Penn State staff members launch indoor drone video company

UNIVERSITY PARK – When the College of Engineering opened its brand-new Engineering Design and Innovation Building (EDI), Kate Myers and Tyler Henderson saw a unique marketing opportunity. Myers, the creative director at the College of Engineering, knew that her colleague, Henderson, had extensive experience in shooting drone footage, including indoors. 

“We thought the best way to showcase the building when it opened would be an indoor drone flight. So Tyler started to custom-build the drone,” Myers said. “The only problem was that we wanted to capture the drone video before students returned and the building was mostly empty. We decided to go all in and staged it—bringing in 80 volunteers, along with engineering and research projects, placed them in different areas to set up the shots, flew through five floors, and put together a final video. It got such a great response that we started thinking about how this could benefit other businesses.” 

In March 2024, Myers and Henderson decided to take the leap and launch AmpliFLY Video, an indoor drone video production company servicing businesses interested in showcasing their unique spaces. 

Henderson, who studied film production at Penn State, has been interested in aviation since childhood. He eventually got into skydiving and became an instructor and freefall videographer. 

“Skydiving shuts down in the winter, so I needed a hobby to keep me in the air,” Henderson said. “I started buying cheap drones and broke a lot of them. I learned how to repair them and then began building them from scratch.” 

Thanks to Henderson’s expertise in both building light and nimble drones and flying them in small, tight spaces, AmpliFLY Video can provide clients with indoor drone footage in areas where most drones and pilots can’t operate. 

With backgrounds in creative strategy and video editing and production, Henderson and Myers knew they could use their combined experience to create unique indoor drone videos, but their next step was to determine if there was demand for this service. 

AmpliFLY Video entered the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank’s MVP DevLab, a program designed to support entrepreneurs in the critical phase between idea conception and customer acquisition. The program offers monthly group sessions with dedicated coaching to help build and test Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), as well as monthly 1:1 sessions for individualized support. 

“The entire Happy Valley LaunchBox team was crucial in the startup of our business,” Myers said. “The program helped us build client relationships through customer discovery, connect with industry experts, and share ideas and challenges with other participating teams.” 

Myers said that, because AmpliFLY Video had already tested their product in the real world, their primary goal during the program was to determine how to reach clients and turn the drone footage concept into a viable business. 

“Within a few weeks of starting the MVP DevLab, we had our first client,” Myers said. “It really shows how quickly they enabled us to progress.” 

The Penn State Law Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic helped AmpliFLY Video set up their LLC, a crucial step for the business. 

“As a professional videographer, I’ve always done freelance work, but I never had the business background to go beyond part-time,” Henderson said. “The DevLab gave me the confidence to believe we could actually do this.” 

After six years as a videographer for WPSU where he walked away with 4 Mid-Atlantic Emmys, Henderson has set his sights on earning another award – this time for an AmpliFLY Video drone project.  

“It would help people understand that we’re not just a drone company,” Myers said. “It’s about creating an experience that captures the feel and vibe of a space, providing that first-person point of view. Tyler is doing heavy video production to best portray each business’s unique story, and getting an Emmy would help showcase that creative effort.” 

About Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank  

Happy Valley LaunchBox, located on the second floor of the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub in downtown State College, provides early-stage startups with support and resources they need to build a sustainable and scalable business and a viable plan for growth. No-cost programs and services can include coworking space, accelerator programs, legal and intellectual property resources, and expert mentorships from Penn State’s extensive network. LaunchBox is open to everyone — community members and those affiliated with Penn State. Happy Valley LaunchBox is a signature program of the Invent Penn State initiative and one of 21 innovation spaces located in Penn State campus communities across Pennsylvania. Learn more. 

This project was financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community & Economic Development.