Uncrewed Views

In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Ryan Smith, founder and president of Titan Protection Security, about how the company has been at the forefront of integrating drones into physical security operations for over a decade. The two discuss Titan's journey from early drone experimentation in 2014 to securing a nationwide BVLOS waiver from the FAA, the process behind the company's recent one-to-many approval allowing a single remote pilot to oversee up to four drones across multiple states, and how the evolving regulatory landscape is shaping the company's growth strategy and its vision for the future of drone-as-a-service in the security industry.

In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Linda Montgomery, Vice President of Corporate Development, and Phil Franklin, Vice President of Business Development at ZenaTech, about the company's aggressive push into the drone-as-a-service market. The three discuss ZenaTech's rapid acquisition strategy across sectors like land surveying, power washing, and infrastructure inspection, the cultural challenges of integrating more than 20 companies in roughly a year, and how the evolving regulatory landscape is shaping the company's domestic manufacturing ambitions.

In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with Rodrigo Serzedello, CEO and co-founder of Creative Skies, about the growing drone light show industry. The two discuss the technological advances enabling large-scale aerial performances, the regulatory waiver process for flying swarms at night, and how companies navigate safety concerns following high-profile incidents.

In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins speaks with James McDanolds, the director of uncrewed technology at the Sonoran Desert Institute. The two talk about shifts in workforce development and hiring in a BVLOS-centric world, including the roles that will be most in demand following the final rule for Part 108, any potential lags in filling positions in the immediate aftermath of the regulation, and advice for those trying to break into the industry today.

In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views Matt Collins talks with Tom Adams, formerly of the FBI and current Director of Public Safety at DroneShield. In the conversation, Adams discusses the evolution of counter-UAS operations at major events like the Super Bowl and upcoming World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games, explains how the Safer Skies Act is expanding authorities for state and local law enforcement, and breaks down why effective airspace security requires layered detection and mitigation approaches.

In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins sits down with Carla Lauter, the senior content manager for Geo Week and Geo Week News. In the conversation, Lauter talks about what the upcoming Geo Week conference and exhibition is all about, what sessions and topics will be of interest to professionals within the commercial UAV space, what's new for this year's event, and more.

In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views Matt Collins sits down with Tyler Hazen, a lawyer who works with drone professionals on both the operator and OEM side of the business. In the conversation, Hazen talks about some of the reaction around the FCC's decision to place foreign-made drones and components on the Covered List, answers questions about specific pieces of the announcement and subsequent exemptions, and more.

In this week's episode of Uncrewed Views, content manager Matt Collins is joined by Jason San Souci. Wearing many hats in the industry, San Souci shares his thoughts on some of the biggest topics and trends for the industry in the year to come, including what to watch for following the FCC's ruling on foreign drones in December, changes that could come from an eventual final rule for Part 108, the potential power of AI, and more.

In the final episode of the year for Uncrewed Views, content manager Matt Collins hosts a solo episode to cover some of his background in the industry and how Commercial UAV News is thinking about coverage of the industry looking ahead to 2026, some of the most important stories and events from the past year, and what we are anticipating for the biggest stories to come in 2026.

In our latest episode of Uncrewed Views, Matt Collins from Commercial UAV News is joined by Will Dawson, president of the Agricultural Drone Initiative to talk about the latest developments around the FCC's decision-making to potentially place Chinese-owned drone companies on their Covered List, what impact will be felt by groups like individual pilots and resellers, and how open-source projects can go a long way toward building up the industry in the U.S.