Rod started his journalism career as a cadet at the Lithgow Mercury in 1984, which was Australia's smallest regional daily newspaper at the time. He went on to work in radio and television, including News Corp and the Nine Network in Sydney. Bruem advised independent and Liberal/National MPs and Government Ministers, worked for nearly 20 years as a communications advisor at Telstra Corp, and served as a councillor for Ballina Shire and Rous County Councils from 2021 to 2024.