Derek Friday

Derek Friday was born in Ottawa, Ontario, to a philanthropist mother and high-ranking police official father. At the age of two, Derek began his love affair with dance after seeing The Nutcracker. Soon after, his parents enrolled three-year-old Derek in ballet lessons at the Cumbrae School of Dance.

Only nine years old, Derek was professionally recognized for his talent and offered a full scholarship to the Ottawa School of Dance Pre-Professional Program (affiliate of the National Ballet of Canada). While studying ballet, classical music, dance theory, tap, and character dance, he sustained a career-postponing injury. Persevering, Derek auditioned only eight months later for the prestigious Arts Program at Canterbury High School of the Performing Arts and was the only male to be accepted into the dance program.

Before graduating from Canterbury High School, Derek was one of five Canadians awarded a full scholarship to the Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York, New York, where he trained under some of the most renowned choreographers. Derek did not complete his full term at Dance Harlem because he had been scouted to attend the International Model and Talent Agency Conference. He was awarded first runner-up in the international dance competition, which led to many modelling ventures soon after.

While modelling, dancing, and furthering his professional career, Derek successfully graduated from Canterbury High School, obtaining his certificate in Fine Arts and OSSD. After high school, Derek relocated to Orlando, Florida, where he was one of seven young Fellowship Ambassadors representing Canada for the year-long Millennium Celebration at Epcot Center, Disney World.

After nine months as a Fellowship Ambassador, Derek returned to Toronto and set his sights on the Sterling Festival Theatre Production of Once On This Island. Concluding his stint at the festival, Derek moved home to Ottawa, but couldn’t resist the lure of returning to Toronto once again.

With his socialite lifestyle and outgoing personality, he landed a job at the über-chic, members-only gathering place, The Spoke Club. It was here where he met and developed a close friendship with Connie Contardi and Jocelyn Mercer, two young, ambitious producers who proposed the idea of a new reality show, starring who else but Derek as Mr. Friday. The best is yet to come for Derek as he embarks on stardom, becoming Canada’s next and hottest television star.