As a child, I was always fascinated by two things in particular: cameras and airplanes. I loved how photography combined technical skills with creativity, and I was obsessed with photographing anything and everything when I was gifted my first digital camera at a young age. The photos weren’t great, but I loved experimenting and teaching myself new skills.
In the same way that photography can let you see things from a new perspective, I was intrigued by aviation for the ability to see the world from above. I remember the awe that I felt when my uncle first took me up in his plane, and when he later gifted me a flight simulator setup, I would spend hours practicing my takeoffs and landings, without any formal instruction.
In high school, I didn’t have much interest in the typical subjects—math, science, history—but yearned for the opportunity to learn more about what I was passionate about. In my sophomore year English class, my teacher allowed us to make videos for some of our class projects in place of the more traditional posters and PowerPoints.
My friends and I ventured into Boston to make a short film addressing some of the themes of the book we had been reading: Fahrenheit 451 (I never actually read it). It was easily the most fun project I did in high school. Looking back, that short film was the spark of my filmmaking career, and from that point on, that was what I decided I wanted to pursue.
I attended Champlain College and graduated with a BFA in Filmmaking in 2018. In college, the culmination of my interests in photography, filmmaking, and aviation led me to purchase my first drone: a DJI Phantom 3 Standard. I also learned film photography and worked in the college darkroom for 3 years.
After I graduated, I worked briefly for the town of Concord, MA, as a videographer before accepting a job offer at Above Summit, a local video production company with a specialization in drone work. In early 2020, right after the start of the pandemic, I taught myself how to fly FPV drones for fun. What started as a hobby quickly became a profession as I started putting my FPV skills to work for clients in a year when FPV began to explode in popularity.
I flew drones through the Boston Public Library, Fenway Park, Encore Boston Casino, for the Massachusetts Air National Guard, and for many other clients who were interested in a “one-take FPV fly-through”. I also started building my own drones, and building and flying cinelifters—FPV drones that can carry cinema cameras.
After five years at Above Summit, I was ready for the next chapter, and left to co-found Outpost Film with my friend and former coworker Ethan Pellegrino. Even as a new company, we’ve wasted no time finding the coolest projects imaginable. And we’ve taken my passion for aviation even further with two recent aviation projects, coming soon. Go check us out!
Outside of work, I absolutely love to travel, and have been lucky enough to visit some incredible places: the Galápagos Islands (3 times!), Guatemala, Patagonia, and throughout Europe, to name a few. I also love the outdoors and enjoy hiking, camping, mountain biking, and sailing. Most of all, I love a spontaneous adventure to someplace new.
I’m always looking for new people and companies to connect with, so if you’re still here after reading my whole life story, then please don’t hesitate to reach out and say hello!