John Hopkins
Founder & CEO
Founder & CEO
Sasha Bennett
Office Manager & EA
Office Manager & EA
John Hopkins
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Virgo
Storyteller, nature-lover and award-winning writer/director leading the creative charge and guiding Celestial’s ethical and responsible direction.
Sasha Bennett
Executive Assistant & Office Manager
Gemini
Meticulous Executive Assistant from the worlds of advertising and creative studios, keeping the office and founders organised and prepared at all times.
Anna McKee
Junior Drone Animator
Junior Drone Animator
Anthony Head
Head of Animation
Head of Animation
Antony Burry
Head of Innovation
Head of Innovation
Anna McKee
Drone Animator
Virgo
Drone animator and illustrator bringing experience from film and gaming to create storyboards and tell stories using 3D drone animations.
Anthony Head
Head of Animation
Pisces
Antony Burry
Head of Innovation
Leo
Arron Hamilton
Swarm Pilot, Flight Projects
& Fleet Maintenance Coordinator
Swarm Pilot, Flight Projects
& Fleet Maintenance Coordinator
Daniel Francis
Animator
Animator
Herbie Alexander
Ground Crew Support & R&D Assistant
Ground Crew Support & R&D Assistant
Arron Hamilton
Swarm Pilot, Flight Projects & Fleet Maintenance Coordinator
Virgo
Drone enthusiast meticulously maintaining and piloting our fleet of drones, ensuring regulation compliance and safe use of drones in test flights and shows.
Daniel Francis
Animator
Libra
CGI specialist lending their extensive experience with mainstream brands such as National Lottery, Money.co.uk and Mercedes to create and animate drone art.
Herbie Alexander
Ground Crew Support & R&D Assistant
Pisces
Ground crew breaking into the world of drones and giving essential operations support wherever it’s needed.
John Partridge
Head of Production
Head of Production
Joshua Quiney
Deputy of Operations & Deployed Logistics Lead
Deputy of Operations & Deployed Logistics Lead
Karl Marklund
Senior R&D & UAV Swarming Systems Prototyping Engineer
Senior R&D & UAV Swarming Systems Prototyping Engineer
John Partridge
Head of Production
Virgo
Production and lighting design specialist with over 15 years in concert touring, live events and large-scale ceremonies including the London 2012 Olympics and numerous world concert tours.
Joshua Quiney
Deputy of Operations & Deployed Logistics Lead
Gemini
Professional events crew and logistics strategist managing all elements of the on-the-ground physical delivery of our drone shows.
Karl Marklund
Senior R&D & UAV Swarming Systems Prototyping Engineer
Leo
UAV Engineer, product manager and digital signage consultant with experience at electronics giants, researching and developing innovative solutions to deliver the best drones shows in the world.
Lee Tomas
Chief of Global Operations and Projects & Accountable Manager
Chief of Global Operations and Projects & Accountable Manager
Luke Nichols
Ground Crew Support & Battery Management Lead
Ground Crew Support & Battery Management Lead
Luke Woodbury
Senior R&D & Maintenance Engineer
Senior R&D & Maintenance Engineer
Lee Tomas
Chief of Global Operations and Projects & Accountable Manager
Pisces
Former Royal Air Force operations lead, now delivering a world-class operations team that can deliver swarming drone events globally.
Luke Nichols
Ground Crew Support & Battery Management Lead
Cancer
Video-game and events enthusiast with diverse experience, responsible for maintaining battery charge for our fleet of drones and supporting ground crew.
Luke Woodbury
Senior R&D & Maintenance Engineer
Sagittarius
Creative technologist, consultant and engineer with experience in the Arts, Special Needs and Education sectors, developing new solutions and researching to continuously advance our fleet of drones.
Matt Tipper
Flight Administration Lead & Compliance Coordinator
Flight Administration Lead & Compliance Coordinator
Megan Heron
Art Director
Art Director
Ori Attwool
Animator
Animator
Matt Tipper
Flight Administration Lead & Compliance Coordinator
Sagittarius
Technical manager with an events background at Mark Bruce Dance Company, now managing the drone flight permissions, regulations, operating procedure and scheduling required for drone flights.
