By Emma Barhydt
On July 20, 2024 the Indian Harbor Yacht Club (IHYC) celebrated its 135-year anniversary with a special show; in lieu of fireworks, IHYC chose to celebrate with a drone light show. Drone light shows are picking up in popularity due to the reduction of environmental harm when compared to fireworks, as well as the drones’ ability to make complex shapes and designs like the iconic IHYC launch boat.
IHYC opened its doors in 1889 by dedicated sailors looking to “be part of the thriving sailing community on Long Island Sound,” according to the IHYC website.
The drone show was a sight to behold. 175 drones all flew in sync creating the story of IHYC’s history. “They started in the beginning with the building and then the additions to the building and the old flag that they used to have for the club and the storyline of it,” said Eddie Graham, “And then at the end they had fake fireworks and the 135th anniversary logo.”
There seems to be no end to the benefits of drones light shows, “they’re safer and there’s no forest fire hazard. They’re also quieter, dogs don’t bark and animals don’t mind them at all,” noted Graham, “Drone light shows, they’re up for 10 minutes and even birds don’t really seem to mind.”
To celebrate their big 135, IHYC brought in Airborne Studios, a Greenwich based company owned and operated by Greenwich native Eddie Graham with the help of head technician and “right-hand man for the whole operation,” according to Graham, and fellow Greenwich local Kyle Gillick.
Airborne Studios credits their start to Greenwich EMS. “2019 is when we started it. And as you know, I grew up in Greenwich and was in the Greenwich EMS Explorer Post, and they helped me grow the business from day one,” recalled Graham. Ever grateful to their town, Airborne Studios also credits their big break to the Greenwich Town Party, “Our first big gig was the town party in 2019, we were filming Lynyrd Skynyrd, it was huge,” recalls Graham, “We got our first big cinema drone for it and we used that to get this Amazon TV show a couple months later.”
Gillick, too, expressed gratitude for Greenwich, “There’s nothing that means more to us than being able to be a part of the community that afforded us this opportunity as we grew up and we progressed.”
Behind the intricate designs and vibrant colors, Airborne Studios partnered with Sky Elements to bring the drone shows to life. Sky Elements provides the light show drones, and Airborne Studios does everything else. “We know pretty much everything about drones, they just have the drones for that specific job,” remarked Graham.
What Airborne Studios actually focuses on is drone cinematography. In their five years of operation, Airborne Studios has grown tremendously. “We’re the only company to ever fly a drone on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and then Exxon shipped us down to South America last year to do drone filming for their oil rigs, which was pretty neat,” said Graham.
While the filming environments can be stressful, Graham wouldn’t have it any other way. “Sometimes you’ll sit around all day and wait for the drone shot to come up, but once it’s up, you’ve got to be the best of the best. Sometimes they’re difficult, like flying in between trees or following a car or something,” noted Graham, “It’s pretty stressful, but it’s cool.” Gillick shares the sentiment that it can be a high stress job, but for all the right reasons. “Recently, we’ve done some Netflix and Apple TV and big cinema, big motion pictures, where a lot is on the line. When we show up there, we show up as a company that is highly recommended and the best of the best at what they do, so we have to perform like that.”
Thankfully, many on the Airborne Studios team have experience with high stress jobs. “As well as Eddie and I, I know a couple of our other employees have military and first-responder backgrounds, so we really prioritize safety on set,” noted Gillick.
The only challenge that stands in their way is getting directors to think outside the box and consider utilizing drones for filming in the first place. However, Airborne Studios has tasted success before, and they’re hungry for more. “The directors that do understand it, we get to do some really cool stuff,” said Graham.
Even with some of their recent larger than life projects, Airborne Studios is still aiming higher. “What I would like to see for the company is more big cinema projects, whether that be Netflix, Apple TV, or Amazon,” explained Gillick, “I would like every different company or big media company to think of us when they think of filming from above and a lot of the techniques we’re capable of.”
