Drew Walkup grew up in the California Bay Area awash in sand and sun. His passion for filmmaking stemmed from a love for acting and an unending thirst for learning. Stepping behind the camera, Drew took to studying many roles including editing, cinematography and screenwriting. Between his background in acting and aptitude for leadership, directing came naturally. After graduating from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts as an award-winning short film director, Drew focused on career roles in post-production all while keeping his creative ambitions alive. In 2010, he moved to Rome with a camera, microphone and working knowledge of Italian. By the end of his stay he was near-fluent, had made lifelong friends, and had a short film in the can. Not long after returning from Italy, Drew found himself thrust into management. His background in professional production and his creative proclivity landed him a role at Maker Studios, at the time a 100-employee startup navigating the digital industry. Drew later ended up on the front lines of Disney’s acquisition of Maker – developing, producing and directing multi-faceted branded entertainment campaigns for Marvel, Lucasfilm and more. Drew’s entrepreneurial spirit then took him to Florida to build REBL HQ, a studio developed in collaboration with Full Sail University. He infused the studio with philosophy learned in his brush with Disney – focus on content, make it the best it can be. The culmination of this experience resulted in Fox Hunt Drive, Drew’s feature film directorial debut.
