About

Derek Olson covered crime and politics for a living. He studied at the Poynter Institute. Then he picked up a camera.

He spent a decade in Los Angeles — stage manager at Smashbox Studios, production supervisor at Disney's Maker Studios. He shot extreme sports at the Sochi Winter Olympics. His clients include DC Shoes, Wolfgang Puck, Beyond Meat, Pepsi, Disney Channel, and Canon.

His short films traveled. Merry Christmas Farmer screened at the American Pavilion in Cannes. The Rideshare played Las Vegas. He created and produced an animated pilot evaluated for development by FOX Animation.

He runs Grain and Thunder now, out of North Dakota.

Clients

Pepsi  ·  Beyond Meat  ·  DC Shoes  ·  Wolfgang Puck  ·  Canon  ·  JCPenney  ·  Disney Channel  ·  Disney+

Recognition

• American Pavilion, Cannes Film Festival — Merry Christmas Farmer (2013)
• Las Vegas Film Festival — The Rideshare (2017)
• Jerome Independent Film Festival — Animated TV Pilot (2023)
• Evaluated for development by FOX Animation
• Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics — Photo services, 1B+ daily impressions