“This has happened in the past –– in the early 50s; UFOs were national news, which prompted the creation of Project Blue Book – and now, the Navy's recent acknowledgement that UFOs exist is highly significant,” said Steve Ascher, senior vice president of A+E Originals and one of the producers of “Unidentified.” “History’s series ‘Unidentified: Inside America’s UFO Investigation’ played a major role in that moment. In our series, former military intelligence official and a Special Agent In-Charge Elizondo, interviewed then Lt. Ryan Graves whose words and shared experiences with UAPs as an active duty Navy pilot got us here. Graves was the first USS Theodore Roosevelt pilot to come forward to identify the two videos of UAPs setting the internet ablaze. Our series has presented information that has never been disclosed before, and sparked conversations that have initiated true government action regarding this topic. We are thrilled to have played just a small part in making history.”

Television reaches 90 percent of the U.S. population, and the broadcast industry is a $150 billion per annum enterprise according to Business Insider. Due to the cheaper production costs and consistent ratings, reality-based TV are at the forefront of the industry, and these informative, yet slickly produced paranormal / UFO-based shows are a part of the machine. The machine is also in direct competition with each other for new and groundbreaking content.

“When developing and selling a UFO based series or documentary there are a couple of things that most companies are looking for; what is different about this story that hasn’t been told before?” said Chase Jeffrey, development producer at Megalomaniac Inc. “ Is there new access we have yet to see? Is this newly declassified information? Did some event recently happen that had made this topic relevant? Did a public figure recently make a statement or involved in the movement? In our industry we always be the ‘first’ to tell the story- and if it’s an iconic story that has already been told then what’s the new angle? We always seek to find news way to break through the clutter in hopefully a new fresh take … It’s a very competitive industry.”

Director Seth Breedlove and his Small Town Monsters productions has garnered the attention of Hollywood with their DIY films, and the positive press they have received. For the time being, Small Town Monsters remains independent of any TV contracts. Breedlove argues the homogeneous nature of some of these cryptozoology shows have clouded the creativity of the production companies.

“My experiences with television production regarding the paranormal has been the same story told over and over, “Breedlove said. “Basically, they all want to copy whatever the next guy is doing, regardless of whether or not the model is a success. There is very little, if any, actual knowledge of the phenomenon they're making a show about, and all the focus is on personality and how to portray that personality onscreen. I've been pitched at least a dozen versions of a show called ‘Small Town Monsters’ by various production houses that all boil down to ‘you and so and so are out in the woods hunting for monsters.’

That's not to say that all TV development people think this way, as I believe that may not be the case, but the ones I've dealt with have all been that same sort of experience.”