Chapman Way | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2014 – present |
| Relatives | Maclain Way (brother) Brocker Way (brother) |
Chapman Way is an American documentary filmmaker.[1][2] He is best known for co-creating the Netflix series Untold and for producing and directing the series Wild Wild Country, The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga, and America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.[3][4][5][6] In 2018, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series for Wild Wild Country.[7]
Early life
Chapman was born in Ventura County, California.[8] He is a grandson of actor Bing Russell and nephew of actor Kurt Russell.[9]
Career
The Battered Bastards of Baseball
Chapman began his filmmaking career with The Battered Bastards of Baseball (2014), co-directed with his brother Maclain Way. The documentary explores the history of the independent Portland Mavericks baseball team and premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.[10] It was later acquired by Netflix.[11]
Wild Wild Country
In 2018, Chapman co-directed Wild Wild Country, a six-part Netflix series about the Rajneeshpuram community in Oregon, led by the spiritual leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho).[12] The series received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.[7]
The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga
In 2024, Chapman directed and produced The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga, which examines the criminal underworld of Tupelo, Mississippi, centered around a notorious local figure.[13]
America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys
Chapman directed and produced America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, an eight-episode Netflix series chronicling Jerry Jones’ acquisition of the Dallas Cowboys and their 1990s dynasty.[14]
Other Work
Chapman co-created and worked on the Netflix series Untold, directing episodes such as Untold: Crimes and Penalties (2021), Untold: Breaking Point (2021), and Untold: The Race of the Century (2022).[15] He also served as an executive producer for other episodes, including Untold: Caitlyn Jenner, Untold: Malice at the Palace, Untold: Deal with the Devil, Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist, Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1, and Untold: Operation Flagrant Foul.[16]
In 2016, Chapman directed a segment for Amazon’s docuseries The New Yorker Presents.[17] In 2023, he produced the HBO documentary The Lionheart, a documentary about the life and legacy of IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, focusing on his career and tragic death in 2011.[18] In 2024, he served as an executive producer for American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders and Untold: The Murder of Air McNair.[19]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Contribution | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Battered Bastards of Baseball | Director, editor, cinematographer and producer | Documentary |
| 2016 | The New Yorker Presents | Director and producer | 1 episode |
| 2018 | Wild Wild Country | Director, sound mixer and producer | Documentary series |
| 2021 | Untold: Crimes & Penalties | Director and producer | Documentary |
| 2021 | Untold: Breaking Point | Director and producer | Documentary |
| 2021 | Untold: Caitlyn Jenner | Executive Producer | Documentary |
| 2021 | Untold: Malice at the Palace | Executive Producer | Documentary |
| 2021 | Untold: Deal with the Devil | Executive Producer | Documentary |
| 2022 | Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist | Executive Producer | Documentary |
| 2022 | Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1 | Executive Producer | Documentary |
| 2022 | Untold: Operation Flagrant Foul | Executive Producer | Documentary |
| 2022 | Untold: The Race of the Century | Director and producer | Documentary |
| 2024 | The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga | Director and Executive producer | Documentary series |
| 2025 | America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys | Director and Executive producer | Documentary series |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Work | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Won | International Documentary Association | Best Limited Series | Wild Wild Country | [20] |
| Won | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series | [7] | ||
| Nominated | Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program | ||||
| Nominated | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program | ||||
| 2019 | Nominated | Cinema Eye Honors | Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Series for Broadcast | [21] | |
| 2022 | Nominated | International Documentary Association | Best Episodic Series | Untold | [22] |
| Nominated | PromaxBDA Awards | Documentary: Program Campaign | |||
| 2024 | Nominated | Cinema Eye Honors | Outstanding Achievement in Anthology Series | [23] | |
| 2025 | Nominated | Sports Emmy Awards | Outstanding Long Sports Documentary | The Lionheart | [24] |
| Nominated | Outstanding Documentary |
References
- ^ "Chapman and Maclain Way talk Netflix "Untold" series, including "Malice at the Palace," "Crime and Penalties," "Breaking Point"". awfulannouncing.com. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "Chapman Way". tfiny.org. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "VIDEO: Netflix Releases Trailer for UNTOLD: BREAKING POINT". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "'Wild Wild Country' Directors Chapman & Maclain Way on Their Crazy 6-Part Netflix Documentary". collider.com. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "Netflix releases trailer for crime documentary 'The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga'". wtva.com. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
- ^ "The '90s Cowboys Are Back in America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys". netflix.com. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
- ^ a b c "Awards & Nominations". emmys.com. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "WILD WILD COUNTRY Interview: Chapman & Maclain Way, Directors". filminquiry.com. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "Bing Russell's grandsons explore his 'Battered Bastards of Baseball'". Los Angeles Times. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "Interview: Chapman and Maclain Way Hit for the Fences With "Battered Bastards of Baseball"". moveablefest.com. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "Sundance 2014: Documentary Premieres". indiewire.com. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "Directors of the Netflix Rajneeshees docuseries talk about 'the craziest story' in Oregon history". oregonlive.com. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "The Way Brothers on Their Latest Stranger Than Fiction Docuseries 'The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga'". variety.com. December 2024. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
- ^ "Netflix series on Jerry Jones premieres Aug. 19". dallascowboys.com. June 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
- ^ "'Untold: Breaking Point' Trailer Reveals the Last Episode of Netflix's Sports Docuseries". collider.com. September 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "New Netflix docuseries 'UNTOLD' to dive deep into 'Malice at the Palace'". wxyz.com. July 2021. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
- ^ "'The New Yorker Presents': How Alex Gibney and Kahane Cooperman Curated the Amazon Series". indiewire.com. June 2016. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
- ^ "The Lionheart". tribecafilm.com. June 2023. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
- ^ "The Octopus Murders Docuseries Set At Netflix From Zachary Treitz, Duplass Brothers & Stardust Frames". deadline.com. January 2024. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
- ^ "34th Annual IDA Documentary Awards Honorees". documentary.org. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "Here are all the Nominees for the 12th Annual Cinema Eye Honors". cinemaeyehonors.com. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "Nominees Revealed for the 37th Annual IDA Documentary Awards".
- ^ "The Nominees for the 17th Annual Cinema Eye Honors". cinemaeyehonors.com. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
- ^ "Sports Emmys Nominations Revealed". deadline.com. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
External links
- Chapman Way at IMDb
