You’ve seen his work and you know his name. We are so excited to announce our newest hire and member of the Striv Family, Ben Mohorn.
Ben is the definition of non-traditional. At 19, most student’s his age have just begun their college experience, but Ben is beginning his career.
At an early age, Ben was intrigued with technology and what it could do. He spent all his time carrying around a go-pro or his phone camera just trying to capture what was going on around him. It began with photography, and taking quick shots of friends and family, and slowly progressed into learning the ins and outs of videography.
Realizing his passion, his parents decided that homeschooling Ben would be for his benefit. He was able to create when he wanted to while still getting the standard education, and it paid off. While paintballing with some friends one weekend, he decided to create a fun video detailing their experience, and it ended up being really popular on Facebook. So popular, that the York soccer coach approached him and asked if he would create a video featuring the soccer team for their upcoming season.
“I took the job, even though I had no idea what I was doing. It was like trying to fly an airplane without any guidance on how to do it. It took me forever to finish, but I realized it was something I enjoyed and I wanted to get better at it,” said Ben.
As he got older, he realized he enjoyed other things sports related. Ben loved football, and for his junior year, he was able to leave the homeschooling behind and go part-time at York Public High School to pursue this passion.
“Being able to go part-time to high school gave me so much freedom to create during the day, or train for football when I wanted to. Rather than just sitting in a building all day.” 
Which leads us to an early career path. Taylor Siebert, CEO of StrivTV saw Ben’s video. Eventually, the two ran into each other at a basketball tournament where Taylor asked about his experience and if he’d like to tag along on some trips and film for him. Eventually, leading him to an internship and now a full-time job with Striv.
“I took the internship because I knew I wanted a challenge and something that would help me get better at what I loved. It was also the perfect place for me to be during my gap year as I had already decided that I didn’t want to go to college right after graduation.”
Another non-traditional decision that paid off.
Now you can find Ben working as an employee at Striv editing videos during the week and creating content that not only improves his skills as a videographer but is also helping to create a portfolio that will carry more weight than a college degree ever could.
“The best thing about working for Striv has been the community. It’s not your average day job where you’re locked in a desk from 8-5. I love working together with the team and seeing our final projects all come together. I’m really encouraged to get out there and learn while doing, and it’s been super challenging and rewarding.
Through this experience, he’s learned that it’s best to learn by doing, and not sitting there staring at textbooks.
“I’ve found most of my success with hands-on learning. I love doing the exercises and putting in the work. I’ve shot all kinds of different sporting events and each one has taught me something new. I wouldn’t have learned it if I hadn’t just been told to figure it out”
Taking the non-traditional route through school has really opened his eyes to a lot of things that other students his age don’t get to experience.
“I’ve learned that you just have to try new things and get messy with it. No one starts as a professional so don’t make excuses that you don’t have the right gear or equipment. It’s never about the equipment. It’s still a challenge for me and that’s why I took a year off. One of my big things is to always be learning. You will never, with video and media, you are never caught up. If your goal is five years ahead and you finally reach it, you have another five years ahead of you. It’s just trying to learn and soak in everything I can take. I just want to become a solid editor and learning the trade. I want to learn how to do it and get the experience.”
Most 19-year-olds can’t say that they’ve found their passion, but Ben is already on the right track, and we are so lucky to have him here at Striv.
Alyssa Allmon
