Drone pilot Drew Dau brings birds-eye view of Iowa to the internet on Instagram and TikTok

This is one in an occasional series on Iowa influencers who are finding new ways to tell the story of the state through social media.

A camera dove down over West Okoboji Lake. It twisted above dozens of boaters and windblown American flags during Lake Affect, the annual music festival founded by Okoboji native Damon Dotson that takes place at the chain of Iowa lakes every Fourth of July weekend.

The aerial video was shot by Drew Dau, a Des Moines-based drone pilot and Okoboji native, who has made waves for showcasing Iowa's largest city and its biggest vacation destination.

Dau, who has 15,000 combined followers on Instagram and TikTok, built a loyal following with thousands of views from his high-in-the-sky content that gives scrollers an overhead look at life in Okoboji and Des Moines.

"I've known Okoboji basically my entire life and grew up there and didn't really appreciate the beauty and how cool that community was, especially in the summer, until I got older," Dau said.

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How a Spirit Lake hometown kid became a statewide homegrown talent

Dau, 31, moved to Okoboji with his family when he was 4-years-old.

He grew up in the Okoboji area, had an affinity for art at a young age, attended Spirit Lake High School, where he graduated in 2010, and played college basketball at Morningside University after receiving an athletic scholarship.

At Morningside, he majored in business and minored in graphic design. Following graduation, Dau worked in the Des Moines insurance industry but bought his first camera at 23 as a fun hobby and created content in his free time.

"I was kind of later in the game as far as photography goes," Dau said. "Then, about six years ago, I bought my first drone and that's really when it took off."

In 2017, he started a separate Instagram account @drewdau.photo featuring videos and photos of his aerial content to showcase his hobby since many in his hometown were unaware that he owned a drone.

"For the first three or four years or so, I didn't really think much of it," Dau said about his social media presence. "I'd just post and ghost and it really started taking off when I started posting photos of Lake Affect, that big giant floating concert."

Then, Dau was cleared for takeoff. In 2019, he left his career in corporate America and attained his drone license. Today, he flies a DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone.

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Nearly 12,500 followers and counting on Instagram

Now, he boasts nearly 12,500 followers on Instagram.

Dau hopped on a recent social media trend with an Instagram video that said, "it's just a small lake in Iowa. What's the big deal?" followed by a series of clips including an overhead view of Arnolds Park, ripples of water at sunset, and a surfer catching waves. The video, with its, "Gosh, I couldn't tell ya," caption earned around 7,000 likes, more than 3,500 shares, and 278,000 views so far.

The same video on TikTok received 32,000 likes, more than 850 comments, and nearly 350,000 views.

A pinned photo, with more than 3,000 likes, on Dau's Instagram account features red and blue fireworks mid-air above Okoboji on the Fourth of July from 2022 has more than a hundred of boats watch from below.

A March 2021 post with the caption, "Perfect tie-up from last Memorial has me antsy," with a wave and sun emoji displayed 12 boats tethered together in Okoboji — with a jet ski tied behind one — as boaters clenched beer cans in high heat. It generated more than 800 likes.

Summer is Dau season. He favors those months for their cinematic sunsets and lush scenery in Iowa, which is often showcased in his aerial work.

But he also works in the winter when thousands ascend on his hometown for the University of Okoboji Winter Games, sponsored by the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and better known among locals as just "winter games."

A timelapse video of the games' Polar Plunge, which features participants bouncing into bitter cold water, has nearly 20,000 views so far with 86 shares and more than 1,300 likes. An Instagram album of three photos, which includes a photo of hundreds on the frozen lake, beyond Arnold's Park Amusement Park as kites flew overhead has more than 1,250 likes.

In 2023, Dau has plans to take his business to new heights.

"A goal of mine this year is, my Okoboji audience is great and it's definitely my biggest audience, but I want to grow it to even the greater state of Iowa," Dau said. "I literally live in downtown Des Moines and I'm going to try and get out and showcase this city because I really do feel like this is a beautiful city, especially in the summer."

He added that he loves living in Des Moines because of its centralized location among Midwestern states.

"I love the people, I think it's a very underrated artistic scene," Dau said.

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'My goal is really just to put Iowa on the map'

"My goal is really just to put Iowa on the map," Dau said. "I love the state of Iowa. I can't really imagine living somewhere else."

For more than half a decade, Dau has displayed Iowa in its freest form. There are no signs of stopping, he said. For now, Dau will keep dropping pins throughout Iowa, with hopes of bringing regional recognition and national attention to the state.

Over four months in the summertime, Okoboji comes alive with sunbaked nostalgia.

Drippy ice cream from The Nutty Bar stand falls onto freshly cut grass as coasters roll with riders on-board near Arnolds Park Amusement Park. Folks dive off their docks in swimsuits into blue open water before an August sunset. Hundreds tie-up boats, tan in tubes, and paddle in kayaks past floating water pads as they listen to bands while celebrating the Fourth of July during Lake Affect.

Then, the tourists flee. So does he. Locals stay put. But eight months later, it begins and repeats.

"People drive here from hours away to just come and visit my hometown," Dau said.

And Drew Dau captures it all, from above, with a birds-eye view.

Where to find and follow Drew Dau

Known for: Sharing a first-hand look at life in Okoboji and Des Moines with high flying aerial content, featuring videos and photos of the state's biggest vacation destination and its largest city. Framed prints of Dau's work start at $90 while canvases begin at $249 on drewdau.com.

Day job: Drone pilot and aerial photographer, Drew Dau Studio

TikTok: @drew.dau; 12,300 followers

Instagram: @drewdau.photo; nearly 3,000 followers

Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Okoboji native Drew Dau showcases Iowa with drone videos, photography