What Above Summit does

Above Summit is a privately held, founder-owned production studio headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, founded in 2013 by Jovan Tanasijevic and Emilie Pickering. The company positions itself as the first Boston studio to specialize in drone cinematography, delivering aerial and ground-based visual content for film, television, brand marketing, architecture, real estate, construction, academic institutions, documentary, and live-event clients. Its core technology stack centers on a fleet of drones including FPV cinewhoops/cinelifters, Freefly Alta X and Alta 6 heavy-lift platforms, light-kit drones, helicopter access, Motocrane arm-car and camera-car rigs, and ground rovers — supported by an in-house post-production pipeline for editing, color grading, sound design, VFX, 3D rendering, and 360 VR tour assembly. Notable deliverables include Emmy-recognized work on HBO's Murder in Boston, and active FAA authorizations across 40+ restricted-airspace and night-operation cases with $5M+ in liability insurance underpin the studio's regulatory compliance posture.

The company operates on a project-based professional-services revenue model with custom quote-based pricing and direct enterprise sales, charging by scope rather than standardized rates. It has completed 800+ productions, 500+ VR tour nodes, 100+ milestone event coverages, 300+ construction site visits, and serves 30+ academic institutions, with a customer roster spanning Netflix, HBO, Disney, Lionsgate, IFC Films, NFL Films, NBCUniversal, Discovery/PBS, the Boston Red Sox, Live Nation, JLL, CBRE, Turner Construction, Skanska, MIT, Harvard, Boston University, and Northeastern. Distribution is direct-to-client with no intermediary channel; marketing relies on portfolio, Vimeo showreels, Instagram, and industry awards. The team remains boutique (approximately 5 core staff), is bootstrapped with no outside investment, and has expanded its footprint via the related Somerville Studios venue and the Lovely Valentine wedding video sub-brand.

Name

Above Summit

Legal name

Above Summit LLC

Website

https://abovesummit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Above Summit is a Somerville, MA-based full-service drone cinematography and video production studio founded in 2013, serving enterprise clients across film/TV, brand marketing, real estate, construction, and academic sectors with aerial, ground-based, and 360 VR content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Somerville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Video Production Services: Project-based professional services for video production including pre-production, production, and post-production. Clients include film/TV productions, brands, real estate developers, construction companies, and academic institutions.
2. Drone Cinematography Services: Aerial photography and videography services using various drone platforms (FPV, heavy lift, light kit) for different production requirements.
3. Specialty Camera Equipment Rental/Production: Arm car and camera car services for precision driving shots and motion camera movement.
4. 360 VR + Virtual Tour Production: Immersive content creation including 360 photography, videography, and virtual tour implementation with online hosting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Above Summit is a full-service drone cinematography and video production studio that provides aerial and ground-based visual content creation for enterprise clients. Its core services include drone cinematography (FPV, Inspire, heavy lift Freefly Alta X/6), helicopter aerial capture, ground rovers, Motocrane arm car systems, 360 VR virtual tours, live event coverage, and end-to-end post-production including editing, VFX, color grading, sound design, and 3D rendering/animation. Services are delivered as custom, project-based engagements for film/TV, brand marketing, real estate, construction, academic, documentary, and live event clients.

Product overview

Above Summit is a full-service drone company and production studio offering a comprehensive suite of visual content creation services. The core offering centers on aerial cinematography using drones (FPV, Inspire, heavy lift platforms like Freefly Alta X/6), helicopter photography/videography, and ground-based camera systems (rovers, arm cars). These capture services are supported by in-house post-production capabilities including video editing, VFX, color grading, sound design, 3D rendering/animation, and 360 VR tour development. The company serves diverse industry verticals including Film + TV, Brand Marketing, Architecture, Real Estate Development, Construction, Academic institutions, Documentary production, and Live Events. Specialty offerings include 360 VR + Virtual Tours, Arm Car + Camera Car services, and access to Somerville Studios event space. The portfolio is unified under the Above Summit brand, with Somerville Studios operating as a related production venue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lovely Valentine: A wedding video sister brand of Above Summit, mentioned in the job posting as bonus experience for applicants.

