[1] Dern is a senior writer at Funny Or Die and the former artistic director of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City.
After graduating from Harvard, Dern attended Cambridge University and earned an MPhil in Screen Media and Culture.
While living in New York City, Dern began taking improv comedy classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, eventually becoming a performer, then a teacher, then the artistic director.
[3] Dern's first book, Not Quite a Genius, is a collection of humor pieces, short stories, and personal essays.
It was originally entitled In Case of Fire, Use Stairs: And Other Plans That Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time.