Derek Manansala is a comedy writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. He was raised in New Jersey and earned a degree in civil engineering from Rutgers University. Derek performed improv and sketch comedy in New York, studying at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, the Magnet Theater, the People’s Improv Theater, and The Annoyance Brooklyn. After moving to Los Angeles, he continued performing at UCB Sunset and The Pack Theater. His short films have screened at Los Angeles Film Festival’s Queer Film Festival, Philly Sketchfest, Portland Comedy Film Festival, Houston Comedy Film Festival, and London’s Last Frame Fest, among others. His animation pilot, Happy Haunting, was a semi-finalist in Creative Screenwriting Magazine’s Animation Screenplay Competition. Derek currently works as a director's assistant in Los Angeles.