Today we’d like to introduce you to Grant Kessler
Hi Grant, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It’s actually pretty ironic how I got into the sport of Buhurt (also known as Armored Combat, Medieval Combat, even Medieval MMA). I had gotten back into lifting and specifically wanting to powerlift and lose weight March 2019. I figured I would go ahead and record and share my progress, on YouTube and started posting videos not too long after. November 2019 we went to the Texas Renaissance Festival and I had seen a sign for Full Steel Combat advertised as non-choreographed real fighting, and thought there was no way it was real armor and weapons. It definitely was, and the show I watched someone actually got hurt even. I vlogged the day and it’s on my YouTube as well saying I was going to do it (https://youtu.be/q_cFNpBcmmI). January 2020 I went to my first practice and have been doing it since (https://youtu.be/k0drPq9Xs6s)!
Since then I took a note from some influencers on YouTube and Instagram I personally like and listened to the advice of if you can find a way to profit off something you enjoy, why wouldn’t you. I also was totally interested in helping promote the sport as it was very niche still at the time. I took posting to social media much more seriously and took the sport a lot more seriously as well. I’ve won 2 national bronze medals since then for team melee fights with the team I’m on, the San Jacinto Knights of Houston, in 2021 and 2022 and came very close to bronze in Longsword duels as well.
I’ve also been a huge part of Full Steel Combat, which is the show group that does shows at places like the Texas Renaissance Festival and Comicpalooza in Houston. We’ve done some really cool shows like the Coca-Cola and All-Star races for NASCAR, the intermission show for the Dallas Stars hockey team, and even worked with Blizzard Entertainment (World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo game series) as well. Lots of smaller events and venues too from fights at local bars to smaller renaissance festivals, work events, and even the medieval event before an encore for the Houston Symphony.
Most recently we auditioned and went live on America’s Got Talent (aired 6/10, season 19 episode 6). We were super grateful to be on the show and aired.
I’m monetized and over 100k followers on most social media platforms at this point and working with different sponsors and collaborations to boost that even more. I’ve recently opened an online shop as well for some gear and products to support.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely has not been. I’m a husband and father to 3 children (ages 12, 10, and 8) and I have a full time job as an inventory manager, which can get quite demanding off and on. Most of my funding has been from my job, so I have to watch which events I’ve gone to and what gear I use.
Good budgeting and time management has been key.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I think most of the work worth focusing on is my fighting, social media, and videos. I’m very passionate about that and love doing it. Even the ones that don’t get many views – some of those are my personal favorites. It’s ironic how that works out sometimes.
I love being able to put my creativity into video and photo form and tell a story that way, and I’ve progressed a lot since I started with it. I was also self taught on everything, so it’s been a frustratingly fun challenge.
For my professional career, I’m super grateful for it and have specialized in my field now for 13 years and moved from the bottom up fairly high. Hard work and good work integrity has kept my career progressing. I wouldn’t mind my social media taking over as a main career.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m looking to collaborate a lot more in the workout, buhurt, cosplay, and overall medieval fields. I’m in the middle of expanding my video content to include a lot more of this.
I’m also working on different types of promotion and what I guess you would call acting and modeling. It’s something I’d like to at least dabble in so I’m working on a few things to push that further as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fitlikeaknight.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/GrantTheKnight
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/GrantTheKnight
- Twitter: https://x.com/GrantTheKnight
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/granttheknight/
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@granttheknight
Image Credits
They’re all mine.
