DC Pierson

Biography:

Pierson was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He studied at New York University, where he joined the sketch comedy troupe Hammerkatz NYU in 2003. During his three years with the group, he served as both assistant director and director. In 2007, he graduated from NYU’s Dramatic Writing Department with a degree in television writing. Pierson also made three brief appearances on NBC’s Community, where his Derrick Comedy collaborator Donald Glover played one of the lead characters, portraying a member of the Greendale Gazette.

After meeting at NYU, Pierson teamed up with Hammerkatz alumni Donald Glover, Dominic Dierkes, and Dan Eckman to form Derrick Comedy, in which he served as both a main actor and writer. The group performed live improv at the UCB Theatre in New York but gained widespread recognition for their viral sketch videos on YouTube and CollegeHumor. Pierson appeared in several of their sketches, playing roles such as an emo teenager and a man making a plea to the Godfather. He co-wrote Derrick Comedy’s first feature film, Mystery Team, and starred as Duncan, a self-proclaimed boy genius.

Pierson’s debut novel, The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To, was published by Random House on January 21, 2010. The story centers on two socially isolated high school students, one of whom, Eric, reveals that he never sleeps—leading both boys into a thrilling journey on the run. The book gained wider attention in 2012 after Pierson personally responded to a high school student’s question about it on Yahoo! Answers, an exchange later highlighted by TechCrunch, which boosted the novel’s visibility. Pierson has cited J.D. Salinger as a major influence on his writing. He is also working on adapting the book into a film directed by Dan Eckman. His second novel, Crap Kingdom, was released in 2013.

Under the rap name Childish Gambino, Donald Glover collaborated with Pierson on several tracks. Pierson contributed verses to songs on both I Am Just a Rapper mixtapes, including “49ers (Orange Shirt),” “The Truth (Goth Star),” and “Different (Feel It All Around).” He also appeared on “Assassins” from Glover’s 2008 mixtape Sick Boi and “Starlight” from the 2009 mixtape Poindexter. Additionally, Pierson provided the spoken story featured in “That Power” on Childish Gambino’s album Camp.

In 2014, Pierson made a cameo in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as Aaron Wilson, an Apple tech support employee. He later reprised the role in 2021 for a promotional series tied to both the Xbox Series X and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where his character was humorously revealed to be the gamer “NoobMaster69” from Avengers: Endgame.