There have been a number of people who have helped advance the cause of reality workers in the past 25 years; prominent among those people would be Mande Whitaker. B Smith's Second Sticks caught up with Mande for a lengthy talk. We dipped into her origin story and long career in non-scripted, where a flyer intended for origami became her entry into The Real World Seattle. We recounted her desire to serve, both as a outspoken advocate for operator rates and safety, and her activism which has lead to her present position on the National Executive Board of the International Cinematographers Guild. We also discussed the current state of production, and how a collective effort is needed by all guilds if we are to resuscitate a non-scripted genre that once again is in danger of being left behind.