At 33, Grant Taylor has established himself as one of the most respect skaters of this generation.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1991, Grant was introduced to skateboarding by his father Thomas Taylor, a former professional skateboarder. A veteran of Atlanta’s early skate days, Thomas started skating pools, DIY vert ramps, and concrete skatepark transition in the ‘70s, and in 1986 opened Stratosphere Skateboards, the city’s first independent and skater-owned shop. By the time Grant was old enough to own his first skateboard – a setup belonging to Julien Stranger that was left behind at Stratosphere – his father’s shop had grown to become the hub of Atlanta’s growing skate scene.
The influence of Grant’s father in his life was immense, through both his own legacy and talent as a skater, as well as the community which he raised his son into. Throughout his childhood, Grant would watch skaters drop by the house to skate the backyard mini ramp, and pick through his father’s vast collection of skate videos on VHS, which served as early inspiration in his developing style.
By the time he was 6 years old, Grant was going downtown with his dad to skate. Only a few years later, he was filming videos with his father’s company Torque Skateboards, and competing in amateur skate contests across the country. By age 12, Grant attracted sponsorships from Volcom as well as Nike, and appeared in their first Nike SB video, On Tap (2004). Grant dropped out of high school, and through his long-standing relationships with Nike, Volcom, and Thrasher, spent much of his teenage years on skate trips and tours.
After being approached by Alien Workshop team manager Tony Heitz, Grant started riding for the company. By age 17, he was featured in Alien’s full-length video Mind Field (2009), followed by a part in Debacle (2009) with Nike SB a few months later. Shortly after the release of Debacle, Alien Workshop released his first pro model skateboard.
In 2010, Grant won Thrasher’s King of The Road contest, and the following year was awarded their title of 2011’s Skater of the Year. When he wasn’t touring, he was back home in Atlanta, skating his father’s massive concrete backyard bowl next door. Grant’s multi-faceted approach to skating increased his appeal across all generations, and helped keep transition popular in an era dominated by street clips.
At the end of 2013, Grant quit Alien Workshop and, with Jeff Grosso’s encouragement, started riding boards from Anti-Hero. In a short matter of time, Grant was riding professionally for the company, appearing in their next full-length Destination Unknown (2014).
Now living in Los Angeles while raising a family of his own, Grant has been a cornerstone of the legendary Anti-Hero team for more than a decade.
For Issue 10 of Living Proof Magazine, Grant Taylor spoke with Angel Cheng about growing up surrounded by skateboarding, being a father, riding for Anti-Hero, going on skate trips, and more.
This story was written by Eden DaSilva for the release of Issue 10 of Living Proof Magazine. Now available on our Patreon and Online Shop.
photos: Marco Hernandez
