Derek has achieved over 20 years of advertising, marketing and design experience and brings a wealth of knowledge to his work. Derek aims to bring purpose and intention to his work and strives to help clients communicate meaning through each messaging strategy and design element / medium.
Derek’s creative career began at Bates Canada and later V&B / Arnold Advertising. It was here where his skills as both a designer and a leader flourished, and he was promptly appointed to the agency’s chief accounts. Derek then went on to become part-owner of a successful boutique agency, still in operation today.
Derek’s built an eclectic roster of over 100 clients which includes brands such as McDonald’s, Volkswagen, United Way, BMO and Samsung, to name a few. In addition to his professional successes, Derek’s work has won several awards and recognition from his peers within the advertising and design industries.
Derek was recruited to start Samsung’s AOR, Cheil Canada’s creative department to establish and secure the Samsung brands presence in Canada moving them from only TVs to a household name for home appliances and other products. Derek worked on Samsung’s Consumer Electronics, Home Appliance, Mobile, IT and Corporate divisions and Samsung’s Olympic Sponsorship Campaign, the Mobile ‘Express Yourself’ Campaign, Home Appliances ‘Irresistible Innovation’ Campaign (resulting is a 300% sales increase), Samsung IT, plus its Corporate and Wind & Solar initiatives. This partnership not only garnered attention creatively, but it also secured new business for Cheil. Today, the agency has more than tripled in size. As Derek’s accomplishments grew, his opportunity to go out and start his own agency was born.
Since 2012, Derek’s been operating DNA Advertising + Design, where he's collaborated with dozens of clients, in a variety of industries from CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association), BMW to Chocolate. Derek worked directly with all of the organization’s C-Suites, and Senior Management to create and evolve brands, managed their creative resources, handled their design projects from concept right through to production. You name it, Derek’s worked on it.
Coates Group, digital signage company was looking for a Senior Art Director, to work on their McDonald's account working directly with the client retail marketing team, as well as their agency partners in a very fast-paced work environment where Derek Art Directed and designed several static and motion graphic styled programs for all of their digital menu screens, ensuring accuracy of content and messaging. Through his creative lead, he aimed to bring new perspectives to the work, pushed for new photographic elements and advertising styled themes, that amplified the work, resulting in several programs selling above expectations, with some programs selling more than 400% over forecasted.
Derek has also taught Advertising and Graphic Design at Humber College for a couple of years during covid.
When he’s not plugged into his computer, he can be found at the hockey rink, skating with his two boys, binge watching Netflix or weight training to work off the late-night snacks.