
Biden campaign celebrates victory with drone light show from Strictly FX and Verge Aero posted: 20/11/2020
Strictly FXs Verge Aero drone fleet performs in the sky above President-elect Bidens victory celebrations in Wilmington, Delaware.
When US President-elect Joe Biden delivered his long-awaited victory speech in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware on the evening of Saturday, November 7th, the exuberant celebrations culminated with a spectacular drone and pyrotechnic show from Strictly FX. The creative on this originated with executive producer Ricky Kirshner, of Kirshner Events, who has been the nexus of all the work we've done with the DNC, notes Ted Maccabee, CEO of Strictly FX.
In partnership with Verge Aero, the leader in advanced drone show technology, Strictly FX deployed a fleet of 200 state-of-the-art drones for the event. As those below celebrated, the GPS-guided drones lit up the sky with precision choreography, synchronized to a soundtrack which began with Coldplay's A Sky Full of Stars.
Strictly FXs Verge Aero drone fleet performs in the sky above President-elect Bidens victory celebrations in Wilmington, Delaware.
The large-scale aerial imagery, created and refined in line with the Biden campaign's vision, included red, white and blue stars, Biden's campaign logo, a map of the USA, 46' and Harris' - all with Strictly FX's stunning pyrotechnic accompaniment.
The team worked fast to organize not just the content of the show, but the permissions and logistics required to carry it out. Since this was a national security situation, the permissions that we had to get from various government entities were incredibly detailed; thankfully, we started on this process three weeks ahead of the election, and we were able to wade through all the authorizations in time to create this once in a lifetime event, notes Maccabee.
The crew from Verge Aero had challenges as well. Nils Thorjussen, CEO of Verge Aero, adds, Naturally, there was a vigorous vetting process to satisfy the authorities that the show could be flown safely. However, the flexibility and redundancy built into our system allowed us to meet every security request and scenario that was posed to us.
Strictly FXs Verge Aero drone fleet performs in the sky above President-elect Bidens victory celebrations in Wilmington, Delaware.
With the election's result delayed, the team was on standby from Tuesday until Saturday, ready to fly the show at a moment's notice. Thanks to the system's rapid deployment capability, this was not a problem. Our ten-person east coast special effects team didn't know if we were even going to be doing the event until we got the green light from a member of the Biden Camp on Saturday night, confides Maccabee.
Strictly FXs Verge Aero drone fleet performs in the sky above President-elect Bidens victory celebrations in Wilmington, Delaware.
To maintain secrecy and surprise, there was no rehearsal. The first time we flew the show there was on the night, says Thorjussen. This really speaks to the accuracy and robustness of our flight planning software. The client was amazed at the accuracy of our pre-show rendering.
The resulting show topped off a joyous occasion for those gathered below, including Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, their families and campaign teams, all of whom clearly enjoyed the spectacle playing out in the sky. We've done numerous presidential campaign events, and this one was especially memorable since we were able to add drones into the mix, thanks to our partnership with the very talented professionals at Verge Aero, concludes Maccabee.
About Strictly FX
Strictly FX specializes in world-class pyrotechnics, artfully programmed lasers, custom effects and more for live events. The firm was founded in 1996 by industry veterans Mark Grega and Ted Maccabee and developed a sterling reputation for pushing the creative boundaries and exceeding worldwide safety standards. The firm, originally based in Chicago, has now grown to include offices in Nashville-the new HQ-and Los Angeles. The firm is home to a roadworthy team of special effects technicians, in house artists, as well as a detail-oriented office staff that's knowledgeable about regulations faced by the industry around the globe.
Strictly FXs Verge Aero drone fleet performs in the sky above President-elect Bidens victory celebrations in Wilmington, Delaware.
About Verge Aero
Verge Aero empowers creative professionals by making it easy to incorporate sophisticated drone shows into entertainment events. A fully integrated hardware and software platform with sophisticated programming and previsualization tools allows designers to go from creative vision to reality in minutes. Verge Aero is fully approved by the FAA to fly drone shows in the US.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
08/04/2026
The deadline to enter the 18th Annual SVG College Sports Media Awards in association with NACDA is rapidly approaching! Submit your entries to this year's c...
08/04/2026
The Pittsburgh product helps lead more than 100 annual ESPN broadcasts as part o...
08/04/2026
Dynamic ad insertion, AI-based technologies, programmatic advertising are some o...
08/04/2026
Seven Fellows Selected for Second Year of Residency in Honor of Social Justice L...
08/04/2026
On March 7, Bad Bunny made history with his first-ever performance in Asia, taki...
