Bryce Zabel

Hollywood Credentials

Bryce Zabel is an American television producer, director, and writer with a substantial mainstream career spanning decades. He has produced hundreds of hours of film and television, including the cult UFO-conspiracy series Dark Skies (1996–1997), where he served as creator and showrunner. In 2008, Zabel co-wrote the Hallmark miniseries Pandemic, which won the Writers Guild of America award for Original Long Form. In 2001, he became the first writer-producer elected as chairman and CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences since his stated idol Rod Serling. His career has given him deep credibility within traditional media and entertainment institutions.

Disclosure Advocacy

Zabel's engagement with the UFO/UAP subject extends beyond fiction. In 2012, he co-authored A.D. After Disclosure: When the Government Finally Reveals the Truth About Alien Contact with researcher Richard Dolan. The book explores scenarios and societal implications of an official acknowledgment of extraterrestrial presence. Unlike many entertainment figures who keep UFO interests confined to their work, Zabel has become an active voice in contemporary disclosure advocacy, appearing on major platforms like Coast to Coast AM and Contact in the Desert, one of the world's largest UFO conferences.

Grusch Interview & Investigative Partnership

Zabel gained wider recognition in UAP circles in 2023 when he and investigative journalist Ross Coulthart recorded the first on-camera interview with whistleblower David Grusch at Zabel's home. This interview occurred the day before Coulthart's widely publicized News Nation segment and two months before Grusch testified under oath before the U.S. House of Representatives. The interview became a key reference point in Grusch's emergence as a major figure in the post-2023 disclosure era.

Building on this collaboration, Zabel and Coulthart launched Need to Know, a podcast and documentary project dedicated to investigative reporting on UAP. Produced in partnership with 7NEWS, the Need to Know documentary special featured the two hosts conducting a road trip across the United States, interviewing credible experts and former government insiders. The documentary garnered over 500,000 YouTube views in its first four days, demonstrating significant public appetite for serious, journalistically-framed UAP content. Zabel has continued hosting the Need to Know podcast beyond 2024, maintaining a steady stream of interviews and analysis even as Coulthart moved to host Reality Check for NewsNation in 2025.

Significance

Zabel's importance to contemporary UFO discourse lies in his ability to operate credibly within mainstream institutions while treating UAP as a serious subject worthy of investigation. Unlike figures whose credibility is tied exclusively to UFO communities, Zabel's Hollywood pedigree and Emmy recognition lend institutional weight to his projects. His partnership with Coulthart—a seasoned journalist with major media credentials—further legitimizes the investigative framing. Together, they have helped shift UAP discussion from the margins of fringe culture toward a model of investigative journalism more aligned with traditional news standards.

His work also represents a strategic shift in post-2023 disclosure advocacy: rather than relying on authors or conference speakers, figures like Zabel are using film, television, and podcasting to reach broader audiences with carefully vetted interviews and analysis.