Meet Derrick Werlé | Music Orchestrator & Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Derrick Werlé and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Derrick, what do you attribute your success to?
I believe that everybody is talented with what they want to achieve. There are people who are naturally talented to do things they love, but one doesn’t necessarily need talent to be successful. For me, hard work and perseverance are the keys to success. I really treat life as a continuous experience instead of steps. There is no “I have arrived” in life, at least not for me. It is something that we constantly put our minds and efforts into to be successful. There are events in life that are memorable, but they are not the destination of success. Constantly putting effort into what we love to do will make us achieve what we want in life. 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I came to the US on a Fulbright-Lurcy Scholarship to study at UCLA for their Ph.D. program in Film Music and Composition because I have always been interested in Film Music, and Los Angeles is the best place to learn. After graduation, I did an internship with Hans Zimmer and was later hired as a Music Assistant and Orchestrator. I have worked on several movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Kung Fu Panda 3, Boss Baby, and Dunkirk. I have also worked as an orchestrator for BBC’s Blueplanet II, Princess Diana Documentary, and more recently, I have been credited as an orchestrator on Netflix’s docu-series “Animal.” There are many lessons that I’ve learned from this journey. However, the most significant one is that I realized life is a continuous journey instead of being made of different steps. Let me explain. When I was younger, I felt that if I were able to be successful in the exam, then I would be happy, or if I were able to win a certain music competition, then I would be happy. After each event, another challenge arises. It is a never-ending story, but that is the story of life.
As a musician, it is important to know that our lives don’t just stop at winning certain prizes or competitions. Our lives continue regardless. If we win certain prizes, it doesn’t mean we will win the next, vice versa. So we need to constantly improve ourselves and be perseverant to succeed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

I am actually a sucker for amusement parks. I love going to Universal Studios and also Disneyland. I am not trying to advertise for them but I genuinely enjoy them, especially Universal Studios Hollywood. I had for many years their yearly pass, but with the pandemic I didn’t renew it. Hopefully I’ll be able to go visit them soon! But beyond this LA-must, I actually would like to point out a spot that I’ve grown to admire: the surrounding of Port of L.A.

I am from France so everything is on a much smaller scale in France. Even the highway is narrow with 3 or 4 lanes max each direction and most of the time it’s 2 lanes per direction. Here in LA it is such a huge difference. 6-8 lanes of highway. I have never seen anything like this in my life. I was so scared when I started driving in LA.

The Ports of L.A. and Long Beach are the most interesting areas for me because I’ve never seen miles and miles of docks and cranes. Especially the height of Vincent Thomas Bridge. Wow! Simply Amazing! My stomach turns each time I drive on that bridge. The views are fantastic and somehow scary.

I would suggest going to the boat tours of the Ports of L.A. and Long Beach. Then just stroll by the rainbow harbor. I would also stop by the Yard House, Long Beach for their Happy hours. I really enjoy their happy hours menu. Although I don’t drink, I always order their half price pizza and appetizers while sitting by the water with the sunset towards the rainbow harbor lighthouse. The Queen Mary is also a must! You can even have your Sunday Brunch buffet there on the boat! It is also a hotel too so you can stay on this historical vessel.

I am a foodie and I absolutely love world cuisine. In L.A. there are a lot of amazing restaurants, especially the sushi and Asian cuisines. There is a sushi place I love going to in Cerritos called Sake2me. I love that place because the quality of their sushi is simply amazing. The sushi chef makes them when you order them and it’s just so fresh and delicious. I also love the Korean BBQ place nearby called Gen KBBQ. It’s actually also my dad’s favorite place. Every time he comes from France, he wants to go eat there.

I also love Vietnamese, Thai, Indian cuisine, and middle eastern cuisine. What’s amazing is that you can find all this in L.A.. In Paris, we can’t find so many varieties of cuisines. One should visit one of the Vietnamese supermarkets in L.A.. I was always amazed by the exotic ingredients they have everytime I visited one. I love French cuisine, don’t get me wrong, but I also love world cuisine. The convenience of having all those cuisines in L.A. really is a paradise for a foodie like me. There are so many places in L.A. and each unassuming commercial plaza will surprise you with their mom-and-pop restaurants. This is what I love about L.A. and America. Everyone is free to do whatever they want to to achieve their dream.

Of course, the L.A. tour won’t be complete without the Getty Museum near Westwood. The view is simply breathtaking. I would dare to say that the UCLA campus is just a world class college environment for any Hollywood production.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Throughout my entire life, my father, Bernard Werlé, has been a great source of support for me. As a musician, it wasn’t easy for any child to tell their parents about their career aspirations, but my father has always been very supportive of me and has had trust in me. Having someone believe in you can make a big difference in how you see yourself. While it’s important to believe in ourselves first, having the trust of someone else can make even the toughest days feel like sunny ones. Sometimes, parents may not believe in their children’s dreams, which can be discouraging. It is important to remember that we can still pursue our goals even if our parents don’t support us. We can do this by believing in ourselves, working hard, and seeking support from others who believe in us.
I am also grateful to Madame Hélène Rasquier, who was encouraging to me while I studied at the Conservatoire in France. She really trusted me, helped me, and gave me many opportunities.

I am happy that I am able to achieve my dream of being an orchestrator in Hollywood. It is something that I have always dreamt of.

Website: https://derrickwerle.wixsite.com/werle

Instagram: dewerle

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8556806/ https://hans-zimmer.com/discography/239