Research & Rockets

In this episode of The Former Reality Podcast, Your Secret Set Sister sits down with Brandon, a former unscripted TV researcher and field producer who once chased mysteries, treasure hunts, and even UFOs—on camera, at least. Now? He’s swapped field notes for flight plans, trading paranormal shoots for aerospace, aeronautics, and defense contracting. Brandon breaks down how he moved from non-union reality TV grind to the highly regulated world of cost proposal analysis, where deadlines still loom but the call sheets don’t come at 2 a.m. anymore. They talk burnout, pandemic pivots, the collapse of the “industry,” and why leaving TV doesn’t mean you leave your skills behind—sometimes you just repackage your pilot. Expect production puns, career-change real talk, and a behind-the-scenes look at how a showrunner brain translates surprisingly well into government contracts, pricing models, project management, and engineering workflows. ✨ Get a quick template for your own resume to translate crew speak to corporate jargon: https://formerreality.gumroad.com/l/resumetemplate?wanted=true ✨ Want more resources for navigating life after unscripted TV? Join the Former Reality newsletter and get career tools, mindset tips, and job-hunting support at FormerReality.com. #realityTV #careerpivot #aerospace #careerswitch #unscriptedTV #burnout #projectmanagement #costproposalanalyst, #lifeafterHollywood #entertainmentindustry #recession #producer #transferableskills #defensecontracting #careertransition #post-production #researchskills #productionmanagement #careerreinvention #TVtocorporate #burnoutrecovery