Meet Matthew Grimes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Grimes.

Matthew, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
For as long as I can remember, I wanted a life in sports. I played sports from the time I was three until I graduated high school. All my childhood, I dreamed of playing college football. Early in high school, I had done everything I needed to do to make that dream come true. Going into my sophomore year of high school, I knew I would realize my life long goal and play college football- it was only a matter of time. At the kickoff of our first game that year, I tore almost every major ligament in my knee, putting me on an excruciating nine-month track back to sports. It was during that time that I really fell in love with sports media. Since I had no physical outlet for sports, all my mental energy was spent on sports media. From Sports Illustrated to College Gameday, to the Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz, sports media became my biggest hobby while my true passion was put on hold. After healing and rehabbing my knee, I realized my body would never be the same, and even if I could one day play at the college level, I was not sure the pain was worth it.

So, I jumped headfirst into chasing the dream of working in sports media. It began as a dream to write, but late in my junior year of high school I picked up a camera for the first time and was hooked. I saved up as quickly as I could and bought my own DSLR and began to take pictures of anything I could. Friends, nature and whatever sports I could. I remember buying really good tickets to games just so I could be close enough to take cool shots from the stands. There was one point when I dropped everything and spent an absurd amount of money to take a road trip to Oklahoma to take pictures of my favorite team from the stands. I just wanted it that bad.

After high school, I enrolled at Georgia State as a journalism major. Very shortly after, I was offered a position as a sports reporter for the Covington News. I spent the next few months covering all kinds of high school sports as a writer, photographer, and social media correspondent. I tried it all. Slowly but surely, I began to really fall in love with the visually creative side of sports coverage.

I’d say the first big break that connected me with the most impactful people in my career was getting the opportunity to shoot the 2018 GHSA football championship games at Mercedes Benz Stadium. I got some really cool shots of top high school football players and really started to push out my content on social media. That day, I connected with iSmooth who has been so huge in helping me have steady work doing what I love.

Now, I am blessed to be able to say sports media work is my main job, making my life a dream.

Has it been a smooth road?
The two biggest struggles had was having to do so much work for free to make connections and get exposure and trying to save for new equipment. This past summer, I did so much work for free while trying to save for new equipment. And if you don’t know, just visit a big camera brand’s website and look at some of those prices. That was really frustrating knowing that I have such big dreams I wanted to accomplish soon, but I needed better equipment to be able to perform at that level. But honestly, I’ve met so many awesome, helpful people and been put in so many amazing situations that I really can’t complain about my road so far at all. Armed with hindsight, the struggle has made me work even harder and appreciate where I am now even more.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Matthew Grimes Media – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
My two biggest passions are sports media, which I am probably most known for and accomplished in, and urban/street photography. My sports work is the platform I’ve built my brand on. Urban and street photography is really more of just a pure hobby as I’ve really never done any client work that way. Spending some free time out in the city trying to find beautiful scenes is like a fun challenge for me. If there’s a market for that kind of work, I’d definitely do more of it, but I kind of enjoy keeping that just for fun.

With all my images, I want to capture the story of that moment. Some of my favorite pictures are on the sideline during a football game. No one pays attention to the sideline during games and that is often where I find my favorite scenes. I’d say my ability to find unique scenes is something I am proud of and something that sets me apart.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love Atlanta. It is the perfect blend of small-town community and big-city ambition. Each building is unique and every person has a story. Even the street names have such interesting history behind them. I feel as if Atlanta is a city with a chip on its shoulder, striving to defy the odds. I feel the same way.

The only thing I hate about Atlanta is the drivers. Come on guys, we’ve got to be better.

Contact Info:

• Website: matthewgrimesmedia.com
• Email: matthewgrimesphoto@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewgrimesphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthewgrimesphoto/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mgrimessports

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