Introduction
Derek David Drymon (born November 19, 1968) is an American writer, storyboard artist, television director, executive producer, and supervising producer. He has worked on numerous animated cartoon productions of the 1990s and 2000s, best known for his work on Rocko's Modern Life, SpongeBob SquarePants and Adventure Time.
Personal-background
Drymon was born in Morristown, in northern New Jersey to parents David E. Drymon (born November 30, 1944) and Madelina A. (née Licciardiello; June 7, 1946 – June 29, 2007). He has a sister named Jennifer Dare Ayers (née Drymon; born 1972). He attended Jefferson Township and Dover Public Schools as a child and enjoyed drawing and making comic books. Drymon graduated from Jefferson Township High School in 1987. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York to become an illustrator. After college, he was recruited by Disney feature animation for their internship program. Upon finishing the program he returned to New Jersey and then on to California.
Early Nickelodeon years
Drymon was discovered by Nickelodeon in 1993. He moved to California to work as an animator for Nickelodeon. In 1993, Drymon also began working as a storyboard artist and writer for Rocko's Modern Life. It was here he met two of his future employers, Tim Hill and Stephen Hillenburg; Hill was a writer, Hillenburg a co-producer and storyboard artist. In 1997, Hillenburg created SpongeBob SquarePants. Drymon performed many duties on SpongeBob, including being a writer on all episodes, the creative director, and, on his last season with the show, supervising producer. Drymon also worked on the Cartoon Network animated series Camp Lazlo. Drymon worked on Tim Hill's side project, the popular KaBlam! skit Action League Now!, as a storyboard artist. He also wrote the Emmy Award-nominated episode of CatDog "Doggone".
Current production
Drymon was an executive producer (with Fred Seibert) on the Cartoon Network series Adventure Time, created by Pendleton Ward for the show's first season. He was no longer credited on episodes starting with the second season. Drymon is now currently working at DreamWorks Animation.
Personal life
Drymon is married to Nancy (née Moscatiello) and have given birth to two daughters, Vera (born 1998) and Hazel (born 2001).
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994–1996 | Rocko's Modern Life | storyboard artist/writer |
| 1996 | Hey Arnold! | storyboard artist/director |
| 1996-2000 | KaBlam! | storyboard artist |
| 1998 | CatDog | storyboard director/writer |
| 1999–2004 | SpongeBob SquarePants | creative director (1999-2004)/writer (1999)/storyboard artist (Help Wanted)/supervising producer (2002-2004) |
| 2007 | Diggs Tailwagger | Creator/director/writer/executive producer (pilot) |
| 2008 | Camp Lazlo | writer/storyboard director |
| 2010 | Danger Planet | Creator/writer (pilot) |
| 2010 | The Stockboys of the Apocalypse | Creator/writer (pilot) |
| 2010 | Adventure Time | executive producer |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | My Life with Morrissey | Bad Comedian | |
| 2004 | The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie | The Screamer/Fisherman | writer/storyboard artist/executive producer/sequence director |
| 2008 | Kung Fu Panda | additional story artist | |
| 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | additional story artist | |
| 2010 | Shrek Forever After | additional story artist | |
| Megamind | special thanks | ||
| 2011 | Hop | storyboard artist | |
| Kung Fu Panda 2 | additional story artist | ||
| Puss in Boots | additional story artist | ||
| Night of the Living Carrots | storyboard artist | ||
| 2013 | Turbo | Worker Snail #2/FAST Network Trackside Reporter | story artist |
| 2014 | Penguins of Madagascar | head of story | |
| 2015 | The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water | writer, "Squeeze Me" | |
| 2016 | Kung Fu Panda 3 | story artist |