We were lucky to catch up with Ben Grijalva recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Reps, reps, and more reps. I wholeheartedly believe it is because of the repetitions I’ve completed the past eight years working with a camera that I can say I’ve mastered many aspects of my craft. I hold the concept of putting a thousand hours in to truly master a skill to be true, especially after seeing what I could do solely by learning the ins and outs of my camera. I was always researching, learning, and then applying newfound knowledge with what I had. With every repetition my abilities behind the camera were only bound to become stronger.

Looking back on my journey to where I am now, one of the hurdles I wish I had faced sooner was overcoming fear. The fear of stepping into the unknown, the fear of making a mistake, the fear of rejection. Oftentimes I never knew where to start with developing a concept or how to utilize the gear I had before me and I would ultimately give up because of my ignorance in certain situations. It wasn’t until I realized that it was up to me, and only me, to find a solution to every problem I encountered that I would then start to see progress. Once I learned that on the other side of fear was understanding, success, and joy my approach to any uncomfortable situation changed. I eventually would start looking forward to scenarios I was clueless about because I was determined to learn how I could tackle them.

Skills that I have found to be essential are curiosity and grit. These two in particular have enabled me to stay hungry and continue working hard despite being in what I considered to be my dream job almost nearly a decade ago. Staying curious allows someone to always be open to learning and looking to discover new avenues within their work, which leaves room to always do better and can lead to exponential growth over time. Grit is what keeps us in the game whenever we fall short, with it we can know that we’re not going to make every shot we take but with every one we make we grow stronger.

The biggest obstacle I faced was myself at most times. My mind was always trying to convince myself that I wasn’t fit for a role or that I wouldn’t be able to square up with the best in the game. It wasn’t until I started to focus on only what I could control that things really started to change. I pivoted by starting to make sure that I was creating what I enjoyed and delved into what I found fascinating. Once I started focusing on my controllables and stayed in my own lane, the road ahead seemed to start creating itself.

Ben, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Ben and I am a Video Producer for Major League Soccer’s Charlotte Football Club. My journey began as a young teen where I initially fell in love with the world’s game, fútbol. After falling out of touch with baseball, which I’d played most of my early life, my brother introduced me to soccer during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. I grew up in an American household but my Mexican heritage had always kept soccer on the back of my mind. I never quite understood it because of this and thanks to my brother I quickly grew to love the game and would watch, play, and follow the sport in all capacities. I attribute the first thought of being a videographer to watching a commercial from Beats by Dre during the 2014 World Cup titled “The Game Before the Game”. It was a short-form cinematic approach to players preparing to step onto the pitch. I was captivated from the first watch and immediately was curious as to how it was executed. Following this very moment, I would go on to purchase my first camera which ultimately led me to my current job working in the sport I love, doing the work I found so fascinating.

As a Video Producer for Charlotte FC, alongside my team, it is our responsibility to deliver all video assets for the organization. We are in charge of ideating, capturing, editing, and archiving nearly every moment that the club experiences. One of the parts of working for Charlotte FC that I am most proud of is the culture behind it. There is a strong presence of cooperation, creativity, open-mindedness, and caring that I knew I wanted to be a part of from the moment I got to know them. The club truly cares about its people and that’s in considering its staff, its players, and its fans. Charlotte FC’s creative department as a whole is something I admire dearly as it’s always looking to break the mold within its space. Managing to captivate an audience whilst being able to story tell can be quite the difficult task, but we are always trying to take our work to the next level and it’s because of this that I am thankful to work in an environment such as Charlotte FC’s.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that there is no limit to what we can do. I am beyond blessed to be in a position where on a daily basis I have something new awaiting me the moment I step through the door every day at my job. Whether it’s pushing the limits on a project I’m working on, getting to ideate a new concepts for a new series, or collaborating with others in different spaces. It also allows us to touch our audience in so many different ways. Whether it’s showcasing highlights for sports fanatics or documenting the story of a local business owner to shed light on their work. I’m truly passionate about creative and art that evokes positivity within people and inspires them to do something, especially if it leads to a greater good.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

My first favorite soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo once said, “Talent is nothing without hard work.” If I were to hold up a side-by-side of the first soccer video I ever made to my most recent, you wouldn’t believe they were made by the same person. Not once growing up did I have a tell as to whether or not I would make for a professional videographer, but my awe for craft led me to eventually turn it into my full-time job. With this, I think it’s safe to say any talent can be worked on but it is up to you to take the first step towards reaching success with it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bengrijalva.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bengrij/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bengrij/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bengrij

Image Credits

Taylor Banner