Perspectives on the UAV Industry – Sally French, The Drone Girl

Today’s guest on the Drone Radio Show is Sally French, a southern-California native and Social Media Editor at MarketWatch.  She’s a graduate of the University of Missouri, Columbia and has two degrees — a Bachelor of Arts in German and a Bachelors of Journalism in International and Investigative Photojournalism.  She’s a drone enthusiast and has been covering the drone industry for the past two years through her highly successful blog, “The Drone Girl”.  Sally is a strong advocate for gender equality in the drone industry and in July 2015, Fortune Magazine recognized her as one of the four top women shaping the future of the drone industry.

Show Outline

• [01:26] Who is Sally French and how did the The Drone Girl get her start?
• [02:40] Sally’s prior knowledge of drones (hint … it wasn’t very extensive).
• [03:40] The opportunity that Sally saw in the drone industry and why she jumped in.
• [04:36] What drones does Sally fly and how difficult was it to learn?
• [06:11] Advice to others wanting to learn how to fly a drone.
• [06:55] The benefits of using drones in the media.
• [08:11] Why drones not more widely used in the media?
• [11:52] How will the use of drones in the media unfold?
• [12:45] Advice to young journalists who want to use drones.
• [13:43] Gender challenges in the drone industry.
• [15:40] Positive examples of gender equality in the drone industry.
• [15:35] Examples of gender bias and how it can be minimized.
• [18:45] Gender equality in the drone industry – what does it really mean.
• [19:45] Mentoring – why its important in nurturing growth in the drone industry.
• [20:35] How has drone industry changed in the past two years?
• [21:57] Most rewarding part of being involved in the industry.
• [22:55] Where does the passion come from?
• [24:08] Which drone sub-industries are best positioned to take off?
• [25:30] Advice when its time to upgrade your drone.
• [26:45] Advice to those wanting to create a drone based business.
• [28:00] Closing

Mentioned Links

• The Drone Girl (www.thedronegirl.com)

Sally French being interviewed by That Drone Show on International Drone Day 2015 in Las Vegas

The Drone Radio Show Podcast is a show about drones and the people that use them for business, fun and research.