Megan Heron
Art Director
Taurus
Strategically-minded art director and designer with global experience in brand and graphic design, aligning the creative vision & visual language of Celestial.
Ori Attwool
Lead Animator
Scorpio
Animator with diverse experience animating art for the likes of Enter Shikari and NHS Reproductive Trauma Service, now designing and animating our ground-breaking drone shows.
Ottilie Culloty
Head of Global Marketing
Head of Global Marketing
Robin Lane-Roberts
Animator
Animator
Steve Winter
Head of Creative Development
Head of Creative Development
Ottilie Culloty
Head of Global Marketing
Libra
Award-winning marketer with experience at brands including Airbnb, Sky and Vogue, building the Celestial brand through high-end global communications and partnerships.
Robin Lane-Roberts
Animator
Aries
Multimedia animator and artist having specialised in social impact projects from UN Women to Princes Trust, now designing animating our ground-breaking drone shows.
Steve Winter
Head of Creative Development
Taurus
Artistic director and cultural strategist experienced in creating, producing, and directing cross-art form theatre, musicals, festivals and immersive experiences, leading the development of new creative work.
John Hopkins
Founder & CEO
Founder & CEO
John Hopkins
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Virgo
Storyteller, nature-lover and award-winning writer/director leading the creative charge and guiding Celestial’s ethical and responsible direction.
Sasha Bennett
Office Manager & EA
Office Manager & EA
Sasha Bennett
Executive Assistant & Office Manager
Gemini
Meticulous Executive Assistant from the worlds of advertising and creative studios, keeping the office and founders organised and prepared at all times.
Anna McKee
Junior Drone Animator
Junior Drone Animator
Anna McKee
Drone Animator
Virgo
Drone animator and illustrator bringing experience from film and gaming to create storyboards and tell stories using 3D drone animations.
Anthony Head
Head of Animation
Head of Animation
Anthony Head
Head of Animation
Pisces
Antony Burry
Head of Innovation
Head of Innovation
Antony Burry
Head of Innovation
Leo
Arron Hamilton
Swarm Pilot, Flight Projects
& Fleet Maintenance Coordinator
Swarm Pilot, Flight Projects
& Fleet Maintenance Coordinator
Arron Hamilton
Swarm Pilot, Flight Projects & Fleet Maintenance Coordinator
Virgo
Drone enthusiast meticulously maintaining and piloting our fleet of drones, ensuring regulation compliance and safe use of drones in test flights and shows.
Daniel Francis
Animator
Animator
Daniel Francis
Animator
Libra
Herbie Alexander
Ground Crew Support & R&D Assistant
Ground Crew Support & R&D Assistant
Herbie Alexander
Ground Crew Support & R&D Assistant
Pisces
Ground crew breaking into the world of drones and giving essential operations support wherever it’s needed.
John Partridge
Head of Production
Head of Production
John Partridge
Head of Production
Virgo
Production and lighting design specialist with over 15 years in concert touring, live events and large-scale ceremonies including the London 2012 Olympics and numerous world concert tours.
Joshua Quiney
Deputy of Operations & Deployed Logistics Lead
Deputy of Operations & Deployed Logistics Lead
Joshua Quiney
Deputy of Operations & Deployed Logistics Lead
Gemini
Professional events crew and logistics strategist managing all elements of the on-the-ground physical delivery of our drone shows.
Karl Marklund
Senior R&D & UAV Swarming Systems Prototyping Engineer
Senior R&D & UAV Swarming Systems Prototyping Engineer
Karl Marklund
Senior R&D & UAV Swarming Systems Prototyping Engineer
Leo
UAV Engineer, product manager and digital signage consultant with experience at electronics giants, researching and developing innovative solutions to deliver the best drones shows in the world.
Lee Tomas
Chief of Global Operations and Projects & Accountable Manager
Chief of Global Operations and Projects & Accountable Manager
Lee Tomas
Chief of Global Operations and Projects & Accountable Manager
Pisces
Former Royal Air Force operations lead, now delivering a world-class operations team that can deliver swarming drone events globally.