08/04/2026
El 7 de marzo, Bad Bunny hizo historia con su primera presentaci n en Asia, subi...
08/04/2026
New channel strip plug-in revealed
The latest plug-in to be added to the Fuse Audio Labs line-up emulates a selection of vintage hardware units, combining c...
08/04/2026
Guitar & bass multi-effects software overhauled
Blue Cat Audio's flagship guitar and bass multi-effects software has recently received a significant upd...
08/04/2026
PanNoir mixer integration, Dolby Atmos Renderer & more
Merging Technologies have just launched Pyramix 16, the latest major update to their renowned DAW sof...
08/04/2026
Applicable Products Part number Description
QUARTZ-22-LTE (EU) Dual Port Dual SIM LTE Router (EU)
QUARTZ-COMPACT-11-LTE (EU) Single Port Compact LTE ...
08/04/2026
The September 19, 2025 YEP Newsletter highlights a group visit to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, where participants explored exhibits showcasing the art...
08/04/2026
The L3Harris HBTSS satellite is proven on orbit, successfully demonstrating trac...
08/04/2026
Image Credit: NASA. Artist rendering of a space communications satellite in orbit, representative of the resilient, multiband infrastructure supporting mission ...
08/04/2026
Latest evaluation validates image quality, Inertial Navigation System performance and long-range tracking in operational flight conditions....
08/04/2026
New Gracenote study finds behavioral change well underway, but trust in AI-gener...
08/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/04/2026
Integration eliminates ingest bottlenecks by ensuring content is immediately usable across cloud and hybrid editorial workflows. See it at NAB 2026.
Nevada Cit...
08/04/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the commercial availability of Dalia, its media-aware, agentic AI...
08/04/2026
Leading video software provider Synamedia today announced Senza Ignite, a cloud-based platform that transforms existing connected devices through a single firmw...
08/04/2026
Modernised architecture increases operational control and agility, while reducing cost and simplifying nationwide media transport across affiliates and news bur...
08/04/2026
Company to Feature DMX Dual Relay, High-Density 48-Channel Relay Panels, and New Private Label Power Program
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of innovative ele...
08/04/2026
Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE), a European media technology and services partner, today announces a technology partnership with BCNEXXT, a Netherlands-based c...
08/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media today announced the expansion of its Master Control Room (MCR) facility in Riga, Latvia, establishing it as one of the most advanced and...
08/04/2026
Leading video solutions provider Synamedia is back at The 2026 NAB Show with innovations that connect tomorrows audiences today. On display will be a range of t...
08/04/2026
COW Jobs: Director Needed for WWII Indie Docudrama
Brie Clayton April 8, 2026
0 Comments
Director Needed for WWII Indie Docudrama
March 17, 2026COW ...
08/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/04/2026
Marshall Electronics introduces its latest POV camera with the new CV376 Compact NDI |HX3 HDMI POV Camera at NAB 2026 (Booth C8339). Designed for versatile 4K c...
08/04/2026
Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, enables interoperable live video workflows across multi-vendor environments, helping broadcast...
08/04/2026
All episodes available on Thursday 30 April on Sky Atlantic and NOWWednesday 8 A...
08/04/2026
Back to All News
Agent from Above' Celebrates Divine Ascent to Global Rank...
08/04/2026
Back to All News
Official Poster Revealed for My Two Cents, the New Animated Se...
08/04/2026
ICG is gearing up for a busy day on 14th May in Manchester.
First up, we'll be joining the Northern Marketing Festival as one of the event's marketing ...
08/04/2026
The Teatro Col n in Buenos Aires is not a venue that tolerates compromise. Built in 1908 and routinely ranked among the worlds finest concert halls, it has an a...
08/04/2026
Young Forever: The Death of Ageing? airs Monday 13 April and 20 April on RT One and RT Player
Around the world, the race to beat ageing is on. From cutting ...
08/04/2026
Scripps Research scientists uncover new mechanism cancer cells use to survive DNA damage Discovery reshapes understanding of how tumor cells repair broken DNA, ...
07/04/2026
Ikegami USA will launch a refinement to the UHK-X700 and UHK-X750 3-CMOS -in. UHD cameras in the UNICAM XE series plus two new 7-in. viewfinders at NAB 2026 in...
07/04/2026
The NAB Leadership Foundation and NAB PILOT will host a career mixer for technology students at NAB Show 2026 on April 18, 5-6:30 p.m., North Hall, Room N225/22...
07/04/2026
Audinate Group Limited and Futuresource Consulting have published results from a...
07/04/2026
Eluvio has announced the commercial availability of its Content Fabric Bucharest...