Mat Best is a former U.S. Army Ranger serving with the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He was deployed five times to Iraq and Afghanistan, four times to Operation Iraqi Freedom and once to Operation Enduring Freedom as a fire team leader. He then spent five years working as a private military contractor. In 2012, Best created his first YouTube video, and his social media presence has since accumulated more than three million subscribers and fans while generating hundreds of millions of views. Best is also the co-founder of three successful businesses, Black Rifle Coffee, Leadslingers Whiskey, and Article 15 Clothing, and serves as executive vice president of Black Rifle Coffee. In addition, he co-produced the feature film Range 15, the most successful independent, crowd-funded film at the box office in the summer of 2016. Raised in Santa Barbara, California, and the youngest of six from a military family, Mat Best lives in San Antonio, Texas.