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| archivedate = 2023-04-08 }}</ref> The film, made on a shoestring budget with funds raised on [[Kickstarter]], was directed by Chris Kas.<ref name="bendbulletin" /> Sitter also wrote and directed a five-minute short called ''Black Cloud'' (Short 2016)<ref>{{IMDb title|6019544|Black Cloud}}</ref> about a depressed man driven to suicide.<ref>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.</ref> |
| archivedate = 2023-04-08 }}</ref> The film, made on a shoestring budget with funds raised on [[Kickstarter]], and starring [[Frederic Lehne|Fred Lehne]], was directed by Chris Kas.<ref name="bendbulletin" /> Sitter also wrote and directed a five-minute short called ''Black Cloud'' (Short 2016)<ref>{{IMDb title|6019544|Black Cloud}}</ref> about a depressed man driven to suicide.<ref>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.</ref> |
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==Business career== |
==Business career== |
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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]inBend, Oregon and as an award-winning[6][7] filmmaker, producing short films at Smoking Mirror Productions/Born Into This Films.[1]
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 SisteronPuttin' 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.[1][3]InBend, Oregon, he founded the Actors’ Realm and the Volcanic Theatre Pub.[2]
In 2001, Sitter was nominated for an Ovation Award (Best Featured Actor in a Play) for his role in The Dead BoybyJoseph 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]aJekyll 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]
| 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 |
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]
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]
| 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]
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]
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]
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"
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.
The 13-minute short film opens in a darkened room with two men.
{{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 10 December 2022 suggested (help)
{{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 17 December 2022 suggested (help)
The best dark comedy film winner, Bugtussle, directed by Derek Sitter
