Rising Stars: Meet Kody Block of Mesa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kody Block.

Hi Kody, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been driven by creativity, capturing the beauty of the world and the people in it. As a child, I took photos with my parents’ cameras, and as I grew older, I explored editing on my first phone. In college at the University of Missouri, I pursued a degree in journalism, diving deeper into photography and video storytelling by creating hype videos for the athletics department.

Though I was passionate about storytelling, I initially pursued a more “stable” career, starting in sales at AT&T after graduating in 2019. While I made valuable friendships, the job didn’t align with my values. Let’s just say I wasn’t necessarily passionate about telecommunications products, and making cold calls from a desk all day wasn’t my forte. The stress and lack of purpose weighed heavily on me, and the job lasted 4 months before I decided to quit. After that I bounced around for a while, moving between jobs and cities from a couple of years. I sold car wax at gas stations while simultaneously working at a production agency in Denver, Colorado during the COVID-19 pandemic, and eventually transitioned to a remote Career Coaching job.

We all go through ups and downs, but not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my career was perhaps the most challenging time in my life. I felt lost, without a clean sense of purpose or direction. I knew I loved photography and videography, and that perhaps I wanted to pursue this as a career, but I didn’t really know where to start. So, I did what anyone would do in this position, hop online and start job searching on Indeed.

One day I came across an open Content Creator position with TDA Global Cycling for their Hippie Trail Cycling Adventure in India. I decided to apply and received the offer, marking a turning point in my life. Since then, I’ve traveled across three continents and 15 countries with TDA, which also helped me grow my own business, Inspire Productions, within Arizona and beyond. My mission is simple: to bring the world closer through creative and authentic storytelling, supporting organizations that seek to amplify their voices. That’s where I am today, excited about what the future holds.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been anything but a smooth road, but in my opinion, all of the ups and downs are what keeps life interesting. The struggles are ever-evolving and exist daily, even at this moment.

In the earlier stages it was finding direction for my life, and believing in myself. I found that I instantly wanted all of the answers to the challenging questions, and I had to learn how to search within myself to find them. I realised that in order to move forward I needed to take a few steps back, reflect on my values, and establish a sense of identity.

I had to learn to love the parts of myself that I disliked the most and apply them to a practical businesses-model.

As humans we often want proof of something before we can believe it to be true, but I had to learn have to first believe it could be true in order to make this life a reality. Through journaling, praying, reading, meditating, doing projects for free, performing personal projects, constantly networking and so much more it can become exhausting and you feel like you want to give up. But if you don’t, and you continue to ground yourself in the present moment, you’ll wake up one day and realise just how far you’ve come.

These days my biggest struggle is grounding myself in the present and setting aside comparisons. There’s always going to be people who are doing it “better” than you, and with social media it’s so easy to compare yourself to other people, thinking about the next thing you need to accomplish. But the best moments happen in the here and now. I need to constantly remind myself to continue to move with the flow of life. One of my favorite books, “Into Your Hands Father”, has a quote that I live by:

“When we are so preoccupied with our past and our future, we naturally have neither energy nor openness left for the present moment, the only moment that mediates God’s will.”

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialise in documentary-style storytelling, supporting organisations and individuals who want to bring a voice to their mission. My emphasis has traditionally been in the travel/adventure tourism and the health\wellness industries, but this concept can be applied to any organisation or person, anywhere in the world. I love documenting the journey and drawing out stories that bring people together and inspire positive change in the world. This passion has brought me to many beautiful places and introduced me to many like-minded people who strive to make a similar impact.

I’m proud of how far I’ve come and to have not lost myself along the journey. To remain grounded, grateful, and confident amidst the daily demands and doubts of life, and to continually remind myself that I’m here to serve the greater purpose of inspiring others to be their best selves, not for personal glorification or materialistic success.

I think my curiosity sets me apart from others, and I think this is one of the most important qualities to have as a storyteller. To be grounded in the present and aware of your surroundings, actually putting the camera down from time to time to get to know the people and the world around you, asking open-ended questions that lead to intriguing conversations. It’s about developing trust and human connection, and you can’t really capture authentic moments if someone isn’t comfortable around you. I really just want to get to know people and places so I can tell stories better, and I’m not afraid to ask challenging questions to uncover those stories.

For inquiries about pricing, please reach out to me at kodyblockmedia@gmail.com

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
My favourite book, titled “Into Your Hands Father” by Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen – Although this is a Catholic book I believe it can speak to anyone, as the concept of a deeper surrended to the daily flow of life is explored. It’s taken the weight of the world off my shoulders and simply allowed me to be.

Shoutout to the Coffee Break Academy as well – I’ve been listening to the podcast “Coffee Break Italian” for 5 years now in an attempt to learn Italian on my own, and it’s been my most helpful resource. I have a dream of filming a documenary in Italy one day, and this has been a major support system in helping me achieve this goal! Grazie mille, l’Accademia di Coffee Break” PS they also have many other languages – French, Spanish, Chinese, Swedish, and German!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kbvisuals.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kodyblock/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kodyblock/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kodyblock
• Other: kodyblockmedia@gmail.com

Image Credits
Kody Block, KB Visuals 2024