As an avid amateur astronomer, when I learned of a local company that sends brands to the edge of space with weather balloons, I needed to know more. Advertisers have long sought interesting, attention-grabbing ways to promote their brands. Rolex is perhaps one of the most famous brands to do this. In 1927, Mercedes Gleitze swam the English Channel wearing the waterproof Rolex Oyster; Sir Edmund Hillary, the first Westerner to climb Mount Everest in 1953, was wearing one as well. The brand has also been photographed at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, seven miles underwater. But the gimmick has spread to other brands and in 2018, Tesla sent into orbit one of its cars with a dummy. There’s something about seeing the curvature of our planet – the edge of space – that still captivates the imagination. And lofting brands to the edge of the space is the business of one Kingston entrepreneur. The business is called Launch with Us.

Launch with Us is a specialized enterprise that requires a unique set of technical skills, knowledge and equipment. Founded and owned by Kingston resident John Garesché, his business takes brands and products to the edge of space using weather balloons, and videotapes them against a dramatic view at the edge of space. These aren’t ordinary party balloons – they go much higher than a typical airplane, which usually cruises around at 30,000 feet, about as high as where a typical helium party balloon goes before it pops. But Launch with Us balloons go much further: up to 115,000 feet (22 miles), high enough to see the magical boundary between atmosphere and space. While you might think that photoshopping and AI have replaced this highly skilled service, it hasn’t, yet. And it’s more than just taking a “snap” of a brand with a cool near-space background. Garesché’s service includes videotaping the entire process of launching, rising, popping and then reentry – the journey – often with a voiceover telling a story.

John’s tale of becoming a business-owner is that of someone with an endlessly curious mind. Originally from Chappaqua in Westchester County, Garesché has lived in many places, including Kenya, Spain, the UK, Hawaii, Nevada, Wyoming, New Mexico, Maine, New Hampshire and of course New York. He received his master’s degree in geology from SUNY New Paltz, when he began to discover our area. John’s also a lover of the great outdoors. You can often find him on the slopes of Belleayre, where he is a ski patrolman – or bird-watching just about anywhere in the Hudson Valley. Before moving to Kingston, he and his wife lived in New York City. In 2005, they came for a visit and fell in love with the town and area. They felt the location was conducive for both of their careers and avocations. John’s career included being a financial advisor working at Raymond James, as well as being a life and earth sciences teacher.

It was while a teacher at Miller Middle School in 2015 that he set up and launched his first weather balloon experiment. “I was encouraged and helped by one of my students, Alyssa ’Sage’ Dann, who to this day still works with me on launches,” says John. After his first try, he became immediately hooked. He often learned through trial and error many things, including how long a balloon will travel (about three hours), and how far it will travel between launch site and landing – 10-40 miles and greatly dependent upon the season, with winter sending balloons much further. He also had to experiment with parachutes and release mechanisms that detach the equipment from the balloon itself. “For radio tracking, I use Iridium, but at some point, I’d like to try Starlink so I can videostream launches live," shares Garesché. And for videocam, he started using GoPros, but today uses Ozmo.

As a scientist at heart, Garesché loves all of the mechanics of conducting launches. His early balloons often carried experiments for schools and individuals, some resulting in published papers. In time he connected with a UK-based company called Filmed In Space, and began to be the resource they tap for ad clients looking for something different. Eventually, his hobby became a means to set up a business. Today he calls his work a “lifestyle.” It entails at times long hours and travel, but because he’s so passionate about it, it almost doesn’t feel like work – it’s so incorporated into his own personal life being in the great outdoors. This is something I’ve discovered over many interviews and in my own life – if you’re passionate about your work, it ceases to be “work” and more of a drive, a passion, where you can’t wait to get to work. For John, he’s found a lifestyle that happens to have clients willing to pay.

Launch with Us can launch up to four products (and experiments) using one balloon, creating some economies of scale. “I also use different lenses to create unique effects – like a 360-degree view of the entire panorama of the sky, earth and balloon,” explains John. “Launch with Us provides the platform for the client, and we can adjust the video documentation per a client’s request.” So far, in addition to local schools, universities and individuals, Launch with Us has put into near-space brands such as Tops Friendly Markets, MasterCard, Oreos and Owala water bottles, as well as items like a pickleball racket, Kermit the Frog, and models of NASA’s Artemis space rocket. Garesché maintains an interest in doing science, and continues to do launches for educators, film makers, schools, and researchers. While he does charge considerably less for schools and non-profits, putting a brand into near Earth orbit and videotaping the process isn’t cheap – anywhere from $6,000 to $25,000.

Garesché’s initial business intent was to videotape a product or item in space. But increasingly, requests of Launch With Us include “BTS” – “behind the scenes” footage - the preparing and launching of the balloons, as well as capturing the exciting moment the balloon explodes when it hits its maximum, and then drops dramatically back to earth. Clients want the “whole story,” not just a finished product. Once the footage is incorporated into a polished video, they are often used in a brand’s marketing campaigns, online, TV, etc. You can watch one of these brand videos that Launch with Us worked when it sent Mug Root Beer and Baskin & Robbins into near space: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLVCo7Yd-3E)

Garesché said to note “the subtlety of video clearly rocking and moving as the balloon goes up, and then falls – it makes it feel like the viewer is right there, traveling with the brand or product.”

The business of sending brands up into space, as one might assume, is a near-unique business. How niche, you might ask? According to Garesché, there are really only three companies in the world that does what he does – he being one. And it happens to be located here in Kingston. When asked for any advice to those looking to go into business – to be an entrepreneur like himself – Garesché offers the advice of “go slow – don’t feel you have to spend a bunch of money up front, and stay focused and flexible.

Great advice, John! In the meantime – up, up and away!