Introducing: Earth to Herbie
There is something strange about raising a kid all the way to the point where you have to start sending them out into the world. For so many years, the job is to build the world around them. You make the plans. You create the structure. You drive them where they need to go, help them figure out what they love, encourage the things they’re good at, and try to give them enough room to become whoever they’re going to become. And then, somehow, you get here. College and Independence.
The beginning of a life that belongs much more to them than it does to you. For me, Earth to Herbie has become a small part of that transition with Ayden.
An Idea Becomes a Business
Earth to Herbie started with something pretty simple: Ayden had the interest, I needed a drone operator and he had become genuinely talented at flying it. He had an eye for creating images that were actually useful—not just cool footage from the sky. He wanted to figure out how he could turn that ability into something of his own. And that was an idea I knew how to help him build around.
I have spent a huge portion of my own life building creative businesses. Photography taught me how to take something artistic and figure out how to make it functional: how to price it, market it, communicate its value, work with clients, create an experience, deliver a finished product and—maybe most importantly—how to keep figuring things out as you go. So rather than simply helping Ayden find another job before heading into college, I wanted to help him build one. A real business plan. A real website. A real LLC.
We worked through services and pricing. We talked about who might actually need drone photography and video and how those clients would use it. We thought about real estate, architecture, construction, businesses, properties and creative projects.
Then came the fun part for me. A brand. A marketing package. A complete website.
And a structure that meant this wasn't just, “Hey, my kid has a drone if you need some pictures.” It became Earth to Herbie.
Why “Herbie?”
Herbie is the drone. Because apparently even drones deserve names. (You be your a** they do!) And somewhere along the way, “Earth to Herbie” became the perfect combination of personality, humor and what the business actually does: sending Herbie into the sky to give people a completely different perspective of what's happening down here.
The goal is straightforward. Earth to Herbie provides aerial photography and video for businesses, property owners, real estate professionals, builders, architects and creatives who want to show their work from a perspective you simply can't capture from the ground. It can be a home being listed for sale or a newly completed construction project.
Architecture that deserves to be seen within its surroundings or a new a business property. A landscape before and after from above. A creative project, progress shots or a unique event or experience that’s simply best seen from above!
This Isn't Necessarily the End Game
I think that's important to say. Earth to Herbie doesn't come with the expectation that Ayden has to turn this into his lifelong career. He's going to college. He's going to learn. He's going to meet people, discover new interests, change his mind, find opportunities we don't even know exist yet and continue figuring out what he wants his adult life to look like. That's exactly what he's supposed to do.
Earth to Herbie is simply one tool he gets to take with him. It's a way to earn money while he's in school. It's a business he can operate around a college schedule. It's an opportunity to learn how to communicate with clients, manage money, schedule projects, solve problems, market himself and take responsibility for something that belongs entirely to him.
And if it grows? Amazing.
If it leads him somewhere unexpected? Even better.
If one day he decides he's learned everything he needed to learn from it and moves on to something completely different?
Then it still did its job, because I don't think preparing your kids to leave means figuring their lives out for them. I think it means helping them build enough confidence, skills and resources that they know they're capable of figuring things out themselves.
So, Meet Earth to Herbie.
And more importantly, meet Ayden—the pilot behind Herbie. Earth to Herbie is officially up, running and accepting projects throughout West Michigan.
Aerial photography and video projects currently start at $125, with most projects falling between $125–$300 depending on coverage and whether photography, video or both are needed.
If you're a Realtor who wants a new perspective on a listing, a builder documenting a completed project, an architect wanting to showcase how a structure sits within its environment, a business owner who needs updated visual content, or simply someone with an idea that would look pretty great from a few hundred feet up—we'd love for you to give this new little business an opportunity. Because while I've had the privilege of helping build the foundation, from here, it's his (And I think that's my favorite part).
Welcome to Earth to Herbie.
A new perspective from above—and the beginning of something entirely his own.
Learn more, see recent projects, or get Herbie in the air at EarthToHerbie.com.
