From Survivor to Children's Books: A Hollywood Insider's Second Act : The Rusty Allen Story

In this episode, host JR Sparrow sits down with Rusty Austin — a Hollywood veteran with nearly 40 years in the entertainment industry — to talk about reality TV, life after Hollywood, and his unexpected pivot to children's books.

About the Guest

Rusty Austin attended UCLA Film School, graduating in 1990 right as the reality TV boom was beginning. He went on to work on landmark productions including:

• Survivor (Season 1) — one of the first and most iconic reality shows
• Hell's Kitchen — as a producer for multiple seasons
• Big Brother
• Cops
• Nanny 911
• Terminator 2, Sister Act, and Lorenzo's Oil (as an electrician/grip)

He is now a self-published children's book author based in the Palm Springs area.

What We Talked About

• How reality TV is actually made — and why "reality" isn't as real as viewers think
• The 400:1 shooting ratio on Hell's Kitchen (400 hours of footage for every 1 hour of TV)
• The brutal race to get Nanny 911 on air before ABC's Supernanny
• Why Survivor became a worldwide sensation — and how nobody saw it coming
• What Cops taught Rusty about human nature (hint: 7+ hours of a shift is just coffee and staring out a window)
• The parallels between reality TV and professional wrestling
• How retirement led Rusty to write animal poetry books for kids
• Collaborating with middle school students as illustrators for An Awesome Bird, the Pelican
• The self-publishing process using Blurb, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IngramSpark
• Why self-publishing pays far more per book than traditional publishing
• Advice for anyone starting a meaningful second act in life

Books by Rusty Austin

• Beware the Grizzly Bear
• The Unicorn Has One Horn
• An Awesome Bird, the Pelican (illustrated by middle school students)
• Dave and Me (memoir/short stories)

All books feature a Do It Yourself section where kids can write their own poems and draw their own pictures.

Connect with Rusty Austin

• Website: rustyaustin.com
• Amazon: search "Rusty Austin"
• Barnes & Noble: search "Rusty Austin"

Key Takeaway

"You still have a lot of life left to live — so why not live it?" Whether you're 40, 60, or beyond, your first act doesn't have to be your only act. Find what you love and keep after it.

WV Uncommon Place Conversations — hosted by JR Sparrow.