Derek Frey is a producer and filmmaker with over twenty years of experience producing feature films for major studios, while creating award-winning independent projects as a director, editor, and cinematographer. He works across animation, live-action, and hybrid story worlds, focusing on visually distinctive, character-driven storytelling.
Frey specializes in IP-driven and auteur-led genre projects, guiding films from early development through production and global release. His producing credits include Dumbo, Frankenweenie, Big Eyes, Corpse Bride, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Alice in Wonderland, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Films he has worked on in a producer capacity have collectively earned more than $2.9 billion at the global box office.
Most recently, Frey served as producer on Toto, an animated musical retelling of The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of Dorothy’s loyal dog, and Zero, an action-adventure comedy for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. He is also exploring the use of emerging technologies as tools for visual storytelling, experimenting with new production methods that expand the creative possibilities available to filmmakers.
Derek’s professional filmmaking journey began at Tim Burton Productions in 1996, where he served as assistant to Burton on major films Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes and Big Fish. Quickly rising to lead the company, his multifaceted role included overseeing an in-house team dedicated to graphic design, photography, and writing, developing high-quality consumer products, merchandise, and publications that celebrated Burton's unique artistry. In 2009, he collaborated with curators at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to create the acclaimed traveling exhibition The World of Tim Burton, which has captivated audiences around the globe.
Alongside his studio work, Frey directs independent films that have screened internationally on the festival circuit. His latest film, the dark comedy The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry, is beginning its festival run. His directing credits also include Viaticum, Awkward Endeavors, Pangea, Kill the Engine, God Came ’Round, and Green Lake, several of which have received multiple festival awards.
Derek graduated with honors from West Chester University in Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies with a concentration in Journalism. He is a proud member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA) and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
