Cole Younger Brakebill: A Life in Creativity
I was born in Portales, New Mexico, in 1983 and named after the outlaw Cole Younger. My dad, Davy Brakebill, picked the name after watching The Long Riders, a movie about the James-Younger Gang. In my early years, I embraced that outlaw namesake—not in a wild way, but in the way a country kid would, always drawn to the cowboy way of life. Growing up, I played sports and collected baseball cards—two obsessions that shaped my childhood.
I started off with boots in the dirt and a rope in my hands, but once I picked up a ball, the game changed. My parents, Davy and Karen Brakebill, encouraged me to learn practical, hands-on skills. My dad worked at the Coca-Cola plant, and my mom was a school bus driver. But I was always drawn to creativity. As I committed to team sports through high school, my childhood cowboy lifestyle faded into the background, but my love for art, music, and storytelling never did.
The Spark of Creativity
Sports took center stage, but creativity was always waiting in the wings. I loved art class, especially with Mrs. Sikes, who made me feel like I had something unique to offer.
I’d record songs off the radio onto cassette tapes, layering my own commentary between tracks like I was hosting a show. There were a few times I grabbed the family camcorder, making ridiculous videos with my friends. Then, in 2000, my friend and teammate Paul Hunton handed me a CD with music recording software. That changed everything.
Paul, a talented producer, songwriter, and filmmaker, became a mentor. My first music recordings were rough, but I was hooked. By the time I finished high school, I was burning CDs of my own songs, handing them out to friends. It was the first time I got to share something I created—and I loved it.
The Road to Amarillo
After high school, I had no clear direction. In 2002, I enrolled at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, to study auto body and paint. My dad figured my creativity would lend itself to custom work, and I was open to the idea. Neither of my parents had gone to college, so learning a trade seemed like the right move.
A year later, I moved back to Portales and opened Outlaw Custom Paint & Body. I was 20 years old, running my own shop right next to Pizza Hut, painting custom graphics on trucks. For a year, I poured everything into it. But even as I built a business, my passion for music and video production never faded.
I spent hours recording music with my friends in the office of my body shop after hours, experimenting with guitars, beats, and lyrics. But my creative curiosity didn’t stop there. I borrowed a friend’s video camera and started documenting parts of my life. I didn’t have any way to edit the footage at the time, but I couldn’t stop recording, capturing moments that felt worth holding onto. It wasn’t much, but it was the beginning of my journey into filmmaking. Eventually, I shut down my shop and went back to school at Eastern New Mexico University, studying Mass Media/Communications. I got to do “lab work” at the PBS station on campus, running cameras and sound for live broadcasts. The hands-on work excited me, but the classroom side didn’t click. After two semesters, I dropped out.
I moved to Clovis, New Mexico and drifted back into paint and body work—first at Bender’s Family of Dealerships, then at Solar Shield, doing custom paint jobs. Wanting to work with the best, I moved to Lubbock and joined Hill’s Hot Rods, known for their custom square-body Chevy builds. That job took me to major car and truck shows, including SEMA in Las Vegas. But in 2008, after my uncle Donald Brakebill passed away, I moved to Amarillo to be closer to my cousins—James, Dalton, and Dillon.
Building a Career
In 2010, I took a job at Bell Helicopter, painting V-22 Ospreys, AH-1Z attack helicopters, and UH-1Y Hueys. Over 14 years, I painted hundreds of aircraft, including a dozen for the Presidential Support Fleet. Then, in August 2024, I transitioned from painting into supply chain as a procurement professional at Bell. The change has been refreshing, pushing me in new ways.
Meanwhile, my music career took off. With a steady job, I upgraded my recording setup, released my first album, and co-founded Roosevelt Road in 2012 with fellow Portales native Jordan Ennis. We focused on rodeo-themed country hip-hop, and through a partnership with the United States Team Roping Championships, we had a built-in audience. We didn’t need radio play—we had rodeo play. Over the next few years, we made 11 albums, but while we performed occasionally, I always preferred creating music over playing live. Though Roosevelt Road eventually faded, our music still streams worldwide, with over a million streams on Spotify alone each year.
A New Creative Chapter: Video Production
A few years ago, I bought a 1977 Blazer and an ’89 Suburban-turned-crew-cab pickup to restore. I started documenting the builds on YouTube using my iPhone. That’s when my friend Michael Green stepped in. He lent me a real video camera, and I was hooked. I bought it from him and dove headfirst into learning video production, with Mr. Green mentoring me along the way. Before long, I stopped working on trucks and started filming everything—sports games, charity events, a roping video with Sylvester Mayfield, and promo videos for small businesses.
Filming Rodeo and Beyond
Wanting to shoot more rodeo content, I reached out to Shad Mayfield in early 2024. Shad is Sylvester’s son, and I had recorded a song for him in 2018, so I still had his number. I asked if I could make a video about him, and he agreed. I met him at his place in Lipan, Texas, followed him to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, and captured every moment. I called the film Money $zn, slowing things down to show what a champion does outside the arena. Later, I filmed another short with him at the Pioneer Days Rodeo in Clovis, titled Homegrown. Soon after, Shad won the All-Around title at the 2024 National Finals Rodeo.
In Open Air
The biggest opportunity of my career came when I crossed paths with Panhandle PBS. I had just finished my one-man short film, Don’t Bet the Horse You Rode in On, and was promoting it on social media when I connected with Panhandle PBS CEO Kevin Ball and General Manager Julie Grimes. They were looking for someone to take on a documentary about public art in Amarillo, and I got the gig.
I signed on in June 2024 and finished In Open Air in February 2025. It was more work than I ever imagined. I was used to quick turnaround projects, but this documentary had to evolve. I must have made hundreds of versions, refining it constantly. I also had to learn to narrate—something I hadn’t done before. I approached it like music recording—delivering with confidence and clarity. By the end of those eight months, I didn’t just feel like a video guy—I was a filmmaker.
The documentary explores Amarillo’s unique and sometimes mysterious public art, from Cadillac Ranch to the Dynamite Museum’s Sign Project and the Hoodoo Mural Festival. Clovis, New Mexico’s own Drew Merritt is featured in Episode 2, The Mural Movement, documenting his 2024 Hoodoo mural. I hope the series gives people a broader understanding of the quirky art scene here.
What’s Next?
Now that In Open Air is finished, I’m excited about what’s next. I’d love to direct another documentary, and I know the right project will come in time. But for now, I’m taking a moment to step back and appreciate the journey that got me here.
My path has been anything but straightforward, but every turn has led me to this point. Whether it was making mixtapes as a kid, painting custom graphics, producing music, or restoring trucks, it all played a role in shaping me into the filmmaker I am today. The next project will come when the time is right, and I’m looking forward to it when it does.
Taking a Moment
Before I dive into the next big project, I’m going to take some time to focus on my family and enjoy the many blessings in my life. I have a lot to be grateful for—my beautiful wife, Kelly, of almost seven years, and our two amazing daughters, Olivia and Charlotte. They’ve supported me through every creative endeavor, every late-night edit, and every new idea I chase.
For now, I just want to be present, soak in these moments, and appreciate how far this journey has taken me. The next adventure will come soon enough—but right now, I’m right where I need to be.
