Bradley Beesley is a documentary director who has made a career out of capturing the unusual and often overlooked aspects of American culture. His journey in filmmaking began in 1999, when he spent time drinking moonshine with blues musician R.L. Burnside.
Since then, Beesley has directed nine feature-length documentaries, including Hill Stomp Hollar, which premiered at SXSW, Okie Noodling, which aired on PBS, Summercamp!, which was featured on the Sundance Channel, The Creek Runs Red, which was part of the Independent Lens series, Okie Noodling II, which also aired on PBS, Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo, which was broadcast on HBO, and Fathers of Football, which is available on Amazon.
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Beesley has a strong connection to the state and its music scene. He has worked closely with the Oklahoma-based band The Flaming Lips, directing Fearless Freaks, a documentary that covers 15 years of their career, as well as co-directing the concert film UFOs at the Zoo and the sci-fi film Christmas in Mars with the band's lead singer, Wayne Coyne.
In addition to his work in film, Beesley has also directed several television series, including Paranormal State for A&E, Storm Chasers for the Discovery Channel, Rollergirls for A&E, and Quints by Surprise for TLC. He is also the creator and executive producer of Mudcats, a series that focuses on the noodlers he brought to the public eye over a decade ago.
When he's not working on film or television projects, Beesley turns his attention to commercial work, having directed ads for clients such as Yeti, Costa, Jameson, and Facebook.
