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"I love to take BIG risks. BIG risks yields BIG returns, and I think that's who and what the next Apprentice should be about."


Derek, 34, grew up in Covina, California, and graduated cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and an emphasis in business administration. He later graduated cum laude from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. As a first-year lawyer, he rose to the challenge of being assigned by his law firm to be sole clearance attorney for "The Man Show," starring Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla - two personalities who were always pushing the boundaries in terms of legally questionable stunts. Now the vice president of business and legal affairs for a movie studio, Derek negotiates deals relating to motion picture production and provides legal counsel to the studio's home entertainment division. When he's not working, Derek is a huge reality TV fan and an avid bicyclist who helps train riders for a California bike-riding fundraiser for AIDS services and education. Derek thinks he should be the next Apprentice because, he says, "I'm not afraid to take risks and make my voice heard, and while I generally respect boundaries, I'm never afraid to overstep them for the sake of advancement of a good idea."

"Who cares what someone scores on a test to get into a group of intellectual (but socially-stunted) snobs?"

"Success" can mean different things to different people; what does it mean to you and how will you know when you've achieved it?
Success means being able to take lessons from difficult and challenging situations and using them to better yourself. A successful person must always be willing to put himself in circumstances that can be scary and intimidating for the sake of personal growth. And sometimes the lessons you learn from just attempting and then failing can be far more valuable. So, as long as I continue to never be afraid to take chances and put myself at risk for failure, then I consider myself successful.

Describe the toughest business situation you've had to deal with and what you did to solve the problem.
For entertainment lawyers, the success of our business hinges on whether we can help our clients execute their creative vision while also ensuring they don't get sued. When I was a first-year attorney, I was the clearance lawyer for a successful sketch comedy show; the hosts of which were always pushing the legal boundaries with what they wanted on the program. The most difficult situation involved them wanting to put a hidden camera in a public bathroom to see if unwitting people would fish out $5 bills from toilets filled with fake urine.

After some preliminary research, I discovered that there was a state statute that prohibited placing video cameras in dressing rooms and public restrooms if the intent was to invade someone's privacy. As a rookie lawyer I had no clue how the show could possibly get around this legal obstacle, but after some creative thinking I told the producers to remove the bathroom stall doors so that anyone entering the stall would have no expectation of privacy. If there was no expectation of privacy, then there was no way the show could invade it, and therefore, it wouldn't be illegal to videotape unsuspecting people reaching into toilet bowls, some of whom did so after using the toilet themselves! And for solving problems like this I went to law school?!

What lessons have you learned from past Apprentice winners or candidates?
When Bradford unnecessarily gave up his immunity on Season 2, I remember yelling at the TV, "Your ass is gone!" And if you don't learn to keep your mouth shut in the boardroom from watching mouthy candidates from seasons past, then you quickly learn it the first time you find yourself sitting across from Mr. Trump.

Sometimes your survival in the boardroom hinges solely on whether you have backup from your friends, regardless of your performance on the task. Toral from season 4 barely avoided a firing after Rebecca stuck up for her in the boardroom. Making sure that people like you as a person is just as important as performing well on a task, because if things go wrong, you want friends to help you lay blame on someone else.

Finally, you can never rest on your laurels on The Apprentice. Tarek and his membership in MENSA is a perfect example. Who cares what someone scores on a test to get into a group of intellectual (but socially-stunted) snobs? The only thing that matters in this interview process is how well you apply your intelligence and common sense to the task. If you focus on touting your own past accomplishments and not enough on performing as part of a team, someone will always be there to call you out on it.

Why should you be Donald Trump's next Apprentice?
I'm not afraid to take risks, make my voice heard, and while I generally respect boundaries, I'm never afraid to overstep them for the sake of advancement of a good idea.

What's your favorite thing about Los Angeles?
It's my hometown! All of my friends that I grew up with are here.

What's your least favorite thing about Los Angeles? And you're not allowed to say "traffic."
A certain portion of the Los Angeles citizenry are afflicted with the infamous "L.A. Attitude", which can make living here sometimes irritating. I speak of those people who are obsessed with the entertainment industry and all of the material trappings that go along with it. To see them in their native (and oh-so-annoying) habitat, simply walk along the trendy shops on Robertson Blvd. and witness the sugar-daddy supported, under-fed waifs with their tiny dogs walking amongst the surly Hollywood agents and wannabes with oversized sunglasses, all of whom act as if the world revolves around them. Fortunately, however, if you can find your way past these miscreants, you'll find that L.A. is full of some genuinely nice people.

What will surprise viewers about this sixth season of The Apprentice?
The interview process this time has some crazy twists, including one that makes executing tasks more difficult if you lost the previous task. Trump definitely stepped up the game, making it unlike any other season.

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What's your marital/parental status?
Single.

If you could be the star of any movie ever made, which movie would it be and why?
I'd be Cartman in "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut." In what other movie could I be the chubby hero who helps stop a war while singing musical numbers full of profanity?

What are your three favorite albums of all time?
"Jagged Little Pill" by Alanis Morissette
"American Idiot" by Green Day
"The Prayer Cycle" by Jonathan Elias

What are your three favorite books of all time?
"His Dark Materials" Trilogy by Philip Pullman
"The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown
"Executive Orders" by Tom Clancy

What hobbies do you enjoy, outside of trying to impress Donald Trump?
I've always got half-completed home improvement projects going on in every room of my house, so that keeps me pretty busy on the weekends. I'm also into bicycling and currently volunteer as a trainer helping new riders prepare for the California AIDS/Lifecycle, a 7-day, 545 mile bicycle fundraiser for AIDS services and education.

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