Derek Frey

Derek Frey (born April 23, 1973) is an American film producer and director who is the current head of Tim Burton Productions and Lazer Film Productions. He has been a producer on numerous Tim Burton-directed films including Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Frankenweenie, Big Eyes, Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, and others.

Derek Frey
Born	April 23, 1973 Drexel Hill, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	BA in Communication studies
Alma mater	West Chester University, Upper Darby High School
Occupation	Producer director
Years active	1995–present
Organization	Tim Burton Productions
Notable work	Frankenweenie Big Eyes Dumbo
Website	lazerfilm.com

Early life and education

Frey was born on April 23, 1973 in the Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia. He graduating from Upper Darby High School.[1] Frey attended West Chester University and graduated with a BA in communication studies.[2][3]

Career

Derek Frey (right) recording at Air Studios with Andy Richards, Mike Higham & Ric Levy, 2011. Photograph c/o Leah Gallo

Frey began his career in the film industry in 1996 as an assistant for Tim Burton and an employee of Tim Burton Productions. He worked as Burton's assistant on Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, and Big Fish.[4][5] In 2001, he became the head of Tim Burton Productions. He would go on to earn producer credits in a variety of Tim Burton films including Alice in Wonderland, Big Eyes, Frankenweenie, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Corpse Bride, and Sweeney Todd.[2]

Frey also directs and produces under the banner, Lazer Film Productions. The company largely produces short films and music videos. His 2016 short film, Green Lake, was shown at over 40 film festivals at which it earned 47 awards including "Best Horror" at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards.[3][6][7] Other short films produced and directed by Frey include Kill the Engine,[8] Motel Providence, Sky Blue Collar, The Day the Dolls Struck Back, The Ballad of Sandeep (starring actor, Deep Roy), and numerous others.[2][9][10] Frey produced Burton's live-action adaptation of Dumbo, which was released in March 2019.[4][11]

Filmography

Feature films

Year	Title [12]	Role	Notes
2005	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	Associate producer
	Corpse Bride
2007	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
2010	Alice in Wonderland
2011	A Conversation with Danny Elfman and Tim Burton	Producer	Documentary
2012	Dark Shadows	Associate producer
	Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
	Frankenweenie	Co-producer
2014	Big Eyes	Executive producer
2016	Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
2019	Dumbo	Producer

Short films

Year	Title [12]	Director	Producer	Writer	Notes
1995	Verge of Darkness	Yes	Yes	Yes	Also actor
2001	The Upper Hand	Yes	Yes	Yes
2002	The Day the Dolls Struck Back	Yes	Yes	Yes
2007	4th and 99	Yes	No	No
2010	The Curse of the Sacred Stone	Yes	Yes	Yes
2011	The Ballad of Sandeep	Yes	Yes	No
2012	Vampires Kiss/Blood Inside	Yes	Yes	No
	The Killers: Here with Me	No	Yes	No	Music video
2013	Sky Blue Collar	Yes	Yes	No
	Captain Sparky vs. The Flying Saucers	No	No	Yes	Stop-motion
2014	Motel Providence	Yes	Yes	No
2016	Green Lake	Yes	Yes	Yes
2017	Kill the Engine	Yes	Yes	No
	God Came 'Round	Yes	Yes	No

References

1. "Alumni Wall of Fame / Derek Frey" Check |url= value (help). http. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
2. Umland, Samuel J. (September 28, 2015). The Tim Burton Encyclopedia. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9780810892019.
3. "Noteworthy News". West Chester University. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
4. Wheels, Helen (March 7, 2018). "Interview: Derek Frey". Cult Critic. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
5. Lammers, Tim (October 1, 2016). "Interview: Derek Frey talks Tim Burton, 'Miss Peregrine,' 'Green Lake'". Direct Conversations. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
6. Ringo, Diana (July 22, 2017). "Interview with director Derek Frey". Indie Cinema. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
7. "April 2016 Awards". Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
8. "Review of 'Kill The Engine'". Independent Shorts Award. May 20, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
9. Tustin, Kevin (October 3, 2017). "Delco-based filmmakers bring work to Philly's FirstGlance Film Festival". Delco Times. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
10. "The Minor Prophets & Derek Frey unveil their latest film in Cannes, 4th and 99". FilmFestivals.com. May 15, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
11. Ramos, Dino-Ray (August 7, 2017). "Tim Burton's 'Dumbo' Adds Joseph Gatt To Live-Action Adaptation of Disney Classic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
12. "Derek Frey". IMDb. Retrieved June 6, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• Derek Frey on IMDb