As Senior Producer of the very first U.S. Survivor, Brady worked closely with Mark Burnett and Co-Executive Producer Craig Piligian, supervising the creative elements during the three months of pre-production and 39 days of production on the island of Pulau Tiga in Malaysian Borneo. Brady oversaw the giant challenge department and art department, which quickly became legendary, and which has been a hallmark of the series during its 45+ seasons on CBS. Brady also supervised the development and implementation of the Americanized format of the series, working with his creative team and collaborating closely with host Jeff Probst to determine exactly what would happen to the contestants on the island, and how the strategy of the game would play out.

Survivor remains the standard by which all reality shows are judged. The show received an Emmy that year, and it continues to redefine competition reality shows worldwide. Brady stayed with Mark Burnett Productions, helping to prep Survivor 2, and then directing Eco-Challenge: Borneo for USA Network.