Drew was born and raised in Sacramento, California, where he earned his BFA in Technocultural and Film Studies at the University of California, Davis. While there, he co-wrote, directed, shot, and produced his first film, the feature “Samsara.”

Drew relocated to Southern California in 2007 to pursue his MFA in Cinematography at Chapman University, where he studied under Bill Dill, ASC. In 2010, he completed his thesis film “The Things You Lose in the Ocean,” directed by Amy Kernan Bennett and produced by Laura Avila-Tacsan.