About Drones For Dreams
At Drones for Dreams, we are more than just a drone photography and videography company. After I was asked to do drone work for a local non-profit and realizing they don’t have a big budget for often expensive drone work. I immediately knew there was a way to help. So I created Drones for Dreams to provide free drone work to non profit organizations and other companies just doing good in the world.
About the founder
Meet Braeden Macchia, a 17-year-old student at Silver Creek High School in Boulder County, Colorado. When he’s not flying, Braeden is competing in football, basketball, and track and field. He has been piloting drones for nearly eight years, capturing unique aerial perspectives and refining his skills in unmanned flight. Braeden holds a FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and has received multiple honors for his drone work — including 1st place in the Drone Launch Academy Video Contest, 5th place in the Joe Neguse Congressional Art Competition, and recognition from the Colorado State Board of Education, where his work was displayed for a year. He has also been honored by St. Vrain Valley Schools and was awarded the Superintendent’s Excellence in Education Award by Dr. Don Haddad. Most recently, his work with Drones for Dreams inspired a $25,000 grant from the OtterCares Foundation to expand the program through the SVVSD Innovation Center.
When Braeden from Drones for Dreams visited Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary, I was amazed not only by the stunning aerial footage he captured but also by his professionalism, responsiveness, and flexibility. He worked around our schedule without hesitation, responded quickly to all communication, and delivered exceptionally high-quality photos and videos that will be invaluable for our marketing and fundraising efforts for years to come. What's even more incredible is that Braeden offers this exceptional service completely free to nonprofits like ours, recognizing the real impact that quality media can have on our mission. I'm so grateful for his work and deeply inspired by how he's using his talents to uplift organizations and make a difference in the world.
Project AnimalAid is deeply grateful for Braeden's extraordinary service to our organization. Not only is Braeden an extraordinary young man, but his skill in drone operations has been incredibly helpful at a pivotal time for Project AnimalAid. Braeden's drone footage has allowed us to tell our story in new ways — ways that are more engaging and powerful. By generously donating his time and talent, Braeden has helped us capture footage that not only documents our mission but also inspires our supporters and frontline partners. Beyond his technical skill and willingness to help the nonprofit community, Braeden is enthusiastic, accommodating and, quite simply, a joy to be around. We are honored to work with Braeden and are incredibly grateful for his talent and generosity.
Drones for Dreams provided an incredible service to NOCO Humane. Braeden traveled to two of our shelters in a single day and delivered stunning aerial photos and videos that will serve us well in marketing, PR, and so much more. The footage is clean, smooth, and captured with a stylistic eye that makes every clip dynamic and engaging. He provided a wide variety of angles and distances, giving us truly versatile content. Beyond his talent, working with Braeden was an absolute breeze—his coordination and communication were timely, professional, and easy. We're extremely grateful for his generosity and the service he provides to nonprofits across northern Colorado. Drones for Dreams is a tremendous asset to our community.
When Braeden reached out to the Downtown Boulder Partnership about Drones for Dreams, I was immediately impressed with his professionalism, passion and vision. He volunteered his drone video services and throughout the process it was an absolute pleasure collaborating with him. He is well organized, thoughtful and a strong communicator. The final video beautifully captured our vibrant downtown district and the quality of his work and the care he brought to the project truly stood out. I would enthusiastically recommend Drones for Dreams to anyone seeking top-notch drone footage. Braeden's kind nature, outgoing personality and exceptional videography skills make him an exceptional asset.
Braeden with Drones for Dreams was fantastic to work with while capturing drone footage of our new building. He was incredibly professional, communicated clearly throughout the process, and was generous with both his time and expertise. His attention to detail and willingness to make sure we got the best possible shots truly stood out. We're excited to use the footage in our marketing materials to help potential families better see and experience our space! We are so grateful for his work and highly recommend him to anyone looking for high-quality drone videography.