Products and services

• Drone Cinematography Services Aerial photography and videography using drones (FPV, Inspire, and heavy lift Freefly Alta X and Alta 6 platforms) for film, TV, documentary, brand marketing, and commercial productions.
• Helicopter Aerial Services Helicopter photography and videography for urban settings where drone altitude is restricted, providing aerial coverage for academic institutions and commercial real estate.
• Video Production Full-service video production from pre-production (concepting, scripting, casting, location scouting) through production (filming, directing) to post-production (editing, VFX, color grading, sound design).
• Photography Services Professional photography including aerial, architectural, lifestyle, product, and event photography for commercial and editorial clients.
• Arm Car + Camera Car Services Precision driving and cinematic camera movement using Motocrane arm systems mounted on a BMW X6 and Polaris RZR for dynamic ground-level shots in documentaries and commercials.
• 360 VR + Virtual Tours Immersive 360-degree virtual tours and VR experiences including 360 photography, 360 videography, 360 interview content, and post-production services like rig removal and virtual tour UI implementation.
• Live Event Coverage Virtual, hybrid, and in-person event coverage with multi-camera switching, cellular bonded internet, Zoom integration, live streaming, and same-day editing capabilities.
• FPV Drone Operations Cinematic First Person View drone operations using cinelifters and cinewhoops for intricate one-take sequences, architectural detail capture, and live event drone feeds.
• Rover Camera Services Ground-based camera rover systems for low and high stance gimbal and 360 camera operations on productions.
• Construction Documentation Complete project lifespan documentation for construction sites including drone photos and videos, helicopter coverage, long-term site documentation, construction timelapse, and milestone event coverage.
• Architectural Production Services Visual content creation for architects and designers including drone and helicopter coverage, architectural photography and videography, site documentation, 360 content, virtual tours, and 3D rendering/animation.
• Brand Marketing Content Creative content production for brand marketing including product photography, lifestyle photography and videography, brand narrative videos, social media content, and FPV drone campaigns.
• 3D Rendering + Animation 3D visualization services including rendering and animation for architectural and real estate development projects, used for pre-viz and backplate compositing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Emmy Award for outstanding crime and justice documentary (Murder in Boston)

Named customers30 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Somerville StudioscoreOthersAbove Summit operates their studio space at Somerville Studios, a venue featuring a corner cyclorama wall and full-floor production/event space. Located 15 minutes from Boston near the new Gilman Square Greenline Stop. Used for photoshoots, video production, meetings, events and workshops.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Aerobo: Aerobo is a US-based drone cinematography services company specializing in aerial production for film, TV, advertising, and live events. Directly comparable in service offering (drone cinematography for enterprise media clients) and target customer overlap with Above Summit.
• Matterport: Matterport is a 360 VR / digital twin platform used for real estate, architecture, hospitality, and institutional virtual tours. Directly comparable to Above Summit's 360 VR + Virtual Tours offering across similar client verticals (JLL, CBRE, Waldorf Astoria, MIT).

Broad incumbents

• DJI: DJI is the dominant global drone manufacturer with growing service and ecosystem offerings for commercial cinematography and enterprise. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the drone ecosystem that Above Summit operates within and depends on for hardware.
• Skydio: Skydio is a US-based autonomous drone manufacturer focused on commercial and enterprise markets including cinematography, inspection, and public safety. Comparable as a broad incumbent shaping the commercial drone technology stack Above Summit uses.
• RSA Films: RSA Films (Ridley Scott Associates) is a global production company with capabilities spanning commercials, film, and branded content, often incorporating aerial and specialty cinematography. Comparable as a broad incumbent in premium production with overlapping aerial/drone capabilities.
• Pulse Films: Pulse Films is a global production company producing music videos, commercials, documentaries, and feature films with integrated aerial and post-production capabilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent in premium production serving similar enterprise and entertainment clients.
• Parrot: Parrot is a European drone manufacturer with commercial and consumer offerings. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the drone manufacturing ecosystem relevant to Above Summit's equipment and capability stack.

Emerging players

• PrecisionHawk: PrecisionHawk provides commercial drone services and analytics software for industries including construction and real estate. Comparable as an emerging player with overlapping drone services for enterprise verticals like construction and real estate that Above Summit serves.

Others

• DroneDeploy: DroneDeploy is a drone data platform for mapping, inspection, and site documentation primarily used in construction and agriculture. Comparable as an enabling technology provider in the drone ecosystem serving some of Above Summit's construction and architecture clients.
• Pix4D: Pix4D provides drone-based photogrammetry and mapping software for surveying, construction, and inspection. Comparable as an adjacent enabling technology player serving some of Above Summit's architecture, construction, and real estate clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/p/DBMgobWvCQL
• Xx.com/AboveSummit
• Facebookfacebook.com/abovesummit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/10477143

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Above Summit