Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/989249
26 The Costume Designer Spring 2018 TURNAROUND AND THE VOLUME AND THE IDEAS, BUT HAS WORKING FOR RYAN GOTTEN ANY EASIER? It's a short and flat no. He keeps upping the ante. American Horror Story has all its stunts, all the blood work, and every season has a different storyline. With Glee, I could pull from their closets. But we don't have that because it is new every season. They're different characters, so there are no closets. It's not gotten easier. It's definitely gotten more interesting. IS THERE ANY SCRIPT YOU EVER FEEL DAUNTED BY? Every single one. REALLY? It's hard. You get the script days before shooting and you have to have it tomorrow. I walk through the halls where the art department has all its sketches and renderings, trying to get inspired and I flash back to, "OK, remember when you started Coven or remember when you started Freak Show, and you had no idea? It'll come." I give myself pep talks all the time. Also, I have a strong team that backs me up, and they are all very creative and bring something to the table. They're very important to me. IT'S INTERESTING, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE THIS SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION ON TWO LEVELS, WITH RYAN ON THE KIND OF BIG PICTURE AND WITH YOUR TEAM, YOU KNOW, TO FLESH OUT THE VIEW FROM THE GROUND. I like to hire people with the same energy and enthusiasm for what I do—that love to come to work every day and create. That's how I hire and that's how I inspire. I appreciate everybody bringing their talent and their creative voice as this collaborative team and that's what gets me through it. RECENTLY, YOU'VE ALSO TAKEN ON A PRODUCING ROLE. IN ONLY A WAY I THINK THAT YOU COULD, LOU, YOU'VE MADE IT INTO A MENTOR- SHIP. I TALKED TO SARAH EVELYN BRAM AND SHE SAID THAT HAVING YOU ONBOARD IS LIKE HAVING A "COSTUME FAIRY GODMOTHER." She took on a really hard job [American Horror Story: Cult] and got a nomination out of the gate. I went to Ryan a year ago and said, "I want to find a new way to do this because I can't keep taking these huge shows and doing 13 to 23 episodes. I'm burning out." Because he's got multiple shows going at once, he loved the idea. I find the designer, help them get started and then move to the next show. Two months later, he called and said he was making me a producer. I help start up each show come in and do check-ins and maintenance, and that's what Ryan counts on me for. I've had 19 years with him and he trusts me to make the right decisions. I've chosen to promote my ACDs when they are ready to give them the chance to design, with the safety net of me not being far away, if needed. THAT IS AN AMAZING RAPPORT TO HAVE WITH ANYONE AND PARTICU- LARLY YOUR MAIN DIRECTOR. DID YOU KNOW WHEN YOU STARTED WORKING WITH HIM THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE A LONG-TERM RELA- TIONSHIP, OR DID IT JUST DEVELOP THAT WAY? I had no idea. I remember him at a production meeting. Carol Ramsey was the designer and I was her assistant. I remember both of us Photo: Brooke Nipar.