“We were impressed by how easy it was to execute our vision by partnering with Braeden and Drones for Dreams. The result was high-quality, seamless to integrate, and exceeded the expectations of our board. We are beyond grateful that we will have beautiful footage to share with our community for years to come.”
"I had the pleasure of working with Braeden with Drones for Dreams this summer as he filmed the Louisville Farmers Market. He captured the market in a time-lapse sequence from early morning setup to the market in full swing and then winding down. It has been a great piece to share to peek into the backend workings of a vibrant market atmosphere, what is happening behind the scenes, and how it all comes together. Braeden also included several stills which have proven very useful for advertising, marketing as well as helping with future logistical insight and planning. He was extremely proactive, a great communicator, pleasant, and showed up on time for production. Deliverables were beyond expectation with content and presented in a timely manner. I highly recommend and will use Drones for Dreams again for more interesting and unique content for my business. "
On behalf of the Sea Inspiration team, I’d like to personally thank you and your nonprofit, Drones For Dreams, regarding your generous offer to donate clips of your amazing aerial footage to help us in our Healing Adventures videos.
Braeden was incredibly proactive in reaching out to Turning Point. We were so excited to have drone footage to show donors of our on-site renovations. We appreciated his willingness to work with our schedules and commitment to spreading good in the world.
Respite Care, Inc. is a Fort Collins-area nonprofit providing specialized childcare for kids with developmental disabilities, offering everything from daily care to camps and enrichment activities.
Braeden helped us capture some amazing photos and videos of one of our adoption events, which we'll be able to use to enhance our social media presence and website appearance. Braeden not only captured amazing footage, but was also incredibly professional, communicative, and understanding as we planned his attendance and filming of one of our adoption events. Drones for Dreams is truly remarkable, and we truly appreciate Braeden's time and skills to help us capture footage that will ultimately help us promote our rescue and our mission to save animals and find them loving homes!
Working with Braeden was an absolute pleasure! He brought incredible professionalism, creativity, and skill to our project. The drone footage and final video beautifully showcased our youth shelter and the hope it provides to young people in our community. Braeden was easy to communicate with, responsive, and delivered everything on time. We were blown away by the quality of the work and how perfectly it captured our mission. We can't wait to work together again!
Braeden and the footage Drones for Dreams provided of Harvest of Hope Pantry is absolutely amazing! We are thrilled to be able to partner together to share the work we are doing in the community, and working with Drones for Dreams was truly a gift. From the beginning of the process to the final edited footage, Braeden made the whole endeavor so easy and fun, and it was fun to watch the drones work their magic as well. Thanks so much to Drones for Dreams for choosing to work with us at Harvest of Hope!
We had a fantastic experience working with Drones for Dreams. Braeden was professional, flexible, and attentive to our unique needs from start to finish. As a horse rescue, the safety and comfort of our horses is our top priority, and he carefully followed our guidelines to ensure the drone never startled them. Every shot was executed with thoughtfulness and skill. The final aerial photos and videos were stunning and have been a tremendous asset to our marketing efforts, helping us showcase our ranch and horses in a compelling, elevated way. We're so grateful for his attention to detail and collaborative approach, and we look forward to working with Braeden again.
It was an absolute delight to work with Braeden. He is very reliable, was here on time and took amazing footage of our farm animal sanctuary while being very respectful towards our staff, visitors and animals. He maneuvered the sanctuary without disrupting or frightening our animals with the drone which was amazing. He left us with nice footage that we will use in our marketing materials. Thank you so much Braeden for your work!
On behalf of Surfrider Foundation Kauaʻi Chapter we would personally want to give a Big Mahalo to Braeden and Drones for Dreams for his spectacular aerial footage of our Net Patrol Coastline cleanup in Anahola, Kauaʻi. Braeden's professionalism and passion for flying the drone and the video and photo clips really shows the beauty of the coastline we love to protect. You do something special for nonprofits. Keep up the great work!
