Heliguy
Heliguy is a private Australian company that designs custom cinema drones and provides aerial cinematography, VFX capture, and specialized lighting services for major film studios, streamers, and commercial productions worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersMarrickville, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Heliguy does
Heliguy is a privately held Australian drone company that designs, manufactures, and operates custom-built cinema drones for the film, television, and commercial production industries. Founded circa 2009 and headquartered in Sydney with additional offices in Gold Coast and Melbourne, the company has developed five proprietary drone platforms — the Turbine X8 (ultra heavy lift up to 40kg payload, 8,000ft ASL), Alta X (heavy lift up to 16kg, 16,000ft ASL, 3km+ range, 125 km/h), TETRA (FPV cinelifter with carbon spaceframe chassis at 150 km/h), COBRA (giant screen and flying theatre drone with 180+ degree FOV), and the Inspire 3 — alongside multi-camera VFX array systems (CERBERUS 3-camera, AXIS 360 7-camera with Red Komodo X sensors) and the Stratus aerial lighting drone. Technical differentiators include proprietary carbon spaceframe construction using injection-bonding, coaxial power and parallel battery redundancy, and a 40-spring camera suspension system for vibration dampening on heavy cine payloads.
The business operates a hybrid hardware-plus-services model. Revenue is generated through custom drone design and sales, professional aerial cinematography and VFX capture services (lidar, photogrammetry, VFX supervision with 20+ years of experience), specialized aerial lighting, and an e-commerce storefront for proprietary accessories such as the HG-2.0 Alta X Retractable Landing Gear ($5,100 AUD) and Wire Rope Dampers ($525 AUD). Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales targeting Hollywood studios and production houses, with the company claiming trusted-partner status with Marvel, Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, Netflix, Sony, and other major studios. International operations span China, Taiwan, New Zealand, and Europe, supported by a dedicated international contact. Distribution is entirely direct — no resellers — with marketing reliant on showreel portfolio, industry referrals, and trade-show presence.
Heliguy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Heliguy
- Legal name
- Heliguy
- Website
- https://heliguy.tv
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Heliguy is a private Australian company that designs custom cinema drones and provides aerial cinematography, VFX capture, and specialized lighting services for major film studios, streamers, and commercial productions worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Heliguy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aerial Cinematography Services
- NAICS
- Aircraft Manufacturing (336411), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333)
- SIC
- Aircraft & Parts (3720), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones (IMABAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Consumer Drones for Imaging (Camera Drones) (CRACAPAD), Aerial Robotics (Drones & UAV Autonomy) (HDAAAIAG), Gimbals, Stabilizers & Camera Rigs (Handheld, Wearable, Drone Gimbals) (CRACAPAE)
Keywords
Where Heliguy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Marrickville
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices4 records
Markets served
Heliguy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom Drone Sales: Design, manufacture, and sale of custom cinema drones including Turbine X8, Inspire 3, Alta X, Tetra, and Cobra models. Drones are customized for specific client requirements and project needs.
- Aerial Cinematography Services: Professional drone cinematography services for film, television, and commercial productions. Crews are film industry professionals providing aerial filming expertise.
- Drone Parts and Accessories: E-commerce sales of drone components including Alta X Retractable Landing Gear ($5,100 AUD) and Wire Rope Dampers ($525 AUD).
- VFX and Visual Effects Services: High-resolution plate capture for VFX using Red or Arri cine cameras, Lidar scanning, photogrammetry services, and VFX supervision with over 20 years film and TV experience.
- Specialized Lighting Services: Aerial lighting solutions using the Stratus lighting drone for directional illumination and creative lighting effects on film sets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wire Rope Damper - Professional grade vibration dampening component |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Alta X Landing Gear - Purpose-built retractable landing gear system |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Heliguy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Heliguy is an Australian drone company that designs, manufactures, and operates custom cinema drones for the film, television, and commercial production industries. The company delivers aerial cinematography services using proprietary drone platforms (Turbine X8, Alta X, TETRA, COBRA) capable of lifting heavy cinema cameras (Arri, RED) with full power redundancy systems. In addition to aerial filming, Heliguy provides VFX plate capture via multi-camera arrays (CERBERUS, AXIS 360, AXIS 180), aerial lighting services via the Stratus drone, and sells drone accessories such as the HG-2.0 Retractable Landing Gear and Wire Rope Damper.
