hoffmann had his start in the mountains with a 16 mm camera. having grown up in the black forest region of germany, he started skiing at an early age and it quickly became a significant part of his life. as he traveled to distant mountain ranges, it became difficult to find a cameraman who was skilled enough and willing to partake in the adventures so he started to operate the cameras himself. in the early 1990s he began studying journalism in munich and got his first job in the industry working as a producer and journalist in sports television.