We are so grateful for Drones for Dreams. Braeden is a wonderful young professional whose attention to detail and ability to capture the heart of our organization is truly exceptional. As a nonprofit, it can be difficult to find someone willing to invest the time and care needed to deliver such a professional, high-quality photography and video footage. We deeply appreciate his passion, creativity, and generosity that he brought to our Organization Video.
Braeden did a remarkable job capturing live event footage for the Boulder International Film Festival! His experience and skill as a drone pilot coupled with his knowledge of photography landed us the best footage ever of our opening night street celebration outside the Boulder Theater. Braeden's beautiful drone cinematography is going to help us market the festival for many years to come.
We discovered Drones for Dreams after a board member shared a Daily Camera article highlighting Braeden and his incredible mission to support nonprofits. With a major event just around the corner, finding him felt like hitting the jackpot. This year, Rise Against Suicide hosted our 17th Annual Emerge 5K, bringing together more than 800 community members in support of youth suicide prevention and Braeden captured it beautifully. From our very first conversation through final delivery, he set the standard for professionalism, communication, and care. The aerial footage captured the scale, energy, and heart of our event in a way we had never experienced before. These videos not only document the event but most importantly help us tell a powerful story. If you are a nonprofit looking for someone who combines exceptional talent with genuine heart and purpose, we cannot recommend Braeden and Drones for Dreams highly enough
It was such a pleasure to have Braeden bring his drones to Medicine Horse! He got some incredible shots of our property, was super easy and pleasant to work with, all while being very professional. We would highly recommend him to anyone else looking for drone footage.
In fall 2025, I reached out to the OtterCares Foundation (OtterBox’s nonprofit arm) hoping to do some drone work for them. They weren’t a fit for Drones for Dreams directly, but Linda Crum connected me with several organizations and kept in touch as I started working with the SVVSD Innovation Center to grow the program. This past May, I walked into the Innovation Center and Linda surprised me with a $25,000 grant – funding that will expand Drones for Dreams and inspire a whole new philanthropy initiative across 20+ student project teams at the Innovation Center. It’s been one of the most surreal moments of this whole journey.
St Vrain Valley School District Article on the Grant: Read the full story here.
In March 2026, I was featured in the Longmont Times-Call for my work with Drones for Dreams. What started in eighth grade as a simple idea — use my drone to help nonprofits tell their stories — has grown into 150+ hours of free aerial photography and videography for organizations across Boulder County and beyond. Professional drone work can run $500 a project, and I’d rather see nonprofits put that money toward their missions instead. From filming VCP Longmont’s tiny home village before it even opened, to shooting footage that helped Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary land a grant for a new medical facility, it’s been incredibly rewarding to see the footage actually make a difference. Read the full article here.
VCP Longmont is actually where Drones for Dreams got its start — my aunt introduced me to the organization back in eighth grade, right as construction on their tiny home village was beginning. I’ve been their drone guy ever since, capturing the village from bare dirt all the way through completion, and I recently went back to shoot a full first-person view virtual tour of the finished village. In February 2026, VCP featured me on their national blog as a supporter spotlight — which was pretty cool considering it’s the organization that started everything. Read the full article here.
In November 2024, Braeden was offered the opportunity to present his work with drone photography and specifically his work with Drones For Dreams in front of the St. Vrain Valley Schools Board of Education during their monthly meeting. Braeden got to share more about himself, the image entered into the congressional art competition, and how he is taking the drone world by storm with Drones for Dreams.
In Addition to sharing more about his work, Braeden was awarded the Superintendents Excellence in Education award from Superintendent Dr. Don Haddad.
In Spring 2023, Braeden entered one of his drone images into the 5th Congressional District Art Competition, hosted by Congressman Joe Neguse, where he earned 5th place. Additionally, his image was selected for a year-long display at the Colorado State Board of Education. In October, he had the opportunity to present this photo to the State Board members, where he shared his work with Drones for Dreams, highlighting the organization’s support for nonprofits.
