Derek has always been a driven and creative individual, having been an artist from a young age and growing up fostering that curiosity and passion. He is always moving to continually learn, create, and move forward with new materials, techniques, and ideas that push his creative boundaries. Derek is passionate about all things Disney, Star Wars, and sci-fi in general (he used to cosplay as a 501st Stormtrooper at comic conventions!)
After graduating from Virginia Tech, Derek found himself working in the education field for many years, and while it was fulfilling to help young minds, he found that his desire to be creative and strive forward were never fully met in that field. One day, somewhere along the way of creating his own R2-D2, he decided that prop fabrication and scenic work were something that he was particularly passionate about and he decided to start his own business creating and selling props for various members of the cosplay community. This business helped him further hone his skills and techniques in faux finishing of props and sets for haunted house work, and more!
Derek moved to Orlando in 2017 and decided to pursue this passion further, joining up as an artist fabricator with Mad Creative Fabrication, getting the opportunity to work on a wide range of VERY awesome contract projects for Disney in particular. However, Derek has always had a dream and passion to work for Disney doing similar work, and he kept pursuing this goal, eventually landing the opportunity to work directly with the figure finishing department at both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, an awesome opportunity for sure!
What will the future hold? There's still plenty more to come, lots to learn, and places to go, the sky is the limit! As Walt Disney once said, 'If you can dream it, you can do it!'
Interested in working with Derek or just have general questions? Feel free to reach out via the Contact Derek Form at the top of the page!
After graduating from Virginia Tech, Derek found himself working in the education field for many years, and while it was fulfilling to help young minds, he found that his desire to be creative and strive forward were never fully met in that field. One day, somewhere along the way of creating his own R2-D2, he decided that prop fabrication and scenic work were something that he was particularly passionate about and he decided to start his own business creating and selling props for various members of the cosplay community. This business helped him further hone his skills and techniques in faux finishing of props and sets for haunted house work, and more!
Derek moved to Orlando in 2017 and decided to pursue this passion further, joining up as an artist fabricator with Mad Creative Fabrication, getting the opportunity to work on a wide range of VERY awesome contract projects for Disney in particular. However, Derek has always had a dream and passion to work for Disney doing similar work, and he kept pursuing this goal, eventually landing the opportunity to work directly with the figure finishing department at both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, an awesome opportunity for sure!
What will the future hold? There's still plenty more to come, lots to learn, and places to go, the sky is the limit! As Walt Disney once said, 'If you can dream it, you can do it!'
Interested in working with Derek or just have general questions? Feel free to reach out via the Contact Derek Form at the top of the page!