Derrick Wyatt

Wyatt, Derrick James 8/10/1972 - 12/16/2021 Burbank, CA Derrick James Wyatt, best known for his role as art director on the show Transformers: Animated, passed away on December 16, 2021, at the age of 49. Derrick was born on August 10, 1972 in Traverse City, Michigan. The Wyatt family moved to Paw Paw, Michigan, where Derrick attended school, graduating with the class of 1990. He loved drawing from an early age and was especially passionate about comic books and cartoons. He attended the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art (now known as The Kubert School) from 1994-96. After leaving school, Derrick moved to Burbank, California and interned at Spumco, Inc. He went on to work as a character designer on the show Mucha Lucha (2002) and then Teen Titans (2003-2006), where he frequently designed Beast Boy's animal forms, playfully including his favorite animal, the guinea pig. A fan of Transformers since the original cartoon, Derrick was thrilled to be hired as art director and lead character designer for Transformers: Animated (2007-2010), often calling it his dream job. He would go on to work as lead character designer for Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-2012) and as art director and character designer on Ben 10: Omniverse (2012-2014), among others. Derrick was known by his fans as passionate and open about his work, and frequently chatted with fans and answered their questions online. In the television animation industry, Derrick was known as a mentor, guiding character designers at the start of their careers. He also recognized and nurtured talent he found via fan works, recommending artists for jobs. Though he was credited as working in character design and art direction, Derrick was also heavily involved in many aspects of shows he worked in, from storylines to casting character voices. Derrick is survived by his parents Jack and Mary, sister Denise, a close-knit network of aunts, uncles, and cousins, and a treasured family of friends. A memorial service will be held at 2 PM, August 13th, at Wildey Cemetery in Paw Paw, MI. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to Bat Conservation International.