Grant Steven Wilson (born July 3, 1974) is an American plumber and the co-founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), which is based in Warwick, Rhode Island. He is also the star and co-producer of SyFy's cable television reality series, Ghost Hunters.
Grant was kind enough to talk with Maymay and answer the questions she had.
Grant was kind enough to talk with Maymay and answer the questions she had.
What made you get involved with ghost hunting?
When I was 15 I started down this road. I had a personal experience that lasted for about two years straight. It's pretty personal, so I don't like to talk too much about it. Thankfully I had two good friends that helped me prove I wasn't insane. I searched for answers to what happened to me and I found that there were many people who where terrified to live in their own homes. I quickly learned that I could offer them information, knowledge, and help in exchange for exposure to the paranormal. I love helping people so, I was naturally hooked.
What kind of training do you need?
You definitely shouldn't try to do what you see on Ghost Hunters without some training. I always suggest joining a TAPS Family team. But always take everything you see, hear, and read with a grain of salt. There aren't really any experts in the field, only those with experience. It's still a science in its infancy, so we need brave bold pioneers to help shape the future.
A lot of movies show ghosts being scary has anything ever scared you?
Ghosts really don't scare me. You'll get surprised here and there, but not truly scared. The living do. Ghosts are just people. While there are other things that you will come across, almost all the time they are just people and can be dealt with as such. Hollywood has really set back the paranormal investigation field. We fight against its stigma every day. Treat them with respect, kindness, and understanding and you'll get a lot further.
What was the most interesting experience you had?
That's a tough one. I have had so many, and each one holds my fascination in its own way. I have been hit, punched, grabbed, slapped, push, scratched etc. by all sorts of paranormal things. I love it. Sometimes you catch evidence on your camera, sometimes on your audio recorder, and sometimes on your skin. Once we sold a 60 year old missing person case with an EVP.
How do you become a ghost hunter?
Well, you either have a passion for it and a strong desire to have an experience and help, or you get it thrust upon you through a significant paranormal experience. Then you put in the time. You make mistakes. You learn. Join a team and learn some more. Then maybe form your own team.
Is the equipment hard to use?
The tough part about the equipment is that very little of it is made specifically for paranormal investigation. So, you just have to know what the equipment was made to do, and interpret its readings for your own research.
What kind of equipment do you use?
Infrared cameras, thermal imaging cameras, EMF detectors, ambient thermometers, seismographs, Laser grids, DVR systems, Audio recorders, shadow detectors, etc.
Do ghosts have a sense of humor?
Of course they do. Jason and I bot got goosed by different ghosts simultaneously when we were on different floors of a building. Almost any question you want to ask about ghosts can usually be answered by replacing "ghosts" with "people".
Was it hard to talk to your friends and family about ghost hunting?
They really didn't understand much about what I was doing. They were usually just nervous and didn't want me to mess with things I didn't understand. But I wasn't. I was helping people who normally would have nowhere else to turn.
Did your mom give you a hard time about being a ghost hunter?
No. Like I said, she didn't really get it at first, but she trusted me. Once the show came out it was really nice because people could finally come along with us and see what we do. Having that better understanding broke down a lot of walls.
When I was 15 I started down this road. I had a personal experience that lasted for about two years straight. It's pretty personal, so I don't like to talk too much about it. Thankfully I had two good friends that helped me prove I wasn't insane. I searched for answers to what happened to me and I found that there were many people who where terrified to live in their own homes. I quickly learned that I could offer them information, knowledge, and help in exchange for exposure to the paranormal. I love helping people so, I was naturally hooked.
What kind of training do you need?
You definitely shouldn't try to do what you see on Ghost Hunters without some training. I always suggest joining a TAPS Family team. But always take everything you see, hear, and read with a grain of salt. There aren't really any experts in the field, only those with experience. It's still a science in its infancy, so we need brave bold pioneers to help shape the future.
A lot of movies show ghosts being scary has anything ever scared you?
Ghosts really don't scare me. You'll get surprised here and there, but not truly scared. The living do. Ghosts are just people. While there are other things that you will come across, almost all the time they are just people and can be dealt with as such. Hollywood has really set back the paranormal investigation field. We fight against its stigma every day. Treat them with respect, kindness, and understanding and you'll get a lot further.
What was the most interesting experience you had?
That's a tough one. I have had so many, and each one holds my fascination in its own way. I have been hit, punched, grabbed, slapped, push, scratched etc. by all sorts of paranormal things. I love it. Sometimes you catch evidence on your camera, sometimes on your audio recorder, and sometimes on your skin. Once we sold a 60 year old missing person case with an EVP.
How do you become a ghost hunter?
Well, you either have a passion for it and a strong desire to have an experience and help, or you get it thrust upon you through a significant paranormal experience. Then you put in the time. You make mistakes. You learn. Join a team and learn some more. Then maybe form your own team.
Is the equipment hard to use?
The tough part about the equipment is that very little of it is made specifically for paranormal investigation. So, you just have to know what the equipment was made to do, and interpret its readings for your own research.
What kind of equipment do you use?
Infrared cameras, thermal imaging cameras, EMF detectors, ambient thermometers, seismographs, Laser grids, DVR systems, Audio recorders, shadow detectors, etc.
Do ghosts have a sense of humor?
Of course they do. Jason and I bot got goosed by different ghosts simultaneously when we were on different floors of a building. Almost any question you want to ask about ghosts can usually be answered by replacing "ghosts" with "people".
Was it hard to talk to your friends and family about ghost hunting?
They really didn't understand much about what I was doing. They were usually just nervous and didn't want me to mess with things I didn't understand. But I wasn't. I was helping people who normally would have nowhere else to turn.
Did your mom give you a hard time about being a ghost hunter?
No. Like I said, she didn't really get it at first, but she trusted me. Once the show came out it was really nice because people could finally come along with us and see what we do. Having that better understanding broke down a lot of walls.
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