Mark Pennington
President
mpennington@flyroute.com

A Zanesville, Ohio native and proud graduate of Zanesville High School, Mark's professional journey began to take shape at Otterbein College, where a "Broadcast Production" class fueled his passion for radio. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, and the seed for a lifetime in broadcasting was firmly planted.

 

Mark's deep connection to music and radio led him across Ohio, where he contributed to legendary rock stations, including WLVQ in Columbus and WMMS in Cleveland. His career reached its zenith in 2002 when he joined the crown jewel of rock radio, WRIF in Detroit. For nearly two decades, Mark led a star-studded staff, culminating in his team being honored with the industry's most prestigious accolade, a Marconi Award, in 2019.

 

While pursuing his radio dreams, Mark discovered a parallel passion for aviation in 2013 after taking a “discovery flight.” He became an FAA licensed private pilot in 2014, later achieving his instrument rating in 2020 and his Part 107 drone certificate in 2022.

 

In 2020, with a lifetime of Rock & Roll stories to draw from, Mark pivoted into radio consulting, working to enhance operations at stations nationwide. Concurrently, he leveraged his aviation skills by flying drones for insurance inspections, videography, and mapping projects. 

 

The opportunity to merge drone technology with football instantly resonated when he learned about FlyRoute through a key partnership. Mark recognized this was more than a business—it was the future. This marked the start of his "Next" journey, focused on empowering coaches with unmatched game insights, delivering dynamic video footage, elevating team performance, and ultimately transforming how football is coached.