At the age of eighteen, Brodax enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in World War II. He was wounded in action, and was subsequently awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Medical Badge, and three battle stars. From 1950 to 1960 Brodax worked in program development for the William Morris Agency, where he helped develop "Your Show of Shows", "Pulitzer Prize Playhouse", and "Omnibus". He joined King Features Syndicate in 1960 as the head of their then-newly created film and television development department.