Jeff Miller has seen a lot of things since moving to Wesley Chapel in 2004.
As a Realtor for Charles Rutenberg Realty, he has seen the market take off, then crash land, then take off again. He has seen the area grow and grow. He has seen neighborhoods evolve and new roads appear.
These days, however, Miller’s view has changed….to about 300 feet above the ground.
If you’ve been on the web looking for all of the new developments and businesses in Wesley Chapel, you may have come across one of Miller’s many drone videos, which are focused on all of the new developments in our area.
“I really love sharing the videos with everyone,” Miller says. “I think it’s pretty cool.”
Miller has been posting regular old ground-level videos on his YouTube page since 2017, but kept noticing more and more drone videos.
“They were unique and super visual,” he says. “What a difference.”
Miller bought his first drone — a surprisingly compact gray DJI Mini 2 — in February, and has since posted more than 80 videos, from local communities like Persimmon Park, Estancia, River Landing and Avalon Park to area favorites like the Crystal Lagoon at Epperson, the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County and the Wesley Chapel District Park.
The first drone video he posted was 47 seconds of footage at the Overpass Rd. construction at I-75, followed by 99 seconds of Epperson Ranch and its lagoon. None of Miller’s first five drone videos topped 100 views, but many of his videos since then have fared much better.
A video of the future Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. has more than 600 views, a drone tour of Winding Ridge by GL Homes has more than 1,000 and an update on the Overpass Rd. construction currently is his top drone video to date with 1,300+ views.
All of his videos combined have nearly 20,000 views.
While Miller started posting his videos as a hobby, he says it hasn’t been bad for business either.
“I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me because of the videos,” he says. “Especially the updates on the Overpass Rd. bridge, the parks and the malls. There are people interested in buying homes from out of state and I think it’s pretty cool they can see how the community has progressed.”
Miller said the wealth of aerial video opportunities is a far cry from his first decade or so in Wesley Chapel.
“Back then, there was really nothing to shoot (here),” he says.
A 1993 graduate of Southern Connecticut State University with a degree in corporate video communications, Miller has long had an eye for photography and video. He says he started taking pictures when he was a kid and, when he moved to Wesley Chapel, he took on a role helping the former Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (now the North Tampa Bay Chamber) with social media.
“Before Facebook, that was pretty impossible,” he says. But, he would attend events, and send out email blasts with recaps and photos.
He says he helped start the Wesley Chapel Fall Festival and art show. In 2008, Miller even ran for the Chamber’s Honorary Mayor of Wesley Chapel. He hosted a wine tasting at the old Cork and Olive on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. hoping to attract voters, and one of his goals was to get signs up in the area that said “We Love Wesley Chapel.”
“I think I met everyone in Wesley Chapel that year,” Miller says, chuckling.
A long-time promoter of the community, Miller says he tries to get out and shoot something in the area every day. Although he says he graduated from college without even having used the internet or a cell phone, he eagerly dives into new technology.
“This technology is ridiculously easy to use,” he says. “It really gives me the chance to make awesome, shareable content. I hope people like it.”
To check out Miller’s drone videos, visit FlyWesleyChapel.com. For more information about Jeff, visit Jeff-Miller-Realtor-Wesley-Chapel-Fl-homes-for-sale.business.site or call (813) 382-8312.
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