What inspired you to start Hovaloft?
I used to work as a communications manager at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in the northeast. I would often hire videographers and drone operators to photograph and film the site, production, and interviews. I bought my own drone and video camera and started using them at work as well as at home, as I am a big film fan. In 2017, GSK made all site-based communications managers redundant. I had since met my future wife in Sheffield, so this gave me the impetus to move and start my own company. So, I am a foreigner in these parts, being from Darlington, but Sheffield is so welcoming that I found myself at home as soon as I moved here.
What do you enjoy most about the job?
Creating. I love just to create, and when I’m not doing it for money, I’m doing it for fun, for training, or just for myself. My YouTube channel and my work on Collective Pictures are testament to that.
How do you stay updated with the latest drone technology?
That’s easy; I’m interested. Drone technology is still pretty new, so it changes often, often when new aviation rules come in too. I look out for new products in trade news and online, but then must hold myself back to stop from buying them, or the office would be full of them.
What industries benefit the most from aerial videography?
The construction industry is my biggest aerial client, as buildings lend themselves to aerial videography, but I don’t only use drones. I use handheld videography too and combine traditional drone with FPV drone and handheld videography.
What advice would you give to someone looking to enter this field?
Make yourself different. You can’t just start a drone business; there’s not enough there unless you own specialist drones for surveys, heat mapping, or agriculture. This is why I try to offer everything “videographical” i.e., drone, FPV drone, timelapse, handheld, and editing.
What trends do you see shaping the future of aerial videography?
I see Artificial Intelligence taking over a lot of the media industry until making a film or video by hand will become artisanal and special. A video produced by hand will become something more “real,” at least in the feeling. Maybe that will signal a step back towards film, which now has its own rustic charm. I think I’ll be retired by then, although I will always be pointing a camera at something.
www.hovaloft.co.uk
Click the link to see Hovaloft drones in action or scan the QR code below.
