I've been building and flying drones for about 8 yrs. I'm a former photojournalist with over 25 years experience documenting the lives and times or ordinary people with extraordinary stories. From sporting events to weather disasters, portraits to politicians, I capture moments that tell stories. I realized early on that using drones in the newsroom would be an asset to covering our stories but more importantly that it could provide me with an exit strategy from a dying industry to a thriving one. I began flying a Piper Cub when the FAA required you to have at the minimum a sport pilots license to apply for a Section 333 to fly drones commercially. When the Part 107 certification was introduced I passed the test the first day it was available. I started Samara Media, LLC to supplement my full-time job at a newspaper but was told it could be considered a conflict of interest so I was limited in what I could do with a drone outside of my use at the newspaper. I accepted a buyout from my job in November of 2019 and have been building my drone services since then using my photographic experience and mechanical background to produce innovative and eye catching content. I have experience using Pix4D, DroneDeploy, Precision Hawk Mapper, DJI GSPro, Litchi, photoshop, Final Cut Pro X Autopano and Panatour 360 stitching programs. Recently purchased a DJI Zenmuse XT-R, 640x512, thermal camera for solar and roof inspections. I also own a Insta360 OneX camera that I can mount under my Inspire 2 for 360 VR video or mount on a RC car for ground 360 VR video. I'm available for work in the New England region and beyond.