Product overview
Heliguy is a drone company specializing in custom-designed cinema drones and aerial cinematography services for the film industry. The product portfolio consists of five core drone platforms (Turbine X8 for ultra heavy lift up to 40kg, Inspire 3 for light agile work, Alta X for heavy lift with extended range, TETRA for hybrid FPV cinema, and COBRA for giant screen/flying theatre applications), supplemented by proprietary multi-camera VFX arrays (Cerberus drone array with 3x Red Komodo X, AXIS 360 for 360-degree 7-camera capture, AXIS 180 for vehicle/boat mounting), the Stratus aerial lighting drone, and accessories including the HG-2.0 Retractable Landing Gear and Wire Rope Damper for the Alta X. The company also offers services including aerial cinematography, VFX capture, LIDAR scanning, photogrammetry, live streaming, and scientific research drone solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TETRA: FPV gimbal lifter cinema drone with carbon spaceframe chassis, 7kg payload capacity, 150kph speed, and 10-minute flight time. Features 3-axis stabilized head and cinema style dampening.
- COBRA
- TURBINE X8
- ALTA X
- CERBERUS
- AXIS 360
- STRATUS
Products and services
- Turbine X8 Ultra heavy lift cinema drone capable of carrying payloads up to 40kg, with flights up to 18kg cine builds, speeds up to 80 km/h, high wind tolerance, extended flight times of 20+ minutes, and altitude operation up to 8,000ft ASL. Designed for film studios and large-scale productions.
- Inspire 3 Light, agile, and portable cinema drone equipped with DJI Zenmuse X9 camera offering high-quality 8K Raw or ProRes video and stills capture at an affordable price point. Customized by Heliguy for film production use.
- Alta X Heavy lift cinema drone capable of carrying cine builds up to 16kg, reaching speeds up to 125 km/h with super long range of 3km+, flight times of 20+ minutes, and ultra high altitude capability up to 16,000ft ASL.
- TETRA Proprietary hybrid FPV cinema drone with a 3-axis stabilized head and cinema-style dampening system, designed for ultra-smooth high-speed action shots. Capable of 7kg payload, 150 km/h speed, and 10+ minute flight times. Built on a TETRA carbon spaceframe chassis with coaxial power redundancy.
- COBRA World's most advanced giant screen drone offering over 180-degree uninterrupted field of view, speeds of 65+ mph, 15-minute flight time, and 1.3+ mile range. Compatible with Arri, Red, and 9x7 cameras. Purpose-built for giant screen, dome cinema, IMAX/OMNIMAX, and flying theatre applications.
- CERBERUS 3-camera drone array system featuring 3x Red Komodo X cameras with 168-degree horizontal and 50-degree vertical field of view, fully stabilized head for aerial VFX plate capture.
- AXIS 360 7-camera 360-degree horizontal capture array with Red Komodo X cameras, providing 23K x 3.2K stitched resolution with an upward-facing camera for reflections. Deployable from drones, vehicles, and boats for VFX work.
- AXIS 180 Vehicle and boat mounted array with a robust fully stabilized head for ground-based VFX and large format capture.
- Stratus Lighting World's most sophisticated and powerful lighting drone with full dimming capability, strobing effect options, stabilized gimbal for directional control, and onboard HD camera for precision subject tracking at speed. Used for aerial lighting solutions on film sets.
- Aerial Cinematography Services Professional drone cinematography services for film, television, and commercial productions. Crews are film industry professionals providing aerial filming expertise for feature films, TV commercials, and streaming content.
- VFX and Visual Effects Services High-resolution plate capture for VFX using Red or Arri cine cameras, Lidar scanning, photogrammetry services, and VFX supervision with over 20 years of film and TV experience.
- HG-2.0 Alta X Retractable Landing Gear Professional grade retractable landing gear system purpose-built for the Freefly Alta X, featuring worm drive billet aluminium retract mechanisms rated to 25kg each, carbon fibre and SLS nylon subframe, tool-less quick-release legs with 650mm ground clearance, integrated landing lights, and optional wire rope isolator for heavy Ronin 2 payloads. Priced at $5,100.00 AUD per unit.
