New Series DEFIANT HISTORY Sets August 4th Release Date
The new pilot series is directed by Brandon Loran Maxwell who directed the popular film AMERICAN HOMEBOY.
LOS ANGELES, CA. — Brandon Loran Maxwell, the award winning director behind AMERICAN HOMEBOY, is back with a new series entitled DEFIANT HISTORY, a micro-documentary project produced through his independent multimedia startup Chela Media.
The pilot season will premiere exclusively on the Daily Chela app (IOS & Roku) and Daily Chela YouTube channel on August 4th with plans to expand to Tubi later this year.
Described by Maxwell as "American Pickers meets Parts Unknown—but with a street twist,” DEFIANT HISTORY is a conceptual exploration of the "artifacts, outsiders, and underdogs who define America."
Visually Rich Passion Project
Each episode runs 13–15 minutes and takes viewers on a visually rich journey into different misunderstood and underrepresented pockets of American culture.
The three episode pilot season features stories on lowrider club plaques, Teen Angels Magazine, prison rehabilitation, and graffiti culture. Guests include: Compton David Oropeza (“Tattoo Nation”), Matt Cammarano (Sullen Art Collective), Brian James, Bruno Hernandez (Venice art walls), and others.
Maxwell emphasizes the series was a passion project. "The goal of the project was to humanize, contextualize, and engage in interesting conversations," he says. "There are endless stories to be told."



A Continued Mission
DEFIANT HISTORY reflects the same creative vision that made Maxwell’s last project, AMERICAN HOMEBOY, a breakout success—becoming the #4 movie on Apple TV and earning 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
With DEFIANT HISTORY, Maxwell continues his mission of telling stories that challenge the mainstream narrative and highlight America’s raw, unpolished roots.
Brandon is also author of the new upcoming book, “Bomb The Wall: Musings From The Beltway To The Barrio” (July 14th). The book, now available for pre-order, features 50 essays across 300 pages on topics ranging from politics to pop culture.
For media inquiries, interviews, or early screener access, contact Brandon Loran Maxwell here.
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