Meet Steve and Kim Durecki | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steve and Kim Durecki and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steve and Kim, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My husband and I have owned businesses for the past 35 years. We were always looking to adventure into a new genre. In 2014, while we were still running our landscaping business, Steve, who has been an avid remote-control hobbyist since 1985, purchased a drone. Steve had a friend in Hollywood who was using drones for the movie industry and was intrigued on how he could use a drone for business. Steve started taking aerial photos of our home, neighbors, and friends and printing the photo for them and people loved it. Doing this was a lightbulb moment when we realized we could do this for real estate to help sell a home.

Steve had a friend who was a realtor, and we quickly began doing work for agents. At this time, no one was doing this but 2 other companies in SE Michigan. We knew that not only realtors needed this service, but we could market for events, weddings, roofing projects, construction and the list can go on. We started filming all the major events in SE Michigan along with filming for Channel 4 news and major events that were happening in the area. We filmed the entire demolition of the Pontiac Silverdome, as well as the Palace of Auburn Hills. Our footage was seen by a television company in Europe, and the producers came here to interview us and purchase all of our footage for a documentary which airs on the Discovery and Sci-Fi Channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDtBzmXTo7M

Endless hours, 24/7 contacting agents, and every event that was happening in the state of Michigan made our company grow and grow each year. Not only did we do aerial photography, but we did aerial videos, which our clients love. We have filmed countless sport figures, entrepreneurs, Art Vans personal home, Kid Rock’s family home and the Boblo Boat movie, which came out in theatres last year.

Great Lakes Aerial Video Services all started from an idea and neither Steve nor I had any photography or background experience in this field. I quickly had to learn the craft of editing and I have edited every one of our thousands of videos from the day we started. We then brought in another team member, Jay, an amazing professional photographer to do all of the ground shots and walkthrough videos, while we concentrated on the aerial portion. This made us a one stop shop for realtors where they make one call and get an aerial video, walkthrough video, listing photos, floor plan, property website and more. Unlike other companies, we also offer free marketing of the agents listing to all of our social media outlets, which have thousands of followers. We are now a Preferred Partner with an incredible magazine called Real Producers of Oakland County and Real Producers of Macomb County where only the top agents in the industry are featured.

Steve has been FAA certified and insured since the first day it was required by law, and he also teaches for the largest drone university out of Arizona, UXV University https://www.uxvuniversity.com/ where students from all around the US are sent here to Michigan for Steve to train how to fly. He has trained most of all the pilots for Channel 4 and Channel 7 news and Wood Tv. Steve was the founder and creator of the first drone class at Oakland University, https://greatlakesaerialvideoservices.com/certificate-course where he taught students the rules and regulations of flying, map charts, weather charts, and what is needed to pass the test to get your certification. Maybe do not know that in order to fly a drone for real estate, an event, or project that you must have a Part 107 Certification from the FAA. Maybe believe they can go and purchase a drone and do it themself, or for their own listing, but you can not.  Once the photo or video is used on any social media to advertise, or to promote an event, this is now considered commercial work, and a certification is required. There are strict rules and fines for the person hiring the non compliant drone pilot and that person can be fined over 10x the amount the drone operator is.

Great Lakes Aerial Video Services is not just a business for us, it is a pure passion of ours and every day is a blessing to be able to do what we love to do. We are totally dedicated to our clients and company and are one of the largest aerial companies in SE Michigan.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
When we first came up with the idea of doing aerial photography/videography for Real Estate there was really no one doing this but a couple of people. I have always been an avid remote-control hobbyist and had been flying remote control airplanes and helicopters for over 20 years when drones made a big impact on the RC world. When I started out, you had to build your own drone. I started from scratch and built a custom DJI 450, which I hard mounted a GoPro camera to it. Drones did not even have gimbals back then. I took a photo of my home via drone and thought the photo was amazing, so I printed it. After showing others, they also wanted photos of their homes, so I was doing it for family and friends, when I realized hey this is a great idea for Agents who are selling their homes so that they can show it off along with the property. I was introduced by one of my real estate friends to a company that did photography for real estate agents. We began working with them and providing aerial photos and aerial videos for their clients. The demand was so great that we quickly became a successful full-time aerial company. We knew that aerial photography/videography would be a great service to help sell a home or property. Homes on the lakes and with acreage are always a must to film because this gives the potential buyer a look at the property and surrounding area via drone. At this time Hollywood was also using drones for their movies, commercials and television programs, and we saw a huge market for this type of service. Not only did we do real estate, but we were also filming most events in SE Michigan including the Michigan State Fair, Renaissance Festival, the Pontiac Silverdome Implosion, musical events, documentaries, weddings and celebrity homes. Possibilities were endless. We knew that no matter what market, there was a need for aerial photography/videography. We strictly were an aerial company for the first 6 years and then we incorporated interior photography and videography services so that we were a one stop shop for real estate agents.

Starting my business has given me a great opportunity to do other ventures. I was very fortune to be a pioneer in this industry and it gave me many advantages in my region.

Along with being FAA licensed drone pilot. Our company is also on call 24/7 for Macomb County Emergency Management, we have done search and rescue, worked for Channel 4 News, and my work was featured on The Science and Discovery Channel. Just last month we received our first IMDb credit for a movie we did.

I also am the creator of a certificate drone course at Oakland University here in Michigan. I teach the rules and regulations of flying a drone, how to get your FAA License and how to fly a drone. I also train students from all over the US how to fly drones. I am one of 9 instructors for the largest online drone school at UXV University in Phoenix, AZ

As the saying goes, “Do what you love, and you never feel you have worked a day in your life”. Every day I love what I do and can’t wait for the next day to see what new adventures Great Lakes Aerial Video Services bring my way. Being a husband and wife team also works perfectly for us as we both love what we do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Detroit, there are so many amazing restaurants and venues there. I would definetely take them to Little Ceasars Arean for a Detroit Red Wing Hockey game!

Website: www.greatlakesaerialvideoservices.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greatlakesaerialvideo/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/great-lakes-aerial-steve-and-kim-durecki-8b3b0b54/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreatLakeAerial

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greatlakesaerialvideoservices

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0OD7A5KLzttxr1BF0pWN2w

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greatlakesaerial?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/greatlakesaerialvideo

Image Credits
@greatlakesaerialvideoservices