“Since the first PC—the Commodore—came out, I was always really keen on learning new things and programming,” Derek said.
That was the start of what would become Derek’s career. Although he loved computing most of all, he took a bit of a detour when he went for his bachelor’s degree in electronics. “Hindsight is 20/20,” he said, later realizing that he was better suited for computing rather than building circuits and computer chips. However, he didn’t regret taking the electronics route because it was still an interesting subject matter to him. He later attended graduate school at the University of Mississippi to study Computer Science, and landed a job at an investment bank in San Diego, and later at MySpace for Fox.
One of his most memorable moments in his career was meeting celebrities like Steve Wozniak and Rupert Murdoch, but he didn’t get a chance to work directly with TV and media until he was placed in his current job by Crescent Solutions. “It’s really nice to be so close to the actual network operations because they’re all in the building and I think that leads to a lot of synergy between what we do on the digital front and what’s happening on the TV side,” Derek said.
Derek first met with Crescent Solutions’ Division Manager, Rich Kahn, 14 months ago and was immediately placed in a position—the one he still holds now. “What was really cool was everything was really streamlined,” Derek said. “Once I met Rich, things went extremely fast and I’m really glad that I took a chance.”
“Overall, it was a very different experience than the other recruiters I’m used to dealing with, so that stood out in my mind,” he added.
The feeling is mutual on Rich’s end as well. “Aside from being a dependable resource and a great developer, his personality really makes him stand out,” Rich said about Derek. “His positive attitude and fun nature make him an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Derek is currently holding the title of Interactive Consultant and has been busy writing intricate technological tools to help his company’s integration with another division. When he isn’t working, he enjoys traveling and does it once every three months. He’s been to warm locations like the Caribbean and Cancun, and is planning on the Panama Canal for his next adventure. Also, an appreciator of fashion, he’s attended a few Fashion Weeks in Los Angeles and New York.