FOUNDER OF SEEKING WORLDS
About Derek
Before launching Seeking Worlds, Derek spent years working in law, helping clients achieve the highest value for their cases, and on the side, produced ad content for department store and brands in the the fashion industry such as Nike, YSL, etc. . . . and hosted holiday charity events with Reebok and seasonal launches with Express.
His legal background built a framework in strategic thinking and attention to detail, while his experience producing high-profile ad campaigns with fashion brands decorated his frame with tasteful aesthetics and open perception on new ideas.
This odd clash of two different worlds, a world that follows strict rules vs. a world of free-flowing inspirations, generally does not happen, but it did (based on a true story) and these two worlds collaborated developing an individualistic style Derek expresses in his work today.
Event Experiences
2013 - 2018 Wedding Planning
Derek was highly involved in wedding planning and hosted photo booths for over 100 events with his brother, Steven. Within 2 years of committed professional cliental service, his booth, Yorokobi, earned the knot Best of Weddings award two years in a row. His time spent in coordinating and observing the creativity of other event planner’s such as their implantation to balancing colors explains Derek’s color selection, which subtlety gives off a storybook or fairytale-like tone.
Additionally. Derek’s experiences in a naturally fast-paced and time sensitive environment such as event planning, led to Derek’s prime development in his abilities to customer care, technical resolutions, and maneuvering around time-sensitive situations.
Like many photographers, Derek, during his early years, struggled to find his own personal style in photography. The unfathomable time he spent on YouTube learning different techniques and color-grading felt more like an expansion pack to a game he didn’t own, but overtime, Derek unknowably discovered that his style in photography seemed to have developed during his path past commitments from his past. From outfit-location coordinating to his style of color-grading, it is likely beyond a reasonable doubt, no question.
2014 - 2021 Brand Ambassador
Derek wanted to dive deeper into photography and picked up his first camera, a Sony A7ii. With a heavy camera in his hands, he was ready to explore the worl—no, explore the mall. His dedication as an “influencer,” led him to finding the best backgrounds for brand campaigns to hosting live seasonal collection events for brands. The constant commuting sparked his curiosity for travel. During this time, Derek received various offers from fashion brand such as YSL, Express, Reebok,[. . .] to work on long term advertisement campaigns and look book series. Here, is a notable interview picture with VoyageLA.