Luke Nichols
Ground Crew Support & Battery Management Lead
Ground Crew Support & Battery Management Lead
Luke Nichols
Ground Crew Support & Battery Management Lead
Cancer
Video-game and events enthusiast with diverse experience, responsible for maintaining battery charge for our fleet of drones and supporting ground crew.
Luke Woodbury
Senior R&D & Maintenance Engineer
Senior R&D & Maintenance Engineer
Luke Woodbury
Senior R&D & Maintenance Engineer
Sagittarius
Creative technologist, consultant and engineer with experience in the Arts, Special Needs and Education sectors, developing new solutions and researching to continuously advance our fleet of drones.
Matt Tipper
Flight Administration Lead & Compliance Coordinator
Flight Administration Lead & Compliance Coordinator
Matt Tipper
Flight Administration Lead & Compliance Coordinator
Sagittarius
Technical manager with an events background at Mark Bruce Dance Company, now managing the drone flight permissions, regulations, operating procedure and scheduling required for drone flights.
Megan Heron
Art Director
Art Director
Megan Heron
Art Director
Taurus
Strategically-minded art director and designer with global experience in brand and graphic design, aligning the creative vision & visual language of Celestial.
Ori Attwool
Animator
Animator
Ori Attwool
Lead Animator
Scorpio
Animator with diverse experience animating art for the likes of Enter Shikari and NHS Reproductive Trauma Service, now designing and animating our ground-breaking drone shows.
Ottilie Culloty
Head of Global Marketing
Head of Global Marketing
Ottilie Culloty
Head of Global Marketing
Libra
Award-winning marketer with experience at brands including Airbnb, Sky and Vogue, building the Celestial brand through high-end global communications and partnerships.
Robin Lane-Roberts
Animator
Animator
Robin Lane-Roberts
Animator
Taurus
Multimedia animator and artist having specialised in social impact projects from UN Women to Princes Trust, now designing animating our ground-breaking drone shows.
Steve Winter
Head of Creative Development
Head of Creative Development
Steve Winter
Head of Creative Development
Sagittarius
Artistic director and cultural strategist experienced in creating, producing, and directing cross-art form theatre, musicals, festivals and immersive experiences, leading the development of new creative work.
The best creative minds in the country
Secret Garden Party Show Review
City AM
Scriptwriting
Our in-house team of creatives are award-winning storytellers, drafting narrative scripts for each show. The story is the thread that weaves all the animations in a show together and adds to their impact.
Animating
Our animation department is a world of experimentation where our experts take a vision and translate it into light formations that exist in constant motion to tell a story. Here, concepts and ideas become poetry in motion, with mesmerising results.
Programming & Testing
Our Hive is where animations take flight. It’s the home of our drones, where they’re cared for, programmed and tested by our technical experts. Here is where you’ll witness our drones’ organic behaviours in test flights in the nights’ sky.
Piloting
Our pilots set the dream in motion, meticulously positioning the drones for take off and supporting their safe flight throughout the live shows. With extraordinary technical knowledge and meticulous detail, they ensure the show runs smoothly and to the specification of the programmers.
Collaborating
Our collaborations with world-renowned Hollywood actors, poet laureates, writers, directors and indigenous communities, undoubtedly set our shows apart. It takes skillful planning, negotiating and coordinating to bring together international projects and we’re proud to have the right team to pull it off.
Filmmaking
Our award-winning filmmakers translate the magic of our live drone shows into video format to create enchanting content designed for impact. Their direction and filmmaking expertise has created campaign films that touch the soul and recorded drone performances to live on across multiple channels.
Production
Whether drone lights form part of an event or the event itself, a huge amount of planning, collaboration and coordination is required for the delivery of a drone show. Our production team has years of experience working internationally with some of the biggest names in entertainment and are experts in designing and delivering all potential components to a show, from bespoke lighting, audio, video, and pyro effects to live broadcast, filming, staging, and complex logistics challenges.
Innovating
Our dedicated R&D team is second to none and we are constantly working to develop new technologies that open up layers, textures and storytelling possibilities.