- Wire Rope Damper
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% full redundancy offered globally for all operations
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Heliguy
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Heliguy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Heliguy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Brogent TechnologiescoreBrogent Technologies is a partner for the COBRA drone system, which is designed exclusively for giant screen, dome cinema and flying theatre applications. The partnership enables Brogent's flying theatre attractions to utilize Heliguy's specialized drone technology.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Heliguy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Panavision: Major cinema camera and lens rental partner of Heliguy. Adjacent ecosystem participant and potential distribution/co-marketing channel rather than a direct competitor.
Direct peers
- Freefly Systems: US-based cinema drone OEM whose Alta X heavy-lift platform is one of Heliguy's core integration platforms (with Heliguy selling Alta X retractable landing gear and accessories). Direct competitor in heavy-lift cinema UAVs.
- Shotover Camera Systems: Designs and manufactures high-end aerial camera gimbal systems (helicopter and now UAV-mounted) for the film industry. Competes with Heliguy's TETRA and Cerberus stabilized-head offerings for premium aerial cinematography work.
- Aeronavics: New Zealand-based custom drone manufacturer serving cinematography, inspection, and industrial users. Closely comparable as a Southern-Hemisphere custom multirotor drone builder in adjacent markets and use cases.
- Skyworx Aerial Filming: UK-based aerial cinematography services provider doing feature work comparable to Heliguy. Direct service-side peer with similar heavy-lift cinema drone capability and entertainment customer base.
- DroneWorx: Aerial cinematography and drone services firm serving film, TV, and commercial productions. Comparable professional-services peer competing for the same advertiser and studio wallet share.
Broad incumbents
- Skydio: US autonomous drone manufacturer with growing cinema and inspection footprint. A broadly overlapping incumbent whose autonomy roadmap could encroach on Heliguy's premium niches over time.
- DJI: World's largest civilian drone manufacturer and a listed Heliguy partner/supplier. DJI's Inspire series competes head-on with Heliguy's light-agile offerings and pushes the price-performance curve that Heliguy custom hardware must differentiate against.
- Autel Robotics: Competing prosumer/enterprise drone OEM whose Evo and Titan lines pressure Heliguy's cinema drone economics from below. Broad incumbent with overlapping feature set and channel reach.
- Chapman / Leonard Studio Equipment: Long-established supplier of camera cranes, dollies, and aerial camera rigs to film productions. Incumbent in the broader on-set camera equipment category in which Heliguy sells drones.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Heliguy social profiles
Digital presenceHeliguy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Heliguy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Heliguy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Heliguy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Heliguy
What does Heliguy do?
Heliguy is an Australian drone company that designs, manufactures, and operates custom cinema drones for the film, television, and commercial production industries. The company delivers aerial cinematography services using proprietary drone platforms (Turbine X8, Alta X, TETRA, COBRA) capable of lifting heavy cinema cameras (Arri, RED) with full power redundancy systems. In addition to aerial filming, Heliguy provides VFX plate capture via multi-camera arrays (CERBERUS, AXIS 360, AXIS 180), aerial lighting services via the Stratus drone, and sells drone accessories such as the HG-2.0 Retractable Landing Gear and Wire Rope Damper.
Is Heliguy a public or private company?
Heliguy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Heliguy founded?
Heliguy was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Heliguy based?
Heliguy is headquartered in Marrickville, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Heliguy make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Custom Drone Sales are the primary driver. The others are aerial Cinematography Services, drone Parts and Accessories, VFX and Visual Effects Services and specialized Lighting Services.
Who are Heliguy's main competitors?
Panavision is listed as an others. Direct peers are Freefly Systems, Shotover Camera Systems, Aeronavics, Skyworx Aerial Filming and DroneWorx. Broad incumbents are Skydio, DJI, Autel Robotics and Chapman / Leonard Studio Equipment.
Does Heliguy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Heliguy.
What industry is Heliguy in?
Heliguy's product category is Aerial Cinematography Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAIAA, Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones, with a secondary code of CRACAPAD, Consumer Drones for Imaging (Camera Drones). Its NAICS code is 336411 and its SIC code is 3720.