Awards
September 2022 Best Actor (Derek Sitter) & Award of Excellence[34] Global Shorts
August 2022 Awards of Merit: Leading Actor (John Mese); Supporting Actor (Derek Sitter); Script Writer (Derek Sitter); Original Score (James Hutchens and Johnny Bourbon)[6] Accolade Global Film Competition
April 2023 Best Dark Comedy[35] Atlanta After Dark Film Festival

Bugtussle was actually the culmination of an earlier film written and directed by Sitter: Coyote and Old Crow (Short 2015), starring Sitter and Wayne Newscome.[36] The plot of Bugtussle centers around the same characters, but for the 2022 production, Sitter cast himself and John Mese respectively as Coyote and Crow.[37]

Sitter's debut as a screenwriter[1] was a short film called Second Sleep in 2012.[38] He based the story on his personal suffering from bipolar disorder.[12] The film, made on a shoestring budget with funds raised on Kickstarter, and starring Fred Lehne, was directed by Chris Kas.[12] Sitter also wrote and directed a five-minute short called Black Cloud (Short 2016)[39] about a depressed man driven to suicide.[40]

Business career

In 2010, he founded the Volcanic Theatre Pub in Bend[1][3][2] which he co-owned[4] with Don Tompos[2] until selling it in 2023.[5] VTP is an entertainment venue for live musical and theatrical performances as well as film screenings.[3] Through the "Actors' Realm," Sitter also conducted acting classes there.[3] VTP was founded in connection with the theater department at Central Oregon Community College.[5] VTP was a high risk venue with several canceled events during the COVID-19 pandemic.[41][42] Sitter sold it to John Davis of 1988 Entertainment, a fellow resident of Bend who promised Sitter to uphold VTP's core mission of bringing diversity and inclusion into Bend's social life.[5]

Personal life

Sitter identifies strongly as someone living with bipolar disorder.[1][3][5] He is outspoken about his struggles with mental health, which include depression and anxiety, and for which he has been treated since he was 21.[1] These experiences have greatly influenced his work as a filmmaker.[1][12]

He is married to Jeanne Sanders (an actress and former teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District)[1][3] and has a daughter named Lily.[1][12]

References
  1. Burns, Suzanne (8 February 2012). "Awakenings: Actor Derek Sitter draws on his own struggles for new film project". Bend, Oregon, USA: Bend Source Weekly. Archived from the original (Online news) on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  2. "Pushing the Envelope: Derek Sitter's weirdness propels Fuddy Meers …". 2023-04-07. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07.
  3. Bates, David (1 February 2021). "Derek Sitter: Exploring the ties between privilege and trauma". Portland, Oregon, USA. Oregon ArtsWatch. Archived from the original (Online news) on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  4. Rook, Erin (6 August 2014). "The Sound and the Fury". Bend, Oregon, USA: Bend Source Weekly. Archived from the original (Online news) on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  5. "1988 Entertainment Buys Volcanic Theatre Pub The Source Weekly - Be…". 2023-04-07. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07.
  6. "Awards of Merit: August 2022". Accolade Global Film Competition. Accolade Competition. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  7. "Here are the Grand Winners for ISMSFF's 2022 Edition". Indie Shorts Mag. Indie Shorts Mag Team. 15 July 2022. Archived from the original (Online news) on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  8. "1986 Puttin' on The Hits "Infant Rock" Twisted Sister". YouTube. User: coyoteweed. Retrieved 9 April 2023. Kirk Campbell, Dan "The Man" Phillips, Derek Sitter, and Kenny Bodine. Grand Finals Winner "Infant Rock" in the 1986 Season of "Puttin' On The Hits." Twisted Sister "I Wanna Rock"
  9. Ehren, Christine (10 October 2001). "Lion King, Contact Vie for L.A. Ovation". Playbill. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  10. Ehren, Christine (10 August 2001). "Soaper Stephen Nichols Plays L.A. in U.S. Premiere of The Dead Boy Aug. 10-Sept. 30". Playbill. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  11. McCulloh, T.H. (14 August 2001). "The Dead Boy". Backstage.com. Backstage. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  12. "Writer-actor explores mental illness Local&State bendbulletin.com". 2023-04-08. Archived from the original on 2023-04-08.
  13. Burns, Suzanne (23 February 2011). "Breaking the Fourth Wall: Spin Cycle Bends Narrative Structure and Delivers a Solid Story". Bend Source Weekly. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023. Sitter, voted Hottest Teacher in the Source's recent Lust List, steals the show as a man with such a profound Peter Pan complex that we question his mental stability as he ogles his childhood Candyland game with the kind of rapt excitement that would ring false in the hands of a lesser actor.
  14. The Barista Times at IMDb
  15. Leverage at IMDb
  16. Zoey 101 at IMDb
  17. Presidio Med at IMDb
  18. ER at IMDb
  19. Chicago Hope at IMDb
  20. Nowhere Man at IMDb
  21. "The Murder in China Basin - Variety". 2023-04-08. Archived from the original on 2023-04-08.
  22. The Murder in China Basin at IMDb
  23. Ng, Alan (1 April 2021). "Tutu Grande". Film Threat. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2023. The 13-minute short film opens in a darkened room with two men.
  24. Tutu Grande at IMDb
  25. "Screenings/Awards". FilmFreeway. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  26. "'Tutu Grande' Is About Getting A Taste Of One's Own Medicine!". Indie Shorts Mag. Indie Shorts Mag Team. 19 August 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  27. "Winners (March 2018)". Top Shorts. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  28. Rovira, Ashley (5 April 2023). "Interview with a Wild Son". Heavy Crown Press. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  29. Rovira, Ashley (18 July 2022). "Bugtussle". Heavy Crown Press. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  30. "Vegas Shorts 2022". Vegas Short Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  31. "Best of Show Fall 2022 Season". Southern Shorts Awards. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  32. "Bugtussle, Directed by Derek Sitter - Oregon Short Film Festival" (Video). YouTube. @MikelFair. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  33. "16th Edition". Chicago Indie Film Awards. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  34. "Best Actor - Derek Sitter - Bugtussle (USA)". Global Shorts. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  35. "Atlanta After Dark Film Festival Spring 2023 Award Winners Recap". @FilmFestivalCircuit. Rumble. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023. The best dark comedy film winner, Bugtussle, directed by Derek Sitter
  36. Coyote and Old Crow at IMDb
  37. Bugtussle at IMDb
  38. Jasper The Bulletin, D. (2012, January 28). Close to home - • Bend writer-actor taps his experience as he explores mental illness in new short film. Bulletin, The (Bend, OR). Available from NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=news/13C90CC71A9E1E10.
  39. Black Cloud at IMDb
  40. Q&A with a local filmmaker - Derek Sitter's "Black Cloud" will screen at the venue he owns. (2016, October 6). Bulletin, The (Bend, OR). Available from NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=news/15FD93D8F6832788.
  41. "Bend's Volcanic Theatre Pub cancels two scheduled concerts" (Video). YouTube. Bend, Oregon, USA: KTVZ News Channel 21. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  42. McELHINEY, B. (2020, March 19). Bend's music industry struggles amidst coronavirus shutdowns - Promoters, venues stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bulletin, The (Bend, OR), p. 007. Available from NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=news/179CDB831388CF08.
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