Brian Kelly

Brian is a former Entertainment Executive, CEO, Award-winning film-maker, writer and journalist with a proven track record of successes in developing creative strategies for major television networks and studios. Brian’s history of leading media organizations with operational and strategic planning responsibility led to the production and distribution of a diverse portfolio of successful film, television and digital content distributed worldwide. While Brian’s career highlights include senior staff positions with major television networks, and leading several major market creative services firms, his most significant personal accomplishment has been mentoring a long list of successful media executives who began their careers under his leadership. In 2007, while working as a senior executive at Discovery Communications Brian began his pioneering efforts in the use of drones for the collection of aerial imagery for television and film. Two years later he launched one of the first companies in The United States to receive an FAA exemption for the commercial use of drones for television and film production. Brian leveraged his company’s “first-in” position in commercial UAS services into multiple vertical markets including construction, emergency response management, agriculture and UAS flight training. In 2016, Brian launched National Drone Services — a UAS services company and training facility offering a broad curriculum of creative and industrial drone training. Today, Brian is the Director of The Unmanned Systems Lab at Randolph-Macon Academy where he applies a lifetime of personal and professional experience to the challenges of shaping the leaders of tomorrow.