What Airborne Studios does

Airborne Studios, LLC is a privately held, New York City-based drone cinematography services company founded in 2016 by Eddie Graham and Brandon Hower. The firm provides aerial filming, complex permit coordination, and live broadcast transmission for film, television, commercial, and live event productions, serving enterprise clients including Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Studios, NBC, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Fox Sports, CNBC, and CNN.

The company's core technology stack consists of a professional drone fleet spanning the DJI Inspire 3 X9 cinema platform (8K ProRes RAW), DJI Mavic 4 Pro, Alta X heavy-lift rigs capable of carrying ARRI Alexa 35, Sony Venice, and RED V-Raptor cameras, and specialized indoor and outdoor FPV cinewhoop/cinelifter platforms. Live broadcast capability is delivered via LiveU backpack transmission systems providing zero-latency feeds in SDI, HDMI, or fiber formats. All pilots hold FAA Part 107 certification, and the firm holds an FAA Night Operations Waiver plus $10 million in aviation liability insurance. IATSE Local 600 union-certified operators are available for major productions.

Airborne Studios operates a project-based, quote-driven professional services revenue model with a standard crew configuration of pilot, camera operator, and technician. The firm pursues direct enterprise sales through its website, phone, and email, with no reseller or distribution channel. Geographic footprint includes headquarters in NYC plus regional operations in Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, and Denver, with capability for international project deployment. The company was among the first to obtain NYPD drone permits after commercial drone flights became legal in NYC in late 2023, leveraging relationships with NYPD, DOT, MOME, and the Counterterrorism Unit to offer an expedited 14-day permit approval window as a differentiated service.

Name

Airborne Studios

Legal name

Airborne Studios, LLC.

Website

https://airborne-studios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Airborne Studios is a NYC-based drone cinematography services firm providing aerial filming, permit coordination, and live broadcast feeds for film, television, commercial, and live event productions, serving enterprise clients across major studios, streamers, and broadcast networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Drone Cinematography Services: Project-based professional drone filming services for film, television, commercials, and live events. Revenue is generated per-project based on crew size, drone equipment required, flight duration, and permit complexity. Standard crew configuration includes pilot, camera operator, and technician.
2. Live Broadcast Services: Real-time drone broadcast services for live events including sports broadcasts, concerts, and news coverage. Provides transmission equipment and technical support for live streaming to broadcast control rooms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Airborne Studios provides professional drone cinematography services for film, television, commercials, and live broadcast productions. The company operates a fleet of cinema-grade drones—including FPV cinewhoops, the DJI Inspire 3 X9, and Alta X heavy-lift rigs carrying ARRI, RED, and Sony cameras—delivered by Part 107-certified pilots. It also specializes in NYC airspace permit coordination with NYPD, FAA, MOME, and DOT, plus zero-latency live broadcast transmission via LiveU backpacks.

Product overview

Airborne Studios is a full-service drone cinematography company offering a comprehensive fleet of professional drone platforms for film, television, commercials, and live broadcast productions. Their primary drone fleet includes the DJI Inspire 3 X9 (cinema-grade 8K ProRes RAW), DJI Mavic 4 Pro (compact travel-ready), Alta X Heavy Lift Rig (up to 20 lbs payload for cinema cameras), Indoor FPV Cinewhoop (tight spaces/concerts), and Outdoor FPV Cinelifter (RED KOMODO capable). They specialize in FPV drone filming, heavy-lift aerial systems, and complex urban operations. The company differentiates through specialized permit coordination services for NYC and FAA operations, live broadcast capabilities with zero-latency transmission, and both union (IATSE Local 600) and non-union crew options. Services are available across NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and international destinations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aerial Drone Cinematography Services Full-service aerial cinematography for film, TV, commercials, and live broadcast productions. Includes FPV drone filming, heavy-lift cinema drones, permit coordination, and crew (pilot, camera operator, technician) for productions of all sizes.
• NYC Drone Permit Coordination Services Specialized permit coordination including FAA approvals, NYPD drone permit applications, MOME, DOT, and Counterterrorism Unit coordination. Offers expedited 14-day approval window for productions operating in NYC airspace.
• Live Broadcast Drone Services Live streaming and broadcast transmission using LiveU backpacks, capable of outputting 1080p at 60fps in SDI, HDMI, and fiber optic formats with zero latency to any broadcast room or control room. Includes remote Zoom-based director monitor sessions.
• Indoor FPV Drone Cinematography Specialized indoor FPV drone filming using sub-250g cinewhoop drones with propeller guards for concerts, venues, and tight indoor spaces. Captures one-take fly-throughs at 5.3K/60fps or 4K/120fps with gyro data for post-stabilization.
• Heavy-Lift Cinema Drone Cinematography Heavy-lift drone cinematography supporting up to 20 lbs payload, compatible with cine rigs including ARRI Alexa 35, Burano, Sony Venice, and RED V-Raptor. Designed for DPs requiring specific camera-body and lens configurations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14-day NYPD permit approval window
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• DJI: DJI manufactures the Inspire 3 and Mavic 4 Pro platforms that form the core of Airborne Studios' fleet; relevant as the dominant hardware ecosystem provider whose product roadmap and US regulatory status directly affect Airborne's operating economics.
• IATSE Local 600: IATSE Local 600 is the cinematographers' union whose certification Airborne Studios operators hold — comparable as the labor ecosystem that governs how drone cinematographers are engaged on union productions.
• Walmart (commercial drone production): While not a peer in drone operations, Walmart and similar large enterprise brands listed as Airborne clients (HomeGoods, Exxon, Doritos) are analogous end-customers that the company competes for time against in-house production teams and alternative drone vendors.

Emerging players

• Skydio: Skydio is a US-based autonomous drone manufacturer increasingly competing with DJI in cinematography and inspection — a potential alternative platform supplier for operators facing DJI regulatory risk.
• Freefly Systems: Freefly manufactures the Alta X heavy-lift drone that Airborne Studios deploys, and offers its own drone cinematography services and pilot training — overlapping both on hardware supply and direct service competition.

Direct peers

• Aerobo: Aerobo is a NYC-based drone cinematography and aerial production services company serving film, TV, and commercial clients — a direct competitor in the same metro and service category as Airborne Studios.
• HeliVideo NYC: HeliVideo is a NYC-based helicopter and drone aerial cinematography provider serving film and TV — a direct competitor for the same studio and network clients in the Northeast production market.
• Aerial Film Studio: Aerial Film Studio offers licensed drone filming services for film, TV, and events in major US metros — comparable scope, customer base, and FAA Part 107-compliant operating model to Airborne Studios.
• Droneworks Studio: Droneworks Studio provides professional drone cinematography for film, TV, and commercial productions — a comparable boutique aerial cinematography services firm targeting similar enterprise media clients.
• V1 Drone: V1 Drone provides commercial drone cinematography services for film, broadcast, and live events — a comparable specialized service provider competing for similar premium production work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/929537143
• Instagraminstagram.com/airborne.studios/?hl=en
• Facebookfacebook.com/airborne.studios.llc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Airborne Studios