Drexel Hill native Derek Frey recalls as a kid sitting next to his grandparents at the Lansdowne Theater watching the films of Tim Burton, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg.
It started his journey as a filmmaker, writes Dara McBride for Main Line Today.
That journey really took off when he got to be Tim Burton’s assistant on the 1996 film, “Mars Attacks!”
The Upper Darby High School graduate has gone on to serve as producer on other Burton films, including “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and “Franken-weenie.”
For over 30 years, Frey has produced live-action and animated films for the major studios. He also directed award-winning independent projects.
His short film “Viaticum,” inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s watercolor “Master Bedroom,” was filmed in his family home in the Lower Oxford area. The film premiered at the Delco Film Festival in 2024.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding to watch Derek in recent years step into expressing his own voice in the films he is producing and directing,” said his wife, Leah Gallo, a writer and photographer.
Read about Derek Frey’s collaboration with the Minor Prophets comedy troupe, also featuring Upper Darby High School graduates, in Main Line Today.
Editor’s Note: This post was initially published on DELCO.Today in April 2026.
