In the early, unpolished days of YouTube—before “creator economy” was even a phrase—Maxx Powell was already experimenting with storytelling, cameras, and stunts that captured people’s attention. These early videos, fueled by raw curiosity and a love for adventure, quickly went viral and were soon featured on Spike TV, TruTV, G4, and even MTV’s Ridiculousness.
“I didn’t think of myself as a ‘creator’ back then,” Powell recalls. “I was just a kid who loved filming everything outdoors and wanted to make people feel like they were right there in the moment.”
That sense of immersion would later become the cornerstone of a business philosophy. But at the time, it was simply instinct—the desire to tell real stories in real places.
A Veteran’s Discipline, an Adventurer’s Heart
After serving in the U.S. Army and later working nearly a decade as a professional firefighter and EMT, Powell developed a mindset built around precision, teamwork, and pressure-tested decision-making. Between shifts, filming adventures continued—mountain biking, skiing, flying paramotors, overlanding and exploring wild places.
The footage resonated deeply online. Over time, their YouTube channel grew to more than 150,000 subscribers, with millions of views following adventures and entrepreneurial experiments. This authentic, high-energy storytelling style caught the attention of major outdoor brands like BFGoodrich, Honda, Polaris, and Can-Am, leading to collaborations that brought a creative vision to the mainstream outdoor audience.
Discovering a Gap in the Market
While working with top brands, Powell began to notice a recurring problem: smaller outdoor businesses struggled to find marketing help that truly understood their world.
“I’d talk to amazing guides, off-road shops, and gear companies,” he says. “They loved what they did, but they were frustrated. Most marketers didn’t understand outdoor culture, and the ones who did were often one-man shows who couldn’t scale results.”
So, “when Powell launched his own e-commerce brand”—a drop-shipped outdoor gear company—”he experienced that frustration firsthand.” “I hired a few agencies and freelancers, but none of them could connect the dots. They just didn’t live the lifestyle.”
That realization became the spark for Outsiders Media.
Building Outsiders Media: The Agency for Adventurers
In 2019, Powell began assembling a team drawn from the network “he’d built over years of brand collaborations and industry relationships.” These weren’t just marketers—they were mountain bikers, hunters, overlanders, and filmmakers who lived the outdoor lifestyle every day.
“I wanted to build a team that didn’t need to ‘learn’ what makes outdoor audiences tick—they already knew,” the overlander explains.
Outsiders Media introduced a productized service model that made high-quality marketing accessible to outdoor brands of all sizes. From paid ads and social media management to video production, influencer collaborations, and CRM automation, everything was designed to be plug-and-play for businesses without large in-house teams.
The results came quickly. Campaigns started converting. Brands started scaling. And word spread fast.
The Outsiders Advantage
Today, Outsiders Media has become one of the fastest-growing agencies in the outdoor industry—known for its creative edge, data-driven performance, and authentic connection to the culture it serves. The company’s ads division has generated millions in profit for clients, while its social media management system has simplified how outdoor brands stay present online.
Powell credits the agency’s success to one guiding principle: authenticity wins attention.
“When you actually live the life your clients represent, you can tell stories that resonate,” he says. “That’s why people trust us—we’re not guessing. We’re speaking from experience.”
Looking Forward
As the marketing landscape continues to evolve with automation, AI, and emerging creator platforms, Powell remains focused on keeping Outsiders Media grounded in its roots: real people, real stories, real results.
“The outdoor industry is about freedom and connection,” the CEO says. “We just use modern tools to tell those timeless stories in a way that drives growth for outdoor brands.”
From viral YouTube clips to one of the leading marketing firms in the outdoor space, Maxx Powell’s journey proves that passion, purpose, and persistence can turn any wild idea into an empire.
For those looking to grow an outdoor brand, Outsiders Media can be the guide to the top!
Media Contact
Company Name: Outsiders Media
Contact Person: Janett Guzmán
Email: Send Email
Country: United States
Website: http://www.outsidersmedia.com/
