Stephen Crome

Stephen Crome grew up in Philly, surrounded by parents who soaked him in art, music, films—the whole creative buffet. Pretty much as soon as he could, he dove headfirst into tattoo culture. At 19, he scored an apprenticeship, got his hands dirty in a studio, and never really looked back. Late ‘70s, he ditched the East Coast for California. By ’84, he was out of Cal Poly Humboldt with a Journalism degree, trying his hand at the newspaper grind. Didn’t stick, honestly—newsroom life felt stale, so he bounced back to tattooing, chasing a second, deeper apprenticeship at Hollywood’s Sunset Strip Tattoo in ‘88. Back then, that place was ground zero for ink in SoCal. By ’89, Laguna Tattoo in Laguna Beach came calling, and a few years later? He owned the joint. Ran it for three decades with an ever-changing lineup of artists, keeping things fresh till he finally sold the shop in 2022 and drifted down to San Diego. Movies? Oh man, Stephen’s obsessed. Silents, indie flicks, weird underground stuff—he’s seen it all and loves it all. Lately, he’s been getting his hands into indie film production, finally scratching that filmmaking itch he’s had for years. When he’s not lost in cinema, he’s out traveling, scuba diving, hitting hiking trails, biking, snapping photos, you name it. His Instagram’s basically a scrapbook of his life—if you’re curious, that’s where you’ll find him, living it up and sharing the ride.