Matthew Schroyer is a drone and data journalist based in Urbana, Illinois. He is developing drone technology and small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAV) for use in journalistic enterprises. To this end, he has founded the Professional Society of Drone Journalists (PSDJ), located at DroneJournalism.org.

He's written for newspapers, alternative newsweeklies and news websites about presidential campaigns, energy, pollution, local politics, public housing, poverty, musicians, school board meetings and assorted slices of life.

He holds a master's in journalism University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he was a contributor to CU-CitizenAccess.org, a community news website funded by the Knight Foundation. While a graduate student, he taught journalism and helped produce CampusCrime.net, an interactive web site using data journalism practices to report on crime at UIUC, which won an Mark of Excellence award from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).

Full-time, he now works on a National Science Foundation grant at the University of Illinois called EnLiST, which offers leadership training and professional development for K-12 science teachers. There, he performs a variety of duties as a communications specialist and social network analyst. He also heads “Drones for Schools” program, a project-based learning initiative where high school students learn STEM concepts and practice engineering design as they build and operate their own unmanned aerial vehicles for photomapping missions.

He is available as a consultant to teach news organizations how to adopt data journalism strategies and utilize drones for low-cost, high-impact investigative reporting. He blogs at MentalMuniton.com, and he can be reached at mschroyer@gmail.com

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Acton H. Gorton is a digital journalist focusing on interactive content creation and web development for community centric journalism. A graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Gorton's education and experience deals with the emerging trends in the curation of digital data as well as designing online applications with a user centric approach. His interests include pioneering news gathering methods and the subsequent dissemination to the public. Prior to studying in college and later graduate school, Gorton spent three years in the 82d Airborne Division as an infantry soldier training to jump from airplanes. His website is ActonGorton.com

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Rebecca Noah Poynter is a communications professional and writer with broad experience in public integration of emerging technologies and the author of the OnPoynt blog on public Small Unmanned Aerial Systems use. She is published in The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, and The Military Times. She works at disaster locations for FEMA as a writer and community outreach specialist, most recently in response to  flooding in Vermont after Hurricane Irene. She is a member of the National Press Club. Her work can be viewed at www.rebeccanoahpoynter.com

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Ian Hannah was educated and trained in the UK graduating from University of Dundee in post graduate studies in electronic imaging. On moving to Canada he was employed by Wescam a gyro stabilized camera platform attached to full sized helicopters, he covered many of the large sporting events as Wescam operator as well as Tv and feature films.

His varied career continued at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation  where he worked for the national news service, in the nineties he embraced the new emerging digital video technology creating the first television program acquired on this format, he also encourage cross skilling in a traditionally set market, becoming the first VJ at the CBC.

This lead to a successful career reporting and filming around the world, including War Zones and extreme  conditions, he was nominated for a Gemini for his work in Afghanistan and won the following year for a documentary set in India. He produced series for the Alliance Atlantis networks under his own company, as well as Directing and shooting documentaries for the discovery channel. During which time he learned to fly fixed wing aircraft, gaining a multi IFR rating.

Always on the lookout for new technological answers for filming Ian became interested in the role of UAV’s after seeing them deployed in Afghanistan, closely following development, he became part of the DIY drones community and now flies his own hexcopter and gyro gimbal, he has worked with media outlets in Canada to show how drones can be used for newsgathering. He plans to continue in this area and has set up a company to help companies get the best from this emerging technology. His company website is located at avrobotics.ca.

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Ted Pretty is the morning meteorologist on FOX5’s highly rated morning show in Las Vegas.  Out of high school Ted entered the Air National Guard and used to build bombs and handle ammunition for the F-16.  After graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, Ted worked in television in Nebraska, Idaho and Illinois before arriving as a reporter for Las Vegas’ FOX affiliate in 1999.

Through Mississippi State University, Ted earned Certificate of Broadcast Meteorology and has been the on-air morning meteorologist at KVVU since 2003. Ted is also the consulting meteorologist for Station Casinos throughout their outdoor concert season throughout the Las Vegas Valley. He has received awards for reporting, photography and holds the National Weather Association’s Seal of Approval, and also lends his time to many Southern Nevada charities.

Most recently, Ted has been taking classes through Unmanned Vehicle University that have to deal with small UAV’s or non-military drones and their multiple applications.  He has just completed assembly of his first UAS and plans on adding video applications in the near future. Ted has been named the Las Vegas Review Journal’s “Best Weathercaster in Las Vegas” for multiple years as the staff pick and reader’s pick for the past three consecutive years.  Ted lives in Henderson with wife and co-anchor on the morning show at FOX5, Heidi Hayes.  Heidi and Ted have two children, Jack, 7, and Kinsey, 4.

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If you would like to join the list of journalists who are exploring UAS technology for reporting, or would like to contact any of these individuals for interviews, please email mschroyer@gmail.com.