Every once in a while, a piece of journalism comes along that captures an industry shift so vividly, thoughtfully and humorously that you can’t help but pass it along to everyone you know.
That is exactly what journalist Sheon Han achieved in his longform feature for Wired, “I Found Jesus at a Drone Show.”
And I love this story not just because I am quoted in the piece! Even if my name weren’t in it, this would still be easily the best article I have ever read on the drone light show industry, going far beyond standard press releases and corporate PR to take readers on a cross-country journey through the heart, tech and underlying drama of this rapidly growing world. Han’s story makes it clear he went past the computer screen and goes out into the field, taking readers across the U.S. to meet the key figures, companies and personalities shaping the sky matrix today.
For example, he explores how Kimbal Musk (brother of Elon) launched Nova Sky Stories after a pandemic-era “Free Burn” in the Black Rock Desert. Then he joins Preston Ward and the crew at Sky Elements (America’s largest show operator by volume) to break down the sheer manual labor required to set up 1,000 UVify drones. He walks readers through the RTK base stations, pre-flight checklists, ammo cans full of lithium batteries and the dance of plugging in thousands of connectors one by one.
The article culminates in Manvel, Texas, over Easter weekend, where company Aerial Illuminations launched a record-breaking spectacle for a multi-day Christian event titled “Jesus Jesus Jesus” (JJJ).
As someone who is so entrenched in the drone industry, it’s easy to take a lot of the stories and the tension for granted, but I like how this Wired piece brings up some interesting points, including:
- Drama between drone light show companies: The piece candidly outlines the tensions between operators, where competitors dismiss each other’s shows as “clip art” or clever marketing, and business models range from hardware manufacturing and custom software sales to pure marketing agencies that “just happen to have a fleet of drones.”
- The race with China: Han addresses the technological gap between Western operators and Chinese giants like Damoda, where thousands of drones launch autonomously from self-charging hexagonal hives rather than being laid out manually in grid lines.
Beyond the hardware specs, RTK positioning and FAA Part 107 waivers, what stood out to me with this story is how it articulates the spiritual and psychological impact of drone light shows.
I learned new things reading it, and I know you will too.
Head over to Wired to read Sheon Han’s full feature.
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