Jonathan Rex is an auto-didactic polymath author and scholar with a broad range of interests, from non-fiction subjects like genealogy, history, geology, biology, psychology, philosophy, and world religions to fiction writing with screenplays, video game storylines, and novels. He was born and raised on U.S. military bases in California and the Philippines and has been training in martial arts and competing in various sports since age four. Rex received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Communication from Pittsburg State University in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
In 2007 Rex introduced the idea for OsiyoTV, the first Native-American series of its kind, conceptualizing both the title and brand through dialogues with an elder from the council of the Cherokee Nation. Launched seven years later, the show has gone on to win several Emmy Awards and is currently on its 8th Season. From 2020-2022 he wrote and self-published four books: Blood in the Water, Anakira: Rise of the Phoenix, Ama’matiya, and Krakrula. In 2022 he was interviewed by Emily Frances of i24 in Tel-Aviv, Israel, regarding his Cherokee ancestry and connection to the Bassano family of Venice and London through intermarriage between Sephardic Jews and Cherokee Indians.
In March of 2023 Rex’s research led to the formal identification of two late 18th-century paintings held by the Hunterian Art Collection in the Royal College of Surgeons in London since they were commissioned in 1790. Currently he is expanding on his historical work creatively by incorporating his research of AI technology into the creation of “A.I.M. (Artistic Intelligence Movement)” and “New Frontiers: Ancestral AI Assisted Fashion”. Through A.I.M. Rex will be able to assist scholars in generating photo-realistic images of historical figures and locations, while with New Frontiers he aspires to inspire men and women from around the world to reconnect with the traditional folk fashions of their own ancestors and incorporate them in unique modern styles.