Meet the Team

Meet the Team

The truth is none of this fancy gear is any good without our amazingly talented team to operate it safely and effectively. Meet your DroneBoy Team!

Tom Comet

Chief Pilot & Founder

Since early on, Tom has always had a keen interest in aviation, innovation and robotics, so the drone/UAV world was a perfect fit. He has been piloting drones since 2012 and obtained his certification soon after that. Tom has his multiengine IFR pilot’s license which enables him to fly real airplanes planes as well which gives him a much better understanding of the “big picture” in the skies above. Can’t get the shot with a drone – how about from the plane…?  These days Tom is happiest building custom camera rigs in the shop, flying specialty UAVs, and shooting stunning photos and video from high above using whatever technology gets the job done best.

Advanced Canadian Drone Pilot’s License
Part 107 US Drone Pilot’s License
Mulit Engine, Instrument Rated Private Pilot
I.A.T.S.E. 667 Member

STEFAN MARCHAND

Pilot, SR. OPERATIONS & COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST

As a former operations, risk and compliance executive in the financial industry, Stefan helps ensure we are meeting our high standards of operational performance and quality while being safe and conforming to regulatory requirements.   He is a seasoned photographer (New York Institute of Photography) with many award winning and published images to his credit and is an I.A.T.S.E. 667 Cinematographers Guild member.  In addition to being a project specialist, he is also an advanced certified RPAS (drone) pilot and holds a flight reviewer designation, the highest level of RPAS certification offered by Transport Canada.

Advanced Canadian Drone Pilot’s License
Canadian Drone Pilot Examiner Rating
I.A.T.S.E. 667 Member

 

MATT JONIEC

Camera Operator & Head of Post Production

Matt came to us as a passionate and experienced video producer who always to found unique and creative ways to tell his client’s story. Now he is a full time drone camera OP,  aerial cinematographer and remote head technician.  He brings his technical background in camera operations and post-workflows to the DroneBoy team. 

Matt recently took up flying real airplanes too and is currently working on his Private Pilot’s License.  He has a love of football, fashion, and things that go fast. He’s also unapologetic in his love of Michael Bay movies.

Advanced Canadian Drone Pilot’s License
I.A.T.S.E. 667 Member

ERIC BELL

CINEMATIC FPV PILOT & FPV FABRICATION

Since his start in 2016, Eric Bell has had an immense passion for drones and  FPV.  Eric has competed on the national level, and flies freestyle whenever he can.  He focuses on smooth, dynamic flying and can achieve the most difficult shots – all while actively participating in the operations of an on-set environment.    Eric is now considered one of the top cinematic FPV pilots in Canada.  He is project focused, and intent on delivering the most unique, smooth and dynamic FPV drone shots possible for our clients! Eric has thousands of logged flight hours in the air and is a true FPV master. 

Advanced Canadian Drone Pilot’s License
Part 107 US Drone Pilot’s License
I.A.T.S.E. 667 Member

BERNIE MARTIN

Pilot, Camera Operator & Field Operations

Bernie one of the top camera operators in the field and a very experienced pilot as well. He is a millennial who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty which is a rare mix.  He is a social media expert  whose background is a professional dog trainer. If we can ever drag him off the camera controls we hope to get him to help us out with our social media marketing as well.

Advanced Canadian Drone Pilot’s License
I.A.T.S.E. 667 Member

YAN THEORET

Pilot, Camera Operator & Videographer

Yan is a professional drone pilot and videographer with 18 years of experience in television broadcasting. He can handle any payload from high-end laser LIDAR systems to ALEXA and RED cinema packages. He is constantly expanding his skills in the growing field of remotely piloted aerial systems and loves to take his passion to the sky. Yan is now hooked on FPV like the rest of us around here!

Advanced Canadian Drone Pilot’s License
I.A.T.S.E. 667 Member

PATRICK LESCHINSKI

Systems Maintainer & Pilot

Formerly a aerospace engineer at Airbus Defence and Space, Patrick has been designing, building and flying unmanned aircrafts for cinematic, scientific and industrial purposes since 2012. As our Systems Maintainer, he builds our new aircraft and makes sure our fleet is in top shape for every job. Patrick is originally from Australia, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He is adjusting well to Canadian life – driving on the right side of the road is still a bit of a challenge, but luckily there are no lanes in the sky!

MARK NIELSEN

PILOT, Security & Field Operation

After his time in the military Mark went in to the world of I.T. After a decade of working the cooperate world he got pulled in to working in the entrainment industry. Mark has worked in some of the Largest venues in Canada he brings experience in providing risk assessments for various aspects of entertainment industry and brings those skills to Drone boy to ensure safe and secure flight operations.  Mark also works on our industrial side of things here at DroneBoy flying and performing the post production on many of our LiDAR,  photogrammetry and inspection missions.

Advanced Canadian Drone Pilot’s License
I.A.T.S.E. 667 Member

DANNY KARAISKAKIS

Pilot, Flight Reviewer & Trainer

In 2019, Danny came to us in the form of a Transport Canada Flight Reviewer for our Chief Pilot, Tom Comet’s Flight Review for his Advanced Category RPAS license.  Tom was impressed with Danny’s unique and extensive knowledge he was invited into the Drone Boy fold at that time.  Danny was welcomed back as a Safety Supervisor on various IATSE 667 sets and led the way for him to become a valuable member of the Drone Boy team on set or in pre-production.

Advanced Canadian Drone Pilot’s License
Canadian Drone Pilot Examiner Ratin
I.AT.S.E. 667 Member

TINA REIBLING

Bookkeeper & Controller

Tina is the one with the hardest job of all – compiling ALL those receipts and expenses into something that makes sense and maybe, even a profit from time to time. She writes the cheques and keeps us flying. Wow, and I thought operating a $100,000 multi-rotor camera platform in howling winds at minus 20° Celsius was hard…