Matt has been a drone enthusiast for several years. The avid outdoorsman was fascinated by the vantage point that a flying quadcopter could give while out hunting, fishing or hiking – but he soon realized his drone use could go far beyond his weekend hobbies.
“I was always intrigued by drones. They give you a different perspective on the Earth,” Matt said. “I started to share the images I captured. Eventually, people asked me to take a photo of a house they were trying to sell or shoot a video for a business of theirs. I realized that this could be lucrative.”
Once the seed was planted to turn his hobby into a business, Matt started figuring out what he needed to do to make it happen. He quickly learned what went into flying drones commercially and started to research his options.
“I discovered I needed a remote pilot license to do commercial work, and after looking at what would be included on the test, I went into freak-out mode,” Matt said. “Then I heard that Virginia Highlands had a class that would help prepare you to take the test to get your license, so I reached out to sign up.”
Matt sat in on three Saturday classes, and Virginia Highlands even offered to shuttle him and his classmates to the testing facility. He passed the test, earned his remote airman pilot credential and completed the paperwork to get his business off the ground.
“I’ve always been fueled by the need for speed. Anything with a motor or that goes fast – I’m interested,” he said. “Doing more hands-on things are my forte – I love to build things. I haven’t built drones, yet, but I’ve built add-ons and attachments. I hope to further innovate in the industry.”
Today, Matt operates Poe Media Solutions, which has helped capture everything from weddings to corporate events to educational videos encouraging middle school students to learn more about drones.
If you’re interested in turning your hobby into a new career venture like Matt, reach out to your local FastForward Career Coach to get started.