From Local News Cameras to Netflix Screens How a Baltimore director turned urban storytelling into a cinematic movement In the landscape of American independent cinema, few voices capture the raw authenticity of urban life quite like Derick Thomas . Also known professionally as Derick Prince , the Baltimore native has spent over two decades crafting films that don’t merely depict city life—they breathe it, bleed it, and ultimately humanize it. Thomas’s work stands as living documentation of Baltimore’s streets, struggles, and resilience—stories often ignored by mainstream studios, yet embraced by audiences worldwide. The Making of a Storyteller Derick Thomas’s journey into filmmaking did not follow a traditional Hollywood path. After earning his Master’s Degree in Communication Studies from Morgan State University and studying at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts , Thomas entered the industry through an unexpected door: local news . Working as a videographer-journalist , h...