# Willy Santos

Willy Monolato Santos (born c. 1975) is a Filipino-American professional skateboarder and entrepreneur, specializing in street skateboarding. He was one of the original skaters with Tony Hawk's Birdhouse Skateboards team. In 1992, he was the TransWorld Skateboarding skater of the year. He won the Munster World Cup Street Contest in Germany in 1997. Thrasher Magazine calls him "one of the best street skaters during the dark early 90s."

## Early life

Willy Monolato Santos was born in a military base in Subic Bay, Philippines around 1975. His father is a United States Navy engineer from Manila and his mother is Kapampangan.
When his father was transferred by the Navy, his family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas when he was one year old and to San Diego, California when he was two. The family moved back to Subic Bay when he was in the second grade. They returned to San Diego when Santos was in fifth grade.
Santos took up skateboarding after seeing youths in his area who were also into the sport. He started participating in amateur contests in San Diego when he was thirteen years old.

## Career

Santos was one of the first Filipino professional skaters. He turned professional when he was fifteen years old, and was first sponsored by G&S Skateboards. G&S released a Santos skateboard.
When he was in the eleventh grade, he was heavily recruited and was asked to join skateboarding teams by Tony Hawk, Plan B Skateboards, Rodney Mullen, Steve Rocco and Mike Ternasky of World Industries. He joined Tony Hawk as one of the original riders for Birdhouse Skateboards in 1992 and was given a used Honda Accord as part of his sponsorship deal. Santos suggested then-amateurs Andrew Reynolds and Matt Beach for the Birdhouse team. Later, he discovered Jim Greco and recruited him to the team.
Santos is regarded by Thrasher Magazine as "one of the best street skaters during the dark early 90s." In 1992, he was the TransWorld Skateboarding skater of the year. In June 1997, he was ranked fifth in the world. He placed third in the first X Games Street Contest in Rhode Island in 1997, competing against Tony Hawk. He then won the Munster World Cup Street Contest in Germany in 1997. In 1998, he won the New Jersey Vans Triple Crown Street Contest. He also won the Gravity Games Best Trick Street in 2000.
Santos appeared in several skate videos for the team such as Feasters (1992) and The End (1998). He was known for his "nollie nosegrind down handrails". He used a dog graphic on his skateboards in the 1990s and early 2000s. He also was sponsored by Vans and had a signature shoe in 1997.
After almost 25 years, he left Birdhouse to form his own skateboard company, Willys Workshop in Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California. where he now coaches skaters for his brand. He uses Filipino imagery on his products. In 2012, HBO featured Santos in its East of Main Street series.

## Media appearances

Santos appears as one of the playable pro skaters in Grind Session for the PlayStation.

## Personal life

Santos lives in Mira Mesa, San Diego, California. He has two children with his wife Shelly.

## Filmography
### Films and videos

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1992 | Feasters | Himself |
| 1993 | Ravers | Himself |
| 1994 | The Skateboard Kid 2 | Mike Roads |
| 1996 | Europe 1996 | Himself |
| 1996 | Balance In The World of Chaos | Himself |
| 1998 | The End | Himself |
| 2000 | Tampa 2000 | Himself |
| 2001 | Destroying America | Himself |
| 2007 | The Beginning | Himself |
| 2007 | Transworld Skateboarding Presents Trick Tips with Willy Santos: Instructional Video Number Two | Himself |
| 2009 | It's Always Sunnies In Australia | Himself |
| 2010 | East Coast Tour | Himself |
| 2011 | Tour Du Monde | Himself |
| 2020 | SK8MAFIA 2020 | Himself |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | References |
| 2000 | Grind Session | Himself | Playable skater | |