Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Kavanagh and Matt Feige.
DroneGear originally started as lifestyle channel on social media, a centralized place where operators could show off their most beautiful images they’d captured from around the world. After gaining momentum with multiple thousands of followers, Alex began producing content for the channel exclusively, namely: product reviews on hot new gadget releases and tutorials on how to achieve better-looking shots with your camera. The channel subsequently exploded into the forefront of the drone world and has become a staple in the industry for news, reviews, and of course, remarkable images created with aerial platforms.
Last year, around June 2018, Matt came on board to help turn the lifestyle & branding channel into a full-fledged production house. With his experience working in some of the top ad agencies in NYC, and his expertise gained in working in the drone industry before DroneGear, Matt helped Alex launch DroneGear Productions, a simple yet unique vehicle for producing some of the most incredible aerial cinematography the industry has ever seen. With our vast network of high-quality operators, we’ve been able to traverse the globe in cooperation with some of the most prestigious companies in the world. We’ve since worked with Netflix, Hulu, Apple Streaming, Amazon Prime, and various other major networks and auto manufacturers. Today, DroneGear Productions (nee, DroneGear on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook) has become THE most popular drone production team on the planet, thanks to our 200K+ subscribers across all of our social media channels.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Most of us that now makeup DroneGear are industry veterans who simply wanted a place to call “home”. We can remember back to a day before the FAA was involved in certifying and regulation, a time before insurance companies would even touch drones, and before most people knew exactly what drones did. Weren’t they used mainly for warfare? Aren’t you invading the public’s privacy by gathering sensitive data and spying on people? Can you fly this into something and do major damage? Drones are still currently in the news with stories of “near misses” of colliding with large commercial planes while landing at random cities’ airports.. but thankfully these have been only sensationalist in nature and have not caused any actual harm to any aircraft by intent or accident.
Besides overcoming the negative public perspective of drone technology, the next hardest thing to do was to secure clients and gain experience working on major sets. In the commercial film industry, sometimes you only have one chance to nail a specific shot- and often the drone shot is the hero shot of the day. Sometimes, it’s the last shot of the day (typically the most anticipated and least patient part of the day for most of the crew), and you simply have to get it done right- quickly and efficiently- to the appeasement of cast and crew. Your reputation literally hangs in the balance until that drone captures what you were brought in to do.
Currently, the barrier to entry is so low for new pilots to enter the race, it’s caused major over-saturation in the marketplace. Back when we first started (2013/2014), one of the major challenges was having to actually build the drone itself- a “heavy-lifter” capable of carrying a large format cinema camera and at the very least, a DSLR. These platforms were not offered as a turn-key product like they are now, from companies like DJI and Freefly Systems, among others. When the FAA first got involved in regulating the industry, the license to get was a real pilot’s license- and you had to have certification from the FAA, called a Section 333, of which both were expensive and very tedious to obtain. Now, anyone with knowledge of the questions asked for the new certification can obtain a Part 107 commercial UAS Pilot’s license and begin operating almost immediately. This has spawned an entire new wave of sub-par operators who call themselves “Aerial Directors of Photography” or “Aerial Cinematographers”, which is a gross exaggeration of their abilities and experience, but none-the-less were coined by actual industry-leading professionals and co-opted by fresh-faced amateurs eager to get their beaks wet in this exciting new industry.
By being one of the first, and rising above the competition with a sheer passion for the art and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of cinematography, truly only the strong survive. We are lucky enough to be in that top 1% and have no interest in ever letting up.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
DroneGear is a production company based in Los Angeles (operating globally), with specialties in dynamic camera movements including both ground and air drones, handheld robotic stabilizers, vehicle-mountable camera platforms and more. Our operator credits include Lexus, BMW, Ford, Hulu, AppleTV, CBS, Universal, Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and many more. We’re FAA Certified (Part 107 Commercial Licenses), Insured ($5 Million), and approved for Union (Local 600) work, with multiple local teams operating full-time in most major cities around the world.
What were you like growing up?
Matt & Alex have always been interested in movies, robotics, and video games since childhood.. a perfect marriage of skills required to excel at drone piloting and camera operation.
Matt was a little rebellious in that he never wanted to follow the main-stream. Always looking for an edge, and gravitating towards art and cinema, he found himself longing to be where the magic happens.
Alex was similarly inclined to follow his dreams and rebel against the norm- thus creating DroneGear in the first place. Growing up in Sydney, Australia, Alex has a worldliness about him that is appealing to his American counterparts, and endearing himself to the industry in which he now calls home.
Both are playful and creative in nature and have an openness about them that exudes confidence and trust in their fellow peers. They truly are “the Good Guys” operating out there.
Pricing:
- Each job is unique and requires unique pricing, but typically we’re in the $3K-$15K/day range for most platforms.
Contact Info:
- Address: DroneGear Productions
Los Angeles, CA - Website: www.dronegear.tv
- Phone: 800-545-1850
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @DRONEGEAR
- Facebook: facebook.com/DRONEGEAR
- Twitter: dronegear
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dronegear-los-angeles
Image Credit:
DroneGear
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