Derek Prinzi, Designer in Rochester, NY, United States
Derek is available for hire
Hire Derek

Derek Prinzi

Verified Expert  in Design

Designer

Rochester, NY, United States

Toptal member since July 18, 2024

Bio

Derek is a professional motion designer with over a decade of experience in 2D and 3D media, using tools such as Blender, Maya, Unity, and Unreal Engine. He is a fast learner who adapts precisely and has exceptional communication skills, ensuring seamless and impactful visuals. Derek has developed award-winning AR/VR experiences in Unity 3D and 8th Wall. He also earned a place as a Top Talent in the 2019 Adobe Design Achievement Awards for animating the evolution of Macintosh.

Portfolio

Work Experience

2D/3D Motion Designer

2023 - PRESENT
Independent
  • Crafted product reveal animations using motion graphics and elements of 3D design.
  • Designed 3D animations for a large YouTube channel, increasing subscribers.
  • Created AR/VR experiences for medical training on Apple Vision Pro.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Blender, Maya

3D Technical Artist

2021 - 2023
CrossComm
  • Developed award-winning AR/VR experiences inside Unity 3D and 8th Wall.
  • Designed and developed a propriety cross-platform avatar creation system for AR/VR applications.
  • Created a marketing campaign with 3D animations to promote and drive SEO.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Blender, Maya, Unity

2D/3D Animator

2017 - 2020
Optic Sky Productions
  • Designed, developed, and edited motion graphics for an explainer video series for a large consultant group.
  • Collaborated to create various 3D animations for the marketing and self-promotion of agencies.
  • Spearheaded VR experiences within Unreal Engine for the development of an emerging new section of the company.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Blender, DaVinci Resolve, Unreal Engine 5

Education

2013 - 2016

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 3D Digital Design

Rochester Institute of Technology - Rochester, NY, USA

2010 - 2012

Associate's Degree in Game Programming and Design

Finger Lakes Community College - Canandaigua, NY, USA

Certifications

MAY 2019 - PRESENT

2019 Top Talent

Adobe Design Achievement Awards

Skills

Tools

Blender, Adobe Creative Suite, Substance Designer, Maya, DaVinci Resolve, Visual Studio, After Effects CC, Substance Painter, Premiere Pro CC

Languages

Java, Python

Other

3D Design, Computer Graphics, 3D Animation, Animation, Motion Design, Real-time Design, Unreal Engine 5, Unity, MySQL, Networking, Virtual Reality (VR), Unity3D, Unity Shaders, Visual Effects (VFX)

Experience

  • 3D Animation - 15 years
  • Blender - 15 years
  • Computer Graphics - 15 years
  • Adobe Creative Suite - 10 years
  • Substance Designer - 8 years
  • Maya - 5 years
  • Unity - 5 years
  • Unreal Engine 5 - 5 years

Tools

  • Blender
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Substance Designer
  • Maya
Collaboration That Works

How to Work with Toptal

Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.

1

Share your needs

Discuss your requirements and refine your scope in a call with a Toptal domain expert.
2

Choose your talent

Get a short list of expertly matched talent within 24 hours to review, interview, and choose from.
3

Start your risk-free talent trial

Work with your chosen talent on a trial basis for up to two weeks. Pay only if you decide to hire them.

Top talent is in high demand.

Start hiring