After a life-changing near-death experience, Derek Rydall seriously considered becoming a monk, then a minister, then cloistered himself in his apartment without TV or news and meditated for several years -- finally emerging to become a licensed integrative therapist and adopt a monk (that's another story). He went on to train top executives in Fortune 500 companies (such as American Express, Disney, Carrier, Hartford Insurance, and CBS) in relationship-building and deeper communication, coach thousands of artists and entertainment professionals on how to create more enlightened entertainment, and has worked with a diverse array of people around the planet, helping them to live a more passionate, purposeful life.

As an author, Derek has written two books, the Amazon best-sellers “I Could've Written a Better Movie than that!” (Michael Wiese, March 2006) and “There's No Business Like Soul Business: A Spiritual Path to Enlightened Screenwriting, Filmmaking, and Performing Arts” (Michael Wiese, Feb. 2007), as well as articles for online and offline magazines such as Spirituality & Health, The Writers Store, Inktip, Pen & Quill, Script, and more. As a professional screenwriter, he has sold or been hired to develop over 20 feature film screenplays and a dozen hours of TV (with studios such as Fox, Universal, Sony, MPCA, UA, Disney, Miramax, and indy producers). As an actor, Derek has starred in several films and TV shows.

As a spiritual practitioner and teacher, Derek has held leadership positions at Agape International Truth Center, one of the nation's largest and fastest growing spiritual communities with over 10,000 members and a vast worldwide network. He has been a star speaker at top entertainment expos, led sold-out courses at The Learning Annex, drawn standing-room only crowds at events in the U.S. and abroad, done interviews on numerous radio and TV programs, and continues to coach, motivate, and inspire thousands of individuals through his own communities at EnlightenedEntertainer.com, ScriptwriterCentral.com, and DerekRydall.com.

His networks, contacts, and reach is broad and diverse, enabling him to touch tens of thousands with his mission to remind individuals of their true identity, inspire them to fulfill their destiny, actualize the highest potential of entertainment & media, and build a world that works